Movies THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (Passes $400 Million Globally; Dragonlord's Review, post #1)

[Anung Un Rama]

I liked the movie, but i'm not surprised its not doing gangbusters at the box office.
1. The trailers, while appealing to the nerds like me, were objectively not good. And in this era if you can't pull together an amazing trailer its a sign, right or wrong, that the movie doesn't have anything worth sharing.
2. The movie, while again appealing to the nerds like me, just wasn't great. Nobody was telling their IRL friends "you have to see this movies!!". It was just spread too thin and had too man flaws. And I liked it.

The Silver Surfer chase was the best part of the movie, but was overcomplicated by Sue giving birth. The better way to have told the story, was for Galactus to be the one to announce that Sue was pregnant in the first place. Not only is that super creepy, but the movie still proceeds as planned. The birth sequence doesn't take away from the amazing light speed chase around a black hole. It could have been better utilized to highlight Reed's genius ability to calculate a solution, Ben's piloting, and Sue's invisibility. Maybe Johnny's powers could have been used to augment the ship's escape velocity somehow. Now, Sue comes full term back on Earth while the F.F. prepares the world for Galactus, who appears as Sue is giving birth, or just after. Finale goes pretty much as drawn up. Because why the fuck would you fly into space to defend the earth from a world eating force of nature in your 3rd trimester? It would also have spared us some creepy cgi baby.

Johnny Storm should not have been written as a a world class linguist, alternate reality or not. That was just dumb. And if for no other reason than Reed didn't even have enough geniusy things to do in the movie, why divide that aspect of the team and delegate it to Johnny fucking Storm?

The CGI was really inconsistent from bad bad to okay.
It was the right call to not do an origin story, and have it in an alternate past, but having a montage that included "battles" with Red Ghost and the Mad Thinker (neither shown btw)??? then later referencing Diablo, Puppet Master, and The Wizard (none shown)l??? and then insult of insult have a shitty cgi homage to F.F. #1 where Thing clobbers Giganto on a screen in screen job??? C'mon. Such a egregious dropping of the ball. They really needed that scene imo (Giganto vs Mole Man). Not only for the fan service, not only for the proper homage that can not be delivered with proper cgi, but to set up Thing's strength, which they don't really do justice. Like who thought Reed kicking a shitty cgi orangutan in a shitty cgi action sequence was the scene the movie needed and the fans wanted?

And ultimate nit pick. Paul Walter Hauser's Mole Man is the kind of shit you seen in a DVD option for "cut scenes". And I did not like the way they portrayed MM. It was very lazy and unimaginative. I felt they could have even included him in the plot to defeat Galactus by causing a sink hole to trip him into the gizmo thingy.

Still liked it and still plan on seeing it again in theatres, but this is why the movie might wind up being a "failure".
Does like the MCU even know its free to join Sherdog and slip into my DMs for some pro-bono consulting?

 

[Prefect]

A solid movie. I was fine with the not spending so much time on back history. It kept a decent pace and the mood was for the most part fairly light. I think the direction that they are going is that this lightness will go away when things get more grim. The writing was ok but I would rather have had some more backstory related to the silver surfer and galactus. I liked the sets and art style of being 1950s idea of the future. I think the biggest fault of the movie is that it presents the baby, the group becoming a family, the silver surfer, and galactus without really going into depth with any of them. Maybe, this is a blessing in disguise as there wasn't really much exposition.

 

[KnightTemplar]

I liked the movie, but i'm not surprised its not doing gangbusters at the box office.
1. The trailers, while appealing to the nerds like me, were objectively not good. And in this era if you can't pull together an amazing trailer its a sign, right or wrong, that the movie doesn't have anything worth sharing.
2. The movie, while again appealing to the nerds like me, just wasn't great. Nobody was telling their IRL friends "you have to see this movies!!". It was just spread too thin and had too man flaws. And I liked it.

The Silver Surfer chase was the best part of the movie, but was overcomplicated by Sue giving birth. The better way to have told the story, was for Galactus to be the one to announce that Sue was pregnant in the first place. Not only is that super creepy, but the movie still proceeds as planned. The birth sequence doesn't take away from the amazing light speed chase around a black hole. It could have been better utilized to highlight Reed's genius ability to calculate a solution, Ben's piloting, and Sue's invisibility. Maybe Johnny's powers could have been used to augment the ship's escape velocity somehow. Now, Sue comes full term back on Earth while the F.F. prepares the world for Galactus, who appears as Sue is giving birth, or just after. Finale goes pretty much as drawn up. Because why the fuck would you fly into space to defend the earth from a world eating force of nature in your 3rd trimester? It would also have spared us some creepy cgi baby.

Johnny Storm should not have been written as a a world class linguist, alternate reality or not. That was just dumb. And if for no other reason than Reed didn't even have enough geniusy things to do in the movie, why divide that aspect of the team and delegate it to Johnny fucking Storm?

The CGI was really inconsistent from bad bad to okay.
It was the right call to not do an origin story, and have it in an alternate past, but having a montage that included "battles" with Red Ghost and the Mad Thinker (neither shown btw)??? then later referencing Diablo, Puppet Master, and The Wizard (none shown)l??? and then insult of insult have a shitty cgi homage to F.F. #1 where Thing clobbers Giganto on a screen in screen job??? C'mon. Such a egregious dropping of the ball. They really needed that scene imo (Giganto vs Mole Man). Not only for the fan service, not only for the proper homage that can not be delivered with proper cgi, but to set up Thing's strength, which they don't really do justice. Like who thought Reed kicking a shitty cgi orangutan in a shitty cgi action sequence was the scene the movie needed and the fans wanted?

And ultimate nit pick. Paul Walter Hauser's Mole Man is the kind of shit you seen in a DVD option for "cut scenes". And I did not like the way they portrayed MM. It was very lazy and unimaginative. I felt they could have even included him in the plot to defeat Galactus by causing a sink hole to trip him into the gizmo thingy.

Still liked it and still plan on seeing it again in theatres, but this is why the movie might wind up being a "failure".
Does like the MCU even know its free to join Sherdog and slip into my DMs for some pro-bono consulting?

Bro, I already sent Marvel an outline of how to bring Magneto into the MCU, but they didn't want to know. Apparently, having Eric be a child survivor of a terror attack on his small kibbutz near the Gaza border is too, "offensive" in today's world.

Fucking pussies.

 

[Batjester]

Bro, I already sent Marvel an outline of how to bring Magneto into the MCU, but they didn't want to know. Apparently, having Eric be a child survivor of a terror attack on his small kibbutz near the Gaza border is too, "offensive" in today's world.

Fucking pussies.

Marvel doesn't accept any unsolicited ideas or scripts at all. I know this because I worked for a company that did was contracted with Marvel (comic book side) and that was one of the written responses we had when people would call in saying they "have a great idea". I hated those calls.

 

[KnightTemplar]

Marvel doesn't accept any unsolicited ideas or scripts at all. I know this because I worked for a company that did was contracted with Marvel (comic book side) and that was one of the written responses we had when people would call in saying they "have a great idea". I hated those calls.

I was joking, bro. I did post my idea of how to reinvent Magneto for the MCU in one of the X Men Threads. But I said at the time there's no way it would fly because of what's happening in the Middle East right now.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: August 7, 2025

Legendary Video Game Developer Hideo Kojima's Take on THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

Hideo Kojima: "Watched “Fantastic Four: First Steps.”From the fashion, color palette, design, cityscape, TV and cartoon shows, to the costumes, spacesuits, rockets, cars—not to mention company names, food items (cereal, soda), and storage media (magnetic tapes, discs)—everything is crafted with a thorough commitment to a 1960s aesthetic blended with a sense of futurism.

It felt nostalgic, like watching “Bewitched” when I was a kid. Or at times, it felt like a live-action version of The Incredibles, with “family” as its central theme. Once I found out it was directed by the same person who did “WandaVision,” it all made sense. Post-COVID hero films seem to be shifting away from the dark and gritty tone toward a more retro-futuristic, colorful, and nostalgic direction.

One thing the film does well is how it opens with a TV show that efficiently summarizes the Fantastic Four’s feats, role, and current standing. If it had taken the time to carefully depict how they became superhuman from the very start, it would’ve come off as overly explanatory and slow-paced. Superman skipped that part too. Here, the plot is designed so that viewers are drawn in from the point where “they” gain a new family—marking the beginning of turmoil and crisis. As a “first step” to reboot the series, it’s truly “fantastic.”"



Regarded as one of the first auteurs of video games, Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear, Zone of the Enders) gives his take on The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The legendary video game developer is an avid movie fan and occasionally gives a short movie review on social media. If he doesn't like the movie, he would often just say "Saw (name of movie) in theaters" or something extremely brief.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Damon Lindelof's take on Fantastic Four: First Steps. Skip to the 21:00 mark for the actual discussion. Lindelof is an American screenwriter and best known as the creator and showrunner for Lost. His other writing credits include World War Z, Prometheus and Star Trek Into Darkness. He is a writer and executive producer of the upcoming DC Studios' Lanterns for HBO Max.

 

[Pittie Petey]

Damon Lindelof's take on Fantastic Four: First Steps. Skip to the 21:00 mark for the actual discussion. Lindelof is an American screenwriter and best known as the creator and showrunner for Lost. His other writing credits include World War Z, Prometheus and Star Trek Into Darkness. He is a writer and executive producer of the upcoming DC Studios' Lanterns for HBO Max.

Update: August 7, 2025

Legendary Video Game Developer Hideo Kojima's Take on THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

Hideo Kojima: "Watched “Fantastic Four: First Steps.”From the fashion, color palette, design, cityscape, TV and cartoon shows, to the costumes, spacesuits, rockets, cars—not to mention company names, food items (cereal, soda), and storage media (magnetic tapes, discs)—everything is crafted with a thorough commitment to a 1960s aesthetic blended with a sense of futurism.

It felt nostalgic, like watching “Bewitched” when I was a kid. Or at times, it felt like a live-action version of The Incredibles, with “family” as its central theme. Once I found out it was directed by the same person who did “WandaVision,” it all made sense. Post-COVID hero films seem to be shifting away from the dark and gritty tone toward a more retro-futuristic, colorful, and nostalgic direction.

One thing the film does well is how it opens with a TV show that efficiently summarizes the Fantastic Four’s feats, role, and current standing. If it had taken the time to carefully depict how they became superhuman from the very start, it would’ve come off as overly explanatory and slow-paced. Superman skipped that part too. Here, the plot is designed so that viewers are drawn in from the point where “they” gain a new family—marking the beginning of turmoil and crisis. As a “first step” to reboot the series, it’s truly “fantastic.”"



Regarded as one of the first auteurs of video games, Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear, Zone of the Enders) gives his take on The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The legendary video game developer is an avid movie fan and occasionally gives a short movie review on social media. If he doesn't like the movie, he would often just say "Saw (name of movie) in theaters" or something extremely brief.

Disney calling in all the favors to try and get people out to the theaters for this one

 

[Aegon Spengler]

I liked the movie, but i'm not surprised its not doing gangbusters at the box office.
1. The trailers, while appealing to the nerds like me, were objectively not good. And in this era if you can't pull together an amazing trailer its a sign, right or wrong, that the movie doesn't have anything worth sharing.
2. The movie, while again appealing to the nerds like me, just wasn't great. Nobody was telling their IRL friends "you have to see this movies!!". It was just spread too thin and had too man flaws. And I liked it.

The Silver Surfer chase was the best part of the movie, but was overcomplicated by Sue giving birth. The better way to have told the story, was for Galactus to be the one to announce that Sue was pregnant in the first place. Not only is that super creepy, but the movie still proceeds as planned. The birth sequence doesn't take away from the amazing light speed chase around a black hole. It could have been better utilized to highlight Reed's genius ability to calculate a solution, Ben's piloting, and Sue's invisibility. Maybe Johnny's powers could have been used to augment the ship's escape velocity somehow. Now, Sue comes full term back on Earth while the F.F. prepares the world for Galactus, who appears as Sue is giving birth, or just after. Finale goes pretty much as drawn up. Because why the fuck would you fly into space to defend the earth from a world eating force of nature in your 3rd trimester? It would also have spared us some creepy cgi baby.

Johnny Storm should not have been written as a a world class linguist, alternate reality or not. That was just dumb. And if for no other reason than Reed didn't even have enough geniusy things to do in the movie, why divide that aspect of the team and delegate it to Johnny fucking Storm?

The CGI was really inconsistent from bad bad to okay.
It was the right call to not do an origin story, and have it in an alternate past, but having a montage that included "battles" with Red Ghost and the Mad Thinker (neither shown btw)??? then later referencing Diablo, Puppet Master, and The Wizard (none shown)l??? and then insult of insult have a shitty cgi homage to F.F. #1 where Thing clobbers Giganto on a screen in screen job??? C'mon. Such a egregious dropping of the ball. They really needed that scene imo (Giganto vs Mole Man). Not only for the fan service, not only for the proper homage that can not be delivered with proper cgi, but to set up Thing's strength, which they don't really do justice. Like who thought Reed kicking a shitty cgi orangutan in a shitty cgi action sequence was the scene the movie needed and the fans wanted?

And ultimate nit pick. Paul Walter Hauser's Mole Man is the kind of shit you seen in a DVD option for "cut scenes". And I did not like the way they portrayed MM. It was very lazy and unimaginative. I felt they could have even included him in the plot to defeat Galactus by causing a sink hole to trip him into the gizmo thingy.

Still liked it and still plan on seeing it again in theatres, but this is why the movie might wind up being a "failure".
Does like the MCU even know its free to join Sherdog and slip into my DMs for some pro-bono consulting?

I agree the CGI was bad to ok, but I think your changes would have ruined the movie.

The birth in space was the best part about the film. The very best part. As far as I know nothing like that has ever been attempted before, and they pulled it off brilliantly

 

[Batjester]

I was joking, bro. I did post my idea of how to reinvent Magneto for the MCU in one of the X Men Threads. But I said at the time there's no way it would fly because of what's happening in the Middle East right now.

I figured you were. I just wanted to flex I worked for Marvel at one point

 

[KnightTemplar]

Disney calling in all the favors to try and get people out to the theaters for this one

Very nervous times for Disney. They've put out two good movies, Thunderbolts and First Steps, both of which have gotten positive reviews but underperformed at the box office.

Fantastic Four will be particularly worrying for them, since it should have really kick-started the hype for Doomsday. If the first MCU appearance of RDJ's Doctor Doom can't put bums in seats...

Add to this the strong performance by the new Superman movie and a lot of Disney senior executives will be reaching for the Xanax.

 

[PRIDEWASBETTER]

Very nervous times for Disney. They've put out two good movies, Thunderbolts and First Steps, both of which have gotten positive reviews but underperformed at the box office.

Fantastic Four will be particularly worrying for them, since it should have really kick-started the hype for Doomsday. If the first MCU appearance of RDJ's Doctor Doom can't put bums in seats...

Add to this the strong performance by the new Superman movie and a lot of Disney senior executives will be reaching for the Xanax.

Had they actually put RDJ in that post credits scene, it would've paid dividends.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Fantastic Four will be particularly worrying for them, since it should have really kick-started the hype for Doomsday. If the first MCU appearance of RDJ's Doctor Doom can't put bums in seats...

If you wanted First Steps to build hype for Doomsday, Marvel could have made some major script changes in First Steps to shoehorn Doom in the story. We could have another Iron Man 2 where the film was criticized for putting unnecessary characters and storylines just to build up to The Avengers.

First Steps was a good self-contained, standalone story. Having seen it, it's clear that it was never meant to outright promote Doomsday. It was to establish the F4 in the MCU. That mid-credits stinger was meant for hardcore fans. If they were that desperate, they could have made Doom appear within the movie. I'm happy with the final product. It's better to have a great film with disappointing box office performance than to have a mediocre movie with good box office results.

2026's Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be its own story. It probably won't have any Doomsday subplot within the movie. Post-credits, very likely. For better or worse, Avengers: Doomsday will have to hype itself up with its first teaser trailer, which will probably break some sort of record and super-charged casual fans' interest and excitement.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Had they actually put RDJ in that post credits scene, it would've paid dividends.

That would work also but RDJ would have asked too much money to show a few seconds of his face. He probably would have asked $2 to $5 million for that stinger.

He is reported to receive more than $100 million for Doomsday and Secret Wars. With backend deals, I have a feeling he could wind up earning $150 to $200 million in total.

 

[PRIDEWASBETTER]

That would work also but RDJ would have asked too much money to show a few seconds of his face.

He is reported to receive more than $100 million for Doomsday and Secret Wars.

Damn... they got him on the cheap lol

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Damn... they got him on the cheap lol

I don't like Marvel is relying on actors rather than the characters themselves. RDJ's MCU gluttonous income is just gross for me.

 

[PRIDEWASBETTER]

I don't like Marvel is relying on actors rather than the characters themselves. RDJ's MCU gluttonous income is just gross for me.

It used to be part and parcel, but RDJ gathered so much notoriety as Stark, that people just flock to see him. I agree about his salary. He wasn't that much above everybody else in the MCU, imo.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

I just wanted to flex I worked for Marvel at one point

Flex away. Details pls.

 

[Anung Un Rama]

I agree the CGI was bad to ok, but I think your changes would have ruined the movie.

The birth in space was the best part about the film. The very best part. As far as I know nothing like that has ever been attempted before, and they pulled it off brilliantly

I want to argue, but I love you

 

[Aegon Spengler]

I want to argue, but I love you

Aw back at ya bro