Marvel’s latest superhero movie continues the series of confusing failures, writes Juho Rissanen of Iltalehti.
The Fantastic Four will once again be disappointed. Marvel Studios
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
USA, 2025
Directed by: Matt Shakman
IL estimate: ⭐⭐
Fantastic Four (which also known in Finland as well as Miracles), who first appeared in comics in 1961, is the first superhero group of the Marvel publisher.
However, the transition of the legendary group to the screen has been extremely difficult.
Namely, the history of Fantastic Four Hero films is such a confusing list of failures that they could almost start talking about curse. Especially since even this fifth company serves the adventures of the miracles for film viewers.
The first movie, which was already miraculous, gave an indication of what kind of mess might still be ahead. In the 1990s, a small-budget B-class film never even got to the cinema.
In 2005 and 2007, films were released Fantastic Four and its sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surferwho did not collect much praise, and the latter flop so badly that the plans for new sequels were abandoned.
In 2015, a real disaster was followed by trying to restart the movie series again with a movie Fantastic Four. Young and inexperienced were hired as a director Josh trank And the end result was such a messy mess that many of the scenes in the movie had to be photographed again. Even after that, the film was almost unseen.
The most criticism was the fact that the actual superhero activity was not seen until briefly towards the end of the film. The film got crushed critics and flop. Plans for the sequels were buried in small votes.
So now the miracles arrive again in cinemas. This time the result is not a disaster, but neither is success.
New The Fantasic Four: First Steps It is placed in parallel reality, which is a kind of mix of the 1960s and modern world. There is no flying in space, but no one can see cell phones. Already here is the film’s first strange contradiction: the whole universe would be under investigation, but still the protagonists enjoy the best at home with everyday chores.
Like modern superhero films, time is not wasted on presenting the characters’ birth stories, but the viewer arrives at the finished table. The background story is quickly repeated in the form of a TV broadcast.
Aesthetically, the new Fantastic Four is pleasant, but it doesn’t carry far. The visuality and story of the film has been inspired by the fourth cartoon adventures. It brings straightforwardness to the story, but also clumsiness. The main characters are not interdimensional or identifying but annoying and latte
There is an attempt to create humor in the film with the “witty” saying of the characters. Indeed, this remains only a business and, for example, how difficult it is to write a truly nasty and fun dialogue.
The miracle, as its name suggests, consists of four people, each with different superpowers. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) That is, Mr. Fantastic, who can stretch his body to stunning dimensions and is also an ingenious scientist.
Susan Storm (Vanessa Kirby) is an invisible woman who can make not only herself but also other objects invisible and create a power field.
Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) is a flame that is able to ignite itself without damaging and flying.
Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bacharach), that is, a lump that owns huge forces but has lost some of its humanity behind a rocky look. Grimm is the most tragic and touching character of the group, unfortunately the depth of the new film will not be able to think more than a few passing moments.
The quartet lives in a huge skyscraper apartment, with Reed Richards and Susan Storm in a relationship, Johnny Storm is Susan’s brother and Ben Grimm’s best friend. There is also a sympathetic little robot, which is one of the few light spots in the film.
As the film starts, the Fantastic Four group has already gained a superpower in an accident on a space trip (which Reed Richards still be guilty) and has defeated many special opponents.
Now, however, they get a more difficult enemy when a silver surf arrives to announce that the huge galactus is about to arrive to eat the globe. The fight against Galactus leads to a dangerous adventure that takes them to the extremes of the galaxy. However, Galactus is quite a bit of a character, and only his helper silver surf is a bit edged.
The film’s staging and costume are spectacular, but action scenes are not very imaginative, and no real sense of danger or excitement can be created because the heroes of the movie are so overwhelming.
At the beginning of the film, the quartet will survive such impossible dangers and develops the world -changing solutions that all the interest disappears from the story.
Although this is a superhero adventure in parallel reality, it would be nice to hold on to some kind of realism, otherwise all the problems can only be solved by developing a more wonderful technological tidy.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps premiered in Finland on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.