Tashrik

So many pieces worked really well in Marvel’s latest MCU film that it’s almost a shame to give this one a thumbs’ down, but here we are. The script, dearest readers. The script is to blame, as is so often the case. In Fantastic Four: First Steps, things happen and then other things happen and then there is a conflict that is quickly resolved with little to no ingenuity or effort on the part of the good guys and they win and the bad guys lose. The end. There is no real tension in this movie, either between the core characters or between our heroes and villains. Like Superman, which came out earlier this month and which had a similar vibe and plot structure, our heroes are beloved by the masses until they aren’t and then, in the end, are beloved once again. Public opinion has an on/off switch that it abuses only slightly less than Superman. I wanted to like this movie. I really did. But I didn't. Thunderbolts* was 15 times better. Hell, Captain America 4 was better (albeit, not by much). It suffered from lazy writing, underdeveloped characters, and a vague plot, and it felt like it was an hour and some instead of the 2 hours 10 mins. Nice try, Marvel. Try harder next time.