HOLLYWOOD—I truly believe The Fantastic Four is one of the most iconic superhero group of superheroes; unique characters with different skills. One who can stretch, one who is invisible, one he can ignite into flames and flies, and another who is a brute of a power beast.
We all know the 2015 flick starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan and Kata Mara was horrid. Might be one of the worst superhero flicks I’ve watched since “The Green Lantern” starring Ryan Reynolds. It has been more than 10 years since that movie, so expect my giddiness with the thought of a new flick, “Fantastic Four: The First Steps” with the iconic characters back but played by new actors.
Stepping into the iconic shoes of our fearless four are Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing/Ben Grimm. Are any of the characters actual standouts as a viewer? Not in my opinion, they work well together as a cohesive unit, but not one shines more than others.
At the heart of the narrative is the birth of Reed and Sue’s son, Franklin, who is a major player in our villain, Galactus. Was I happy to see Galactus, with his solider in the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). We’ve seen the Silver Surfer before, but the character was more of an afterthought. This time around, the Surfer is a villain and does the bidding of Galactus, who devours planets to satiate this hunger he has.
“Fantastic Four: The First Steps” had the potential to be something unique and special, but it felt like a run of the mill superhero flick more focused on a family element that did not resonate with me at all.
The action sequences while awesome, were too far in-between. The villains did not feel treacherous enough for me to be invested. I need a bad guy who is a actual threat to the survival of my heroes or the people they care about most. In addition, the pacing was off. The movie starts way too slow, and by the time things really start to get entertaining, it feels like this rush to the finish.
You can’t give all the good stuff in the final third of the movie. It doesn’t make up for the other two-thirds that lack that special punch that you thirst for as a viewer, especially one who is expecting unbelievable action for a superhero flick.
If there is one thing the movie teases right it’s during the mid-credits where we actually see what could be in store for the sequel, and I was excited by what I saw. Why? That tease should have been the focal point on this go around, because there is so much more meat, story and narrative to be pulled from there.
You will be entertained by watching “Fantastic Four: The First Steps,” especially if you are a fan of the comics but knowing the potential of these characters and the story, there was so much more I expected.
