Fantastic Four

Marvel has been struggling for a new foothold in the cinematic landscape for several years now. For a while it really seemed like they were floundering…let me be clear; this idea is not reflected in the quality of the films it is reflected in the waffling of the leadership of the MCU. For the last 3 years we have heard from Iger, and Fiege that they will now be centering the MCU and focusing on “quality over quantity”, when in reality the “new” release plan shows absolutely no changes whatsoever. They are in fact doing the exact same thing they have always done. This not only makes the keepers of the MCU liars but it makes them look like they have no idea what they are doing, and it highlights the fact that there is no real plan for the MCU. They have ideas, and whispers but they don’t have a vision. The release of the Fantastic Four however gives us hope.

The first family of the MCU has been portrayed in live action several times and none of them have been great. The films from the early 2000s were cast well but the writing was subpar and the direction was….bold. The new take on the Fantastic Four is soft, it's kind and it's a beautiful way to honor everything that the creators, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, would have wanted.

The best part of this film was obviously the family core. The entire film took place over the course of Sue’s pregnancy. This serves as an excellent backdrop for the trolley problem the film uses as well as giving the audience something to connect with. Because no matter how fantastical, or comic book-y the film gets it always had this beautiful and relatable foundation.

I am going to take a break in praising the story for a second to shout out the incredible production design. From the costumes to the CGI the film was visually stunning. Seriously it was gorgeous and it went a long way to help the film feel like a comic book.

Each of the characters had some beautiful moments. Often in these adaptations Johnny Storm is used as the comedic relief, he is simply Sue’s kid brother. He’s immature and sometimes lazy. But this Johnny, though still charming and playful, seriously loves his family and will do anything to save them. He is smart and he is willing to sacrifice himself for the ones he loves.

Sue’s best moment was her confronting the crowd in defence of her child. In this moment she acts as the leader of the team, she defends her family and she defends her child. She is also the one that saves the day, this climax scene is very important to me because lesser writers, most writers would have killed Sue and left her dead. You see this plays into something called care ethics, the concept that one sacrifices themselves for the “greater good”, not inherently bad as a philosophical ideal but for some reason, in comic books this is a concept only women heroes are afflicted with. However Mat Shakman, Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer tied this back to family. Sue sacrifices herself for her son, and the earth but then her son brings her back, Her love saved him, his love saved her. It was beautiful.

Reed is on paper a very unlikeable character. He is, he’s obsessive and obtuse, blunt and dismissive. But they wrote him with so much depth, where these flaws are in a desperate attempt to be the best husband and father he can be. And Pedro Pascal was a brilliant casting choice because his kind, puppy dog eyes and sweet face really help soften the most intense parts of Reed’s personality.

Now Ben didn’t get much in this movie BUT something very important happened. For much of his comic appearance the fact that Ben Grimm is Jewish has been a very important part of his character for years and this has never translated to his live action appearances. But this Ben Grimm was very clearly Jewish, from a Jewish neighborhood. There was some important representation seen, finally.

Honestly this movie was a 10/10. It really seems like the creative team studied the previous Fantastic Four movie, saw why they didn’t work and fixed all of their flaws. The pacing was flawless and the runtime clocks in just under 2 hours. The film is beautiful, and it's comforting and optimistic. Please go see it, then download it and keep it and watch it forever. It’s truly Fantastic.