Let’s get this out of the way first: I loved it.
Marvel’s new Fantastic Four delivers a retro-futuristic vibe that feels both bold and refreshingly nostalgic. The set designs are a visual treat, and the whole aesthetic gave me that rare sense of watching something uniquely stylized within the MCU. Most importantly, the Fantastic Four felt like a real team. There’s a heartbeat to this group that the film captures beautifully. You believe their bond, their brains, and their place in the world.
But before I get into the nitty-gritty, I should say—this movie had a lot riding on it for me. The 2005 Fantastic Four film was one of the very first live-action superhero movies I ever saw, right up there with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy and the early-2000s X-Men series. Those films were formative. They didn’t just entertain me—they opened my eyes to what superheroes could be on screen. And as messy as those early movies sometimes were, I have a real soft spot for them (except Fant4stic from 2015—we don’t talk about that one). So yeah, I came into this one hoping it would be the Fantastic Fourmovie I always imagined as a kid.
This was the first movie I’ve ever gone full-cosplay for—I went as Reed in blue spandex and a white lab coat, and my wife went as Sue in matching, stretchy blue. Alexis actually stitched our costumes entirely from scratch. And even though today had to have been the hottest day of the summer so far (I’m not joking—it got to 102°F with the humidity), I was surprisingly comfortable in my Marvel getup. Big shoutout to my awesome wifey for making a great memory for us to share.
It was also super funny how it worked out that we’re almost 6 months pregnant now since Sue is also pregnant in the movie—when my wife commits to a bit, she commits to the freakin’ bit.
A Love Letter to Kirby
One thing that absolutely deserves recognition: this movie is packed with nods to Jack Kirby—and not just in name, but in spirit.
The visual design leans hard into that bold, cosmic weirdness that Kirby pioneered with the Fantastic Four. From the jagged energy streams to the interdimensional environments, the whole thing pulses with that unmistakable “Kirby crackle” energy. You can tell the creative team wanted this to look like something ripped from his pages—and it shows.
Even the universe designation—828—is a quiet but beautiful tribute to Kirby’s birthday (August 28). It’s the kind of thoughtful detail that doesn’t call attention to itself but makes longtime fans feel seen.
There’s one particular shot (shown above) with Johnny Storm and the Silver Surfer that genuinely stopped me in my tracks. It felt like a living panel straight from a classic Kirby spread—dynamic, over-the-top, full of movement and myth. Moments like that reminded me just how foundational Kirby’s vision still is to modern superhero storytelling, and this film clearly wanted to honor that legacy.
What The Movie Got Right
I want to start by talking a little bit about the characters, because each member of the Fantastic Four is special to me and I think they were established really well in the movie, both individually and as a part of the larger family dynamic. Reed Richards in particular stands out—not just for his powers, but for the burden of his brilliance. His mind is both his greatest asset and his greatest liability, and the film leans into that in a way I really appreciated.
I loved that Johnny was more than a meathead. His intellect has been borderline non-existent in other movie adaptations, and the filmmakers of this movie were on a mission to change that. When I saw him setting his mind on something big, I genuinely thought it was going to lead to him screwing something up. Turned out to be quite the opposite, in fact.
Sue was the only one who didn’t get a ton of backstory, but they made up for it by making her story crucial to the overall plot. And I loved this version of The Thing way more than I thought I would, although he did feel a little flat at times. He’s just a big softy, and I enjoyed their ability to capture that.
And Galactus? Absolutely phenomenal. The creative team clearly came to this movie with one central mission: do right by Galactus. Mission accomplished. This version of the Devourer of Worlds is both awe-inspiring and narratively weighty, and I was all in for it.
Where There’s Still Room To Grow
But for all that it gets right, the movie suffers from the same issue that’s plagued several recent Marvel entries: it just doesn’t let itself breathe. The pace is so relentless that none of the moments—emotional, comedic, or otherwise—have the space to land. Scenes rush past before they can settle, which makes it hard for anything to truly resonate or be memorable.
That brings me to one of my bigger notes: this movie takes itself very seriously. And while I don’t think every superhero story needs to be quippy or tongue-in-cheek, Fantastic Four left almost no room for levity—especially the kind that flows naturally from character. There were only a couple moments where the writing loosened up enough to let the team’s personalities shine, and those were often brief or buried in exposition.
Take Ben and Johnny, for example. Their iconic bickering—usually one of the highlights of any Fantastic Four adaptation—was mostly reduced to background noise or folded into the one main comedic scene with Sue. Their energy, which should’ve bounced off the walls, felt muted. Even the comedy beats we did get leaned into the silly rather than the clever or character-driven: The Thing growing a beard got more attention than any of the group’s banter or playfulness. And Johnny—traditionally a showboating, unapologetic flirt—was reduced to a blushing sidestep when Sue casually mentioned he was “very single.” It wasn’t just toned down; it felt like he didn’t recognize himself.
That’s kind of the heart of it. These characters all felt like watered-down versions of themselves—not because the actors didn’t understand them, but because the script didn’t give them room to just be themselves. Every scene had to serve the plot, and the moments where someone could just crack a joke or make a mess or riff off a teammate? They barely existed unless they were justified by story beats.
And when a film doesn’t trust its characters to carry a moment without pushing the story forward, you lose something vital—personality, spontaneity, fun.
My Biggest Takeaways
If I could offer three takeaways to the creative team for next time, they’d be:
1. Let it breathe.
2. Make it memorable.
3. And don’t forget to have a little fun.
There was also one very small (but weirdly distracting) bit of CG that took me out of the moment—not a dealbreaker, just an eyebrow-raiser. And it seems like a lot of fans agree with that part, so I won’t get too far into it other than saying that I can’t understand the need to CG a human baby when all he’s doing is being held by someone.
There’s clearly a lot of love behind this project, but it was almost like they were too concerned with doing it right, which ironically made it somewhat miss its mark (for me, at least). With a little more space, a little more play, and a little more time, that love that Marvel Studios has for F4 could shine through even brighter.
