Should we call it “superhero fatigue” or “bad movie fatigue”? It’s no secret the MCU has been struggling of late, just this year alone they’ve released two underperforming titles. Here’s their third attempt to recapture the zeitgeist.
Marvel has dropped the final trailer for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” and, well, it actually looks... decent? Better than “Captain America: Brave New World,” at the very least — though that's not exactly a high bar these days. Are we really at the point where “not awful” qualifies as promising? That was the criteria for “Thunderbolts.”
Matt Shakman’s take on Marvel’s first family leans heavily into a ‘60s retro-futurist vibe, and it’s hard not to admire the style on display. The visuals pop — not counting the underwhelming CGI— the tone feels a little more playful, and for once, there’s a whiff of personality in the air. Credit where it’s due — Shakman might just pull it off. The guy’s TV resume is all over the place: “WandaVision,” “Fargo,” Game of Thrones,” even “It’s Always Sunny.”
Let’s not forget: the ‘Fantastic Four’ have had a rough go at it on screen. From the mid-2000s cheese to that 2015 embarrassment (“Fant4stic”), it's been a string of flops. Can Feige and Co. finally break the curse?
Development hell has been the only constant here. First announced back in 2019, Jon Watts was supposed to direct — until he bailed in 2022. The script's gone through several hands: Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, followed by “Avatar: The Way of Water” co-writer Josh Friedman, and now Peter Cameron (“WandaVision,” “Moon Knight”) who did clean-up duty.
As for the cast: Pedro Pascal leads as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby is Sue Storm, Ebon Moss-Bacharach takes on Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn flames on as Johnny Storm. Presales for the film have been decent, and it’ll most likely gross more than “Thunderbolts.” Will that be enough to call it a success?
Marvel’s hoping to relaunch this franchise — again — on July 25, 2025.
The source material, for the uninitiated, is Arrowhead Game Studios' co-op shooter — muscle in power armor defending "Super Earth" from bugs and robots in a war game.