I'm beyond burned out with MCU movies and their excess of CGI to cut corners (it's disrespectful to movie professionals and takes the soul out of the art, not to mention it's abusive to CGI artists), the repetitive formulaic plots, and constant censorship and subsequent overcompensating.
I do still enjoy the shows (less CGI, better plots, more freedom for creativity, no need to censor for foreign theaters so better rep in general), but the movies? Meh, burned out.
Thunderbolts was already pretty refreshing but still leaning a bit too hard on the other movies to prop it up.
However, this one? This one feels like the start of a little Renaissance and I hope they keep up this vein with less CGI, less predictable formulaic plots, less censorship, more practical effects/makeup/wardrobe/sets, more colorful and cozy, interesting aesthetics, less gritty overly serious (but also not excessively goofy and once dimensional), better rep for women, etc.
I hope they keep this up from now on.
Next up is a more in-depth review of mine but it includes HEAVY SPOILERS, so it's under the cut.
You've been warned.
My sister also loved the movie but she didn't like Reed very much, she can't explain why, she says he was just a bit disappointing but she can't put her finger on why.
I still suspect it's because she's on the younger side of our gen and thus used to nerdy goofy spotlight-stealing Reed from the cartoons and the first movie adaptation (admittedly, I did love loan Gruffudd's take on Reed too but he was so different from the comic version that it felt like a different person).
Or maybe it's because they focused on Reed's brains and moral conundrums and there was a lot of wasted potential about his powers, they could have been really creative with those but didn't really try.
Either way, I get all that, but I actually did like Reed because they took comic Reed and removed the narcissism and ableism and really bad neurodivergent controversy and made him more emotionally complex and also more mature.
Comic Reed could be a huge asshole, a self-centered narcissist about his intellect that believes he's infalable, and his constant guilt over the accident was always more "woe is me, look how bad I feel for fucking everyone's life up, look how sad I am for my mistakes" rather than actual empathy.
He was also rude, selfish, neglectful and c unyielding quite often (depends on the writer honestly), then they tried to explain why he was like this in the most hideous and ableist recon possible where he literally diagnoses himself with autism, acts like that's soooo terrible and a justification for being an asshole, and then vows to "find a cure for autism" to "fix himself". Super ableist cop out that made me want to fling myself across the room.
Pascal's Reed is also neurodivergent but rather than make that his only personality trait and an excuse for his attitude, they are subtle about it, he struggles with how his brilliant mind works rather than gloating over it, his guilt also feels truly genuine and humbling, and he's more mature and complex without the narcissism, he's neurotic and obsessive but those flaws enhance him as a person rather than make him irritating and hypocritical.
And yes, there's a great miss out on his potential regarding his superpowers (one of the only things I would excuse a little abuse of CGI for) but I didn't mind that because it kept him from hogging the spotlight and actually let the rest of the family shine.
And they really are a family, they feel a lot more like a family with realistic dynamics and relationships.
Hell, all of the powers were under explored for the sake of developing the characters as actual people instead of reducing them to their powers and I don't hate that. Plot and substance over flashy effects and fights.
Sue finally got to shine, we finally got to see how powerful she can be, but she also got to be a leader and career woman on her own accord with a real voice, rather than a background character and sexy eye candy for the hero and villain to fight over or simply to prop up the males in her life.
I also loved how her pregnancy didn't make her weak and throw her back into the role of housewife/mom only, with no unique voice of her own, she kept being a hero and a diplomat and a badass despite having a child. I loved that, I love when a woman's pregnancy isn't the end of her story as if that's every woman's final goal in life, I love when the pregnancy plotline is the beginning of a good complex story, rather than the end.
Johnny got to be more than a man child, adrenaline junkie and womanizer. He's still a classic lover boy and a little cocky, but he's more mature now and they explored how intelligent he is. People often make Johnny the comic relief but they forget that he was chosen for that space program for a reason and it wasn't just his good looks and physical form, nor was it nepotism, he might prioritize his heart (and his dick) but he does have a hell of a brain too (and great social skills) and he proved it.
And Ben is always played as the tragic sad character (oh no, he's not conventionally attractive anymore, what a tragedy!), but they forget he is so much more complex- he's a man of many talents (fantastic pilot, great cook, great with children, artsy), and also canonically a hopeful man, a romantic, a man of faith (they remembered he's Jewish!!!!), really kind and a good role model, not the hot head the cartoons often portrayed him as.
I'm also grateful we got to see Ben and Johnny's relationship with a bit more balance and maturity, they used to feel more like an exaggerated comic relief situation of grumpy old man and childish trickster, which worked in an origin story but had to mature at some point. Now, it's more like a genuine familial relationship between the serious uncle and the playful "kid" of the family, it's still full of ribbing but it's more good natured and there's genuine affection there.
Speaking of origin stories, I'm so fucking glad we didn't have to go through that again. Both Superman (2025) and F4 (2025) are proving that; we as viewers are really tired of origin remakes, but are also tired of movies that need 15 other movies and 5 shows to understand, they need to be able to stand on their own, the other movies should enhance the experience, not be a necessity.
I also loved Franklin's role and the ethical conundrum he created. Honestly, CGI baby in action scenes is one of the other very few exceptions I'll make for the excessive use of CGI (because I'm very much against the exploitation of baby actors).
I loved that Franklin was essential to the plot and that the hint at his powers is the perfect foreshadowing for the integration of Fox, Sony and Disney universes in the MCU.
Also loved the little comic references. Mole Man? The Underground? Freaking PUPPET MASTER?!
And despite the whining of fake comic bros, I loved Shalla-Bal. I would have liked a little nod to Norrin-Rad but people forget that Shalla-Bal has been the Silver Surfer for decades now and they captured the essence of her character really well.
Galactus was... Well, I liked that didn't play the "ultimate evil" card because Galactus has never been evil, he's a threat and villain but not evil, he's completely amoral and couldn't care less of right or wrong, he's just a predator trying to ease his own hunger, pain and suffering, he empathizes with his prey as much as we would empathize with the microbes living on chickens and pigs we eat.
That being said, Galactus felt a tiny bit underwhelming design-wise. Though it's not a deal breaker for me.
I only wish they had hinted (didn't even need to be blatant) at the comic retcon that justified why Galactus needs to feed on planets with sentient life rather than dead or uninhabitable planets- it's because he doesn't really feed on random planets but on planets that are Celestial "eggs", he's the predator of the Celestials and controls their population. This would have been a perfect connection to the Eternals movie, creating more depth to Galactus and Shalla-Bal herself, while also being a plot bridge to the rest of the MCU in the future.
All in all, solid movie. Would like it if the MCU kept going in this direction (though with more POC, LGBTQ and disability rep, and maybe more political satire, more bright aesthetics and risk taking in the writing department).
