Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jul 25, 2025 | 1 comment

FANTASTIC FOUR WEEK — NO SPOILERS!

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It’s FANTASTIC FOUR WEEK! Because there’s a big ol’ movie out! Click here for the COMPLETE INDEX of columns and features! Flame on! — Dan

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This is the whole reason we’re doing FANTASTIC FOUR WEEK, so let’s get right to it — 13 QUICK THOUGHTS ON FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS!

(NO SPOILERS — and PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS in comments either here or in any of our social media threads. Don’t be a dick.)

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1. It’s a fun movie. It, like James Gunn’s Superman, is also an unapologetically comic-book movie, as opposed to a movie with comics characters. It’s a refreshing change from what we’ve gotten used to.

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2. The other comparison I’ll make to Superman is that it is relentlessly optimistic and upbeat. It also goes further and depicts society how we’d like it to be, as opposed to how it is.

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3. In that regard — and others — it’s also firmly entrenched in the Silver Age, with its retro-futuristic surroundings and very ’60 vibe. Besides all the groovy tech, design and furniture, it’s filled with snippets of what media was like in the 1960s, particularly television and magazines.

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4. It is the first Marvel movie that really leans into the legacy of Jack Kirby. I’m not a Stan Lee basher by any stretch, but it’s about time Disney and Marvel Studios paid heavy tribute to the King.

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5. It’s Earth-828, in case you’re wondering.

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6. I recommend the recently released comic book Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is a direct prequel to the movie and deepens the movie’s lore without spoiling anything.

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7. The movie isn’t an origin story, as you probably know, but there are fabulous flashbacks that were taken straight from the ’60s FF comics, with a big line-up of villains who make cameo appearances. Those are some of the movie’s best parts.

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8. Reed Richards: Pedro Pascal is excellent, as always. The guy is never not good (though his Wonder Woman 1984 appearance was strange). His Reed is less cold and distant and more (humorously) neurotic and frustrated. He knows he’s supposed to be able to connect more emotionally but struggles to do it.

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9. Sue Storm: Vanessa Kirby is probably the most charismatic of the Four. She’s ferocious.

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10. Johnny Storm: Joseph Quinn is better than I’d anticipated. In the trailers, it seemed like he was an off-note but he works in the film. Johnny’s still girl-crazy and impetuous, but he’s got a lot more heart — and is far more intelligent — than you might think.

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11. Ben Grimm: Ebon Moss-Bachrach is one of the best actors working right now and I think he’ll be Oscar-bound one of these days. His Ben is less gruff than he’s typically portrayed and his higher-pitched voice — you always expect gruff “dese, dem, dose” from the Thing — takes some getting used to. But his relationships with the others, especially Sue and Johnny, are spot on.

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12. The Silver Surfer. It takes confidence to effectively be naked on screen in every scene you’re in, even with a CGI sheen. Julia Garner certainly has it — and pulls off the role flawlessly.

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13. Galactus is the best part of the movie. Hands down. Every time he’s on screen — played under all that CGI “makeup” by first-rate British character actor Ralph Ineson — he just takes over. That would seem obvious for a world-devouring giant, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

I’m not a Fantastic Four fanatic — not a knock, it’s just the way it is — but the big guy, more than anyone else, is the one who most richly exemplifies the artistry of comic books. Especially Kirby’s.

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MORE

— The Complete FANTASTIC FOUR WEEK INDEX of Columns and Features. Click here.

— 13 Fantastic Facts About the FIRST FANTASTIC FOUR Film — From 1962! Click here.