Now, This Suprised Me! | The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)

A friend texted me a couple weeks ago . . . (I've preserved his capitalization and punctuation for the sake of authenticity).  

FRIEND: Did you see fantastic 4

DANE: I have not yet. But heard good things. You? 

FRIEND: Just got back from it. Would love to hear your take when you see it  

It was a riveting conversation for sure, and it was enough to get me to buy a ticket and see it in the theaters the next day. 

I am so glad I did. From the opening sequences, I realized . . . this is not your typical Marvel film. 

The aesthetics are beautiful. 

The story is mature. 

The characters are interesting. 

The film is pro-life (with some interesting points to discuss!)

 

The "fights" don't bloat the story. 

Fantastic Four (2025) > Superman (2025). 

All of this surprised me and made me smile. I'm lovin' going to the movies again. 

Want to go deeper? Watch my Stage & Story TV review!

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Dane Bundy is President of Stage & Story and Director of Fine Arts at Regents School of Austin.