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.