In over twenty years there have now been three different iterations of the Fantastic Four movies so is the third time a charm?
I say yes, in fact I say a resounding yes! This version of the Fantastic Four feels MCU yet it also feels like it’s very own thing. That’s because this movie takes place on Earth 828 which is a different Earth than the main MCU timeline which is 626.
Even though this is a multiverse movie they don’t mention it very much, in fact they don’t mention it at all. The only reason it qualifies is because the fact that they are not in the same Earth as the main MCU timeline. We know form the Thunderbolts* end credit scene that something causes the Fantastic Four to come to the main MCU timeline in next years Avengers Doomsday. Speaking of Doom we do get a tiny look at him in the first post credits scene but I will talk about that in a spoiler tagged section at the very bottom of this review.
In this universe, or at least by the time this movie starts the Fantastic Four are well established and well known on their universe eliminating the need for us, the audience, to see the origin story for the third time in a row. If you don’t happen to know the origin story of the Fantastic Four you will not be lost or confused because in a very clever way they give you the origin story in a condensed five minute version at the very beginning of the movie, then we just jump right in to the main story.
We see the group doing various small tasks around the city as the crowd cheers them on including arresting Mole Man (played by Paul Walter Hauser) in his MCU debut. From the very beginning of the movie it is revealed that Sue Storm is pregnant with Franklin. This is MAJOR part of the story and the whole reason Galactus comes to town. Not too far into the first act do we meet Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer. Garner (Ozark) does a fantastic job in the role and she looks great as well. It was nice seeing her origin story and how powerful she is. I know some people were upset about Silver Surfer being a female, but in the comics there is a male and female Surfer so it has basis here.
One thing I’ve always loved about the Fantastic Four movies is the group’s family dynamic and they really show that off here. Director Matt Shakman (Wandavision) really did a great job giving the time and effort to show off the dynamics between the squad and even interactions between a couple of the members of the squad on their own. The group has some great banter and when they stakes get high they all really have each others back equally.
The tone of this film is actually pretty serious and not very joking or funny which I appreciate. Galactus is a very menacing villain and he really does seem like he would eat your planet no matter what. I’ve always thought Galactus could be a big bad Thanos level villain and I believe that even more after watching this film.
Natasha Lyonne’s character was charming and a potential love interest for The Thing. The main four were great as well! Vanessa Kirby gave a strong performance as Sue Storm and really showed what a mother will do to save her baby. Pedro Pascal gave a really good performance as Reed Richard’s showing how his intelligence sometimes really can hurt the people he loves. Joseph Quinn gave an electrifying performance as Johnny Storm and actually had some very good ideas on how to defeat Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Ebon Moss-Bachrach was very comics accurate as The Thing and it was a lovely moment when he shouted his iconic line. Also you felt a taste of The Bear in the movie in the kitchen scenes.
Although I generally loved the movie and it flew by with fantastic pacing, there is one thing I wished there was more of and that was action. There was a great action sequence in the second act that involved Sue giving birth while they were being chased by Galactus and the Silver Surfer, yet the third act didn’t have much action at all. The final scenes had some action with mainly Sue Storm but I would have loved an action sequence as long as the one in the second act that involved everyone.
So overall I really enjoyed this move and rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
POST CREDIT SPOILER SCENES
Okay you read the headline, it is now spoiler territory only for the post credit scenes.
So let’s talk about the first post credit scene. In this scene which is four years later, Franklin is now four years old and can speak and Sue is reading him a children’s book when she gets up to go to the kitchen and then she senses something is off. When she peeks across to the living room she spots Doctor Doom talking to Franklin and then scene ends. I have a feeling this scene is from Doomsday itself probably around the beginning of the movie. I have a feeling Doom takes Franklin to the main MCU timeline and that’s what drags the Fantastic Four over there.
The second post credit scene involves just an Easter egg to the Fantastic Four cartoon. It’s more jokey and funny rather than being actually important to the story.
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