I walked out of the theater after watching Fantastic Four: First Steps with the biggest smile on my face. Even now I’m happy just thinking about it.
Not only is this the Fantastic Four movie I’ve always wanted to see (and was almost fine with never getting since we have The Incredibles instead), but this is one of my favorite movies of the year and one of my all-time favorite superhero movies.
It nails every level of the film: music, casting, worldbuilding, action, emotions, humor, pacing, villainy, heroics, etc.
I’m almost without words because of how much awe I have for this movie. So many pitch-perfect memorable moments, huge stakes with difficult decisions and clever solutions, and a dozen ways it could have veered off course but didn’t.
To highlight two non-spoiler decisions I thought were incredibly smart:
- I love that the movie is set in a Jetsons-style alternate reality (without being a multiverse movie).
- I love that it yet another ensemble superhero movie about a group of heroes trying to figure out how to work well with each other. The Fantastic Four in this film already know how to work with each other; sure, they tease each other from time to time–they’re family–but they’re in sync, which is so much fun to watch.
I truly cannot recommend this movie enough. Superman is worth watching too, but if you can only watch one superhero movie in the theater this summer, I truly believe this is the one.
When you watch it, let me know your favorite part! Spoilers are fair game in the comments.