This is one of the best new installments I have seen with The Fantastic Four franchise. It feels nostalgic and historic with that comic book side swerving inside and outside of the premise. It also has some classiness with 60’s and 70’s aspects thrown into it. Especially around settings that include Panam airlines and box TVs. The biggest accomplishment though, is that it iswritten for the film to be set up with its heroes already in place. Directed by Matt Shakman, he puts his best efforts into creating The Fantastic Four: First Steps to have invigorating components and joyfulness to be adapted to what is to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If there is anything that is essential, it is the importance for its audience to remember is that the whole film matters. This is a new direction to help the moviegoer dismiss the previous franchises of The Fantastic Four. This one has grasped the idea of writing to fit into what is bound to come ahead and even bounce back. “Bounce back” if audiences need a refresher. Many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are always looped in together—some work to correlate and some do not. The Fantastic Four: First Steps does.

The heroes all have their place. They are Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). They are “The Fantastic Four.” A group of individuals with a strong media following who do good and protect their world. A solid foundation of humor and friendship exists among them being heroes, but also one where their media presence presents a bigger risk. The film is valid with making public performances and superheroes not finding political common ground. That is where the genius side is in the directing of Shakman—he creates more moving parts besides good guys and bad guys to make invigorating suspense that has mental components.

The enemy, Shalla-Ball/Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), is the aspect of the film that brings in the haunting and fueling angles of the film. She is a threat to society and many of the scientific backgrounds that the team has created. Reed and Sue are the couple and captains of the team and they have a child on the way. They ultimate question is…can all be safe? But also, can all be heroes? The uncharted territory of The Fantastic Four: The First Steps blew me out of the water. The writing foundation had me in awe, especially in the matter of its timing. The pitches of when to get political or action-packed are all thrown in at the right times. 

A success that has been bound to happen for ages. A wonderful superhero flick bound to create more new heights to fly to more exciting places. The Fantastic Four: The First Steps is one of the best films I have seen this summer. It is one that has found its way to create meaning on its way to future endeavors. The Marvel Cinematic Universe lives on positively for all of its fans. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

In this film I saw a chance for a new story to emerge and continue to build purpose. Thunderbolts* has an approach that fuels the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A sense of restoration lies ahead. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film is written by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo. The many filmmakers behind Thunderbolts* loops in enticement that creates an immersive moviegoing experience.  Thunderbolts* may seem whacky at times, but the characterizations build upon each other as a new team arises.

The film begins with a group of antiheroes. They are Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Robert Reynolds/Sentry (Lewis Pullman), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). They all come to the realization that they are the targets of a trap. This leads them into a mission that will bring up a bad and rude awakening. With one questioning lead, there might be more for these heroes than they anticipated. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julie Louis-Dreyfus) appears to be the enemy of what is at stake and one to watch out for.

For this new feature, I felt the dynamics come together to realize there is a greater good. A lot of the quirkiness is between the performances of Pugh, Harbour, and Russell—they all have that spark that gains momentum from each other’s senses of humor. There is a foundation combining power to build resilience for the moments ahead. Thunderbolts* is not spectacular, but the layout of who to root for plays a vital role in the film’s continuity, and it is unstoppable.

Overall, there is a sense of curiosity. The film begs the question of why these heroes are the ones that are the targets? Why are they the focus? The proper answer to these two questions is because they all still have uncharted territory to learn. Much of that comes from the politics that interweave throughout the filmand this is where the enemy Valentina comes up as the red flag.

It is not exactly filled with action and explosions, but it evokes a value of laughter in its nature. This is of course in the good sense. Thunderbolts* is a title that is a springboard for new adventures to be movie-bound later down the line. Sparks for attention and excitement spiral the film’s humor. The butting heads of the heroes are just the beginning. Thunderbolts* is a landscape for powers to keep growing and have an exploration that develops immersive components.

Deep down, much of this film finds its brilliance in being written with the trust of no one single direction.   Audiences can sense a portrait of frustration or annoyance within the heroes. That alone, is the sign that some may be on the side its audience is hoping for, and some may not. Altogether there is a resolution of expectations that throttles the fun of Thunderbolts*. A Marvel film almost making it to the brilliance spectacle, but not quite there. An excellent start to building more character development. Three out of four stars.

The cinematic universe of superheroes may be restored. I kept my expectations neutral leading up to Captain America: Brave New World. The moving parts of the franchise and lots of questions about the storylines and what might happen with the characters kept swirling in my head prior to the screening I attended.  I am pleased to report, it is astonishing! It marks a new beginning after many events from the recent films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This one brings in key elements that audiences will be surprised by.

Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) is the new one to fill the shoes as Captain America. This film creates the storyline which sets up a new direction. Sam is training Joaquin Torres (played by Danny Ramirez) to be like him. The doors to new beginnings continue to evolve. The President is Thaddeus Ross (played by Harrison Ford), but it’s not clear if he on the good or bad side. His daughter is Betty Ross (played by Liv Tyler). There is a new conspiracy in the arena of international safety in Captain America: Brave New World. For its hero, the support is from Isaiah Bradley (played by Carl Lumbly). The film’s setup of characters who have seen new worlds and are now trying to fix the next big threat weaves in various directions in a multitude of ways.

The film does a stellar job of creating the foundation for its audience to think back to the year 2008. That was the year of The Incredible Hulk, and the last time Tyler was part of the franchise. Hulk is one of the superheroes that does not have a variety of his own separate titles (like most other Marvel heroes). However, the approach of writing in a way that causes the audience to think back keeps the pacing steady and provides hope for a later universe. The opening of doors in Captain America: Brave New World offers an intriguing combination which keeps the audience captivated.

The villains in this film truly deserve some emphasis and attention, because the film spirals with them. They are tied together. The big ones are Sidewinder (played by Giancarlo Esposito) and Samuel Sterns (played by Tim Blake Nelson). They know that Sam and Thaddeus are on the brink of teaming up for a variety of reasons. The film is able to keep a steady pace of blindsiding. The ultimate question in Captain America: Brave New World is which side seems to have more trust? The movie is extravagant in its direction and has a solid foundational approach. The battle between good and the bad in Captain America: Brave New World takes the film to a whole different level. It utilizes the tactic of keeping its characters in their ownlanes which helps establish a pattern of curiosity. The question of what may happen or go wrong when lines are faded adds plenty of excitement for what is in store. Three out of four stars.