Freakier Friday review

 Coming Soon! 

Weapons review

 Coming Soon! 

Together review

TOGETHER: 

DAVE FRANCO AND ALISON BRIE BODY-HORROR FILM BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER…IN THE MOST HORRIFIC WAYS IMAGINABLE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

NEON

Dave Franco and Alison Brie in Together

 

            Dave Franco (21 Jump Street, Now You See Me trilogy, The Disaster Artist) and Alison Brie (Community,Scream 4, The Lego Movie 1 and 2) get closer together (literally) in Together, the new horror film from Neon and Michael Shanks in his feature film directorial debut. The movie looked fascinating when I saw the trailer especially for someone who’s had a fair share of experience with the bizarre works of filmmakers like David Cronenberg. 

            This definitely seemed like it was going to be in the same boat as many of Cronenberg’s projects or other body-horror like last year’s The Substance. I also figured that before I talk about the new horror movie from the Barbariandirector that just came out, I should give my thoughts on this first and what’s my verdict? It’s fucking great, but holy shit! 

            Together easily takes the cake for the craziest movie I’ve seen all year and this was a year that had demonic monkey toys, Michael B. Jordan fighting vampires, and Robert Pattinson clones and giant worm aliens. It is not for everyone, just warning you now and I strongly recommend watching the trailers to determine whether or not it’s for you (The people behind me in the theater were not happy with it). 

            The film follows Tim (Franco) and Millie Wilson (Brie), a couple who move to the countryside where Millie gets a job teaching at an elementary school while Tim works to pursue his aspiring musician career. But when they find themselves in a cave during a hike in the woods, they encounter a mysterious force that causes changes in their bodies…and by that I mean, they start sticking to each other! 

            The film also stars Damon Herriman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Bikeriders, Better Man) as Jamie. 

            Overall, Together is unhinged body-horror insanity at its finest while also having a sick sense of humor about the whole thing. I was invested, laughing, and horrified at very sporadic intervals all throughout the film, everything you’d want to feel while watching a movie like this. 

It definitely owes a lot to David Cronenberg and H.P. Lovecraft in terms of the filmmaking and storytelling. Cronenberg for the amounts of body-horror and grotesque makeup effects that look incredible, by the way and Lovecraft for its ritualistic themes and the cave itself often having a monstrous appearance like Cthulhu and the designs of the conjoined people/animals being reminiscent of monsters from Lovecraftian stories. 

The movie also does have some elements of John Carpenter particularly his version of The Thing with a genuinely spine-tingling opening sequence involving a couple of dogs. Despite the comparisons to these other works, there is enough here to make the film feel fresh and new, the premise alone is something you don’t see in movies that much unless it’s from a studio like Neon or A24.

There is a genuinely frightening and brilliantly-executed sequence involving hair that’s one of many big highlights of the film, but what’s so clever about Shanks’ filmmaking is that he keeps many of these freaky moments a mystery and often cut right to the next day without much of a segway. It keeps the pace going and leaves things to the audience’s imagination which I appreciate, not everything needs to be spelled out for the audience. 

Real-life couple, Dave Franco and Alison Brie are excellent in the movie and add a lot of emotional weight to an otherwise chaotic movie. Yeah, they aren’t the most deep or complex protagonists but I cared about them and wanted to see them prevail by the end with Brie I think being a huge standout as a woman nearly at her breaking point. 

Some minor nitpicks I had with the movie were I was able to quickly figure out who was going to be involved with the situation that’s happening to Franco and Brie’s characters and what it was all amounting to, it didn’t ruin the movie for me at all, but you can easily see who the suspicious character is going to be by the end. I’m also torn on how the film ended which I’d rather not discuss here, but maybe upon rewatches or watching YouTube videos that discuss the ending, I’ll be able to understand and appreciate it more. 

Yeah, Together was a blast in the most unexpected of ways, if you’re a fan of movies like Crimes of the Futureor The Substance that you absolutely need to check this out. It is body-horror chaos filled with grotesque yet amazing effects, a sick sense of humor, and solid performances by Franco and Brie, it’s a phenomenal start to a prominent future for Michael Shanks. 

The Naked Gun review

THE NAKED GUN: 

LIAM NEESON BRINGS THE LAUGHS IN UPROARIOUSLY FUNNY LEGACY SEQUEL! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Liam Neeson in The Naked Gun (2025)

 

            Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List, Batman Begins, Taken trilogy) takes on the mantle from late comedy legend, Leslie Nielsen as police Lieutenant Frank Drebin (The new version) in the legacy sequel to The Naked Gun, the fourth film in the Naked Gun franchise which spawned from the TV series, Police Squad. I rewatched the original three Naked Gun movies from 1988-1994 in preparation for this review and I have to say the original Naked Gun film starring Leslie Nielsen earns its place as a comedy classic as it is just as funny in 2025 as it was in 1988 with jokes constantly thrown left and right and taking different forms whether it’s witty dialogue, visual gags, well-timed slapstick, or simply the wise decision of Leslie Nielsen playing his part completely straight thus making said moments infinitely funnier than if he was mugging to the camera and acting like an idiot throughout the films. 

            Easily some of the Zucker Brothers’ best work and sits right up there with comedies like Airplane! and Top Secret!. Now we have this legacy sequel produced by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad, Ted franchise) and directed by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers) with Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character from the original three films.

            I was interested when the film was announced though I was initially taking a backseat when it was confirmed that Liam Neeson who was mostly known for action and dramatic performances was playing the lead. Then the trailers started to win me over as I thought it looked genuinely funny albeit in a dumb, goofy way which isn’t a strike against it at all. 

            Whether this movie is funny because it’s dumb, smart, or a bit of both, what matters is the laugh-factor and The Naked Gun (2025) is…one of the funniest movies I’ve seen all year, hands down! I guess Friendship and the recent Looney Tunes movie are technically better made comedies, but this film kept the laughs coming a mile a minute all throughout the runtime and this is a movie I strongly urge people to go see in a theater with a crowd for the absolute best experience. 

            The film follows Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. (Neeson), a man with a very particular set of skills, skills that make him a nightmare for people like…wait, wrong movie! The son of Frank Drebin who must succeed in his father’s footsteps to prevent Police Squad from closing by cracking a high-stakes case surrounding tech mogul, Richard Cane (Danny Huston-X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Big Eyes, Wonder Woman) who has a very sinister plot involving a literal P.L.O.T. Device unless Drebin can stop him in time and save the day. 

            The film also stars Pamela Anderson (Baywatch, Scooby-Doo, The Last Showgirl) as Beth Davenport, Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird, Richard Jewell, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) as Capt. Ed Hocken Jr., CCH Pounder (The Shield, Avatar, DC Animated Universe) as Chief Davis, Kevin Durand (Dark Angel, Lost, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) as Sig Gustafson, and Liza Koshy (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Good Burger 2, KPop Demon Hunters) as Detective Barnes. 

            Overall, The Naked Gun (2025) is a long overdue return to comedies that are funny just for the sake of being funny without trying to go beyond that. This movie made me think back to those early Zucker Brothers or Mel Brooks comedies and even films like Shrek 2 and the Lord/Miller Jump Street movies that constantly throw joke after joke after joke and the majority of them hit bullseye. 

            I was sold just on the opening sequence which was shown in the trailers where Liam Neeson disguises himself as a little girl complete with a Mission: Impossible-style mask to thwart a bank robbery and seeing him take this criminals out in the most ridiculous ways imaginable made me laugh hard almost to the point of tears. There’s also a great running joke involving coffee that’s probably my favorite bit in the entire film every time it appears. 

            But what actually makes this movie funny is Liam Neeson himself as like Leslie Nielsen in the original films, he is playing this character 100% straight. Neeson’s version of Drebin is essentially his Taken character…if he just happened to walk into a comedy with him talking and acting like a badass yet he ends up doing goofy and outlandish things. 

            There’s also a nice albeit comedic tribute to Leslie Nielsen early on in the movie with Neeson and other police officers looking at a wall of deceased officers and one of them shows a picture of Nielsen as Drebin followed by a jab at O.J. Simpson. Even when The Naked Gun respects the dead, they’re still cracking jokes about them. 

            Despite thoroughly enjoying this movie, I don’t think it’s a perfect movie (Then again, I wasn’t really going in expecting that) and that’s because while Neeson and Pamela Anderson portray their roles well (Particularly the former), I personally think their romantic chemistry was as strong or well-developed as Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley from the earlier films. Yes, it’s still a very humorous relationship and not meant to be taken seriously, but I felt there was more time devoted to Nielsen and Presley than there was Neeson and Anderson here, maybe I’m just nitpicking. 

            Yeah, this new Naked Gun surpassed my expectations and delivers a hysterical, non-stop gag-packed ride with one of Liam Neeson’s best roles in a while. This is also the best Seth MacFarlane-related project since that Ted series on Peacock, I haven’t seen much new Family Guy or American Dad so I can’t comment on that, but this is some of the funniest MacFarlane material in quite some time for me. 

            In an age where Hollywood comedies struggle and are often dumped on streaming graveyards, The Naked Gun(2025) stands among the rest as a true big screen comedy in the best ways. Paramount, Schaffer, MacFarlane, and Neeson did good on this one so please go see it…also, Weird Al is in the movie! 

The Bad Guys 2 review

THE BAD GUYS 2: 

BAD GUYS GONE GOOD RETURN IN SUPER-FUN, SUPER-BAD SECOND HEIST! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

Piranha, Tarantula, Shark, Wolf, and “The Bad Girls” in The Bad Guys 2

 

            Everyone’s favorite anthropomorphic ex-cons are back in The Bad Guys 2, the latest film from DreamWorks Animation and follow-up to their 2022 animated hit, The Bad Guys based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Aaron Blabey. Having not read the original comics, I thoroughly enjoyed the first Bad Guys and found it to be a very funny and clever homage to heist films (Particularly the works of Steven Soderbergh like the Ocean’s trilogy) with tons of nods and references to the genre sprinkled throughout. 

            Sure, it isn’t a cinematic game-changer like Shrek or an emotional rollercoaster like the Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon films, it’s just a really funny comedy and despite being aimed at kids, the film works tremendously well as a heist movie. On top of that, a gorgeous visual style reminiscent of a stylized graphic novel which is very fitting given the source material. 

            Entertaining movie and one of two wins for DreamWorks that year (The other being Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) so, now we have a sequel with the original voice cast returning and Pierre Perifel (Bilby) back in the director’s chair. I was onboard for a second Bad Guys film though I wasn’t exactly hyped for it or anything, it seemed like another fun homage to heist movies with the Bad Guys (Now “Good”) tricking a new group of criminals into sabotaging a heist after enlisting their help. 

            Yeah, The Bad Guys 2 gave me exactly what I was expecting which isn’t a bad thing at all. I found this movie consistently hilarious and like the first, it’s a well-executed heist film though I personally felt the first had a much tighter storyline where this one goes into space (Literally). Granted, I take the Bad Guys going into space more seriously than Dominic Toretto and his crew in F9, but I digress. 

            The film follows reformed ex-cons, Mr. Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell-The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Moon, Marvel Cinematic Universe), Mr. Snake (voiced by Marc Maron-Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, DC League of Super-Pets, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere), Mr. Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson-The Office, Hot Tub Time Machine 1 and 2, This is the End), Mr. Piranha (voiced by Anthony Ramos-In the Heights, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Twisters), and Ms. Tarantula (voiced by Awkwafina-Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell, Raya and the Last Dragon) struggling to fit into society given their checkered pasts. But after a series of crimes result in the Bad Guys being framed and the city turning against them, they soon find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes, globe-trotting heist masterminded by a new group of criminals, The Bad Girls, Kitty Kat (voiced by Danielle Brooks-Orange Is the New Black, The Color Purple (2023), A Minecraft Movie), Doom (voiced by Natasha Lyonne-Orange Is the New Black, Smurfs (2025), The Fantastic Four: First Steps), and Pigtail Petrova (voiced by Maria Bakalova-Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Apprentice). 

            The film also features the voices of Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Deadpool 2, Joker) reprising her role as Governor Diane Foxington/The Crimson Paw, Alex Borstein (Family Guy, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) reprising her role as Commissioner Misty Luggins, and Richard Ayoade (Submarine, Soul, The Phoenician Scheme) reprising his role as Professor Marmalade. 

            Overall, The Bad Guys 2 offers another funny, visually dazzling, and gripping second caper with Wolf and the gang that goes big and absurd while still retaining that sly mischief we all come to expect from these reformed “Bad Guys”. Compared to other family-oriented (theatrical) releases this summer, this is easily the best movie out now for parents to take their kids to because it entertains on both levels with fast-paced action and silly gags for the kids and witty dialogue and homages to beloved heist and crime movies for adults. 

            The movie does prioritize its action and humor over the story which isn’t exactly a strike against it as it excels at both with one of my favorite moments being a sequence where the Bad Guys are stuck to a super magnet and has to stop a computer from uploading a precious file to the public which is as creative as it is funny. But I felt the first film had a more focused narrative with the Bad Guys trying to turn over a new leaf and become “Good” which made their redemption more impactful. 

This one is just a really funny and action-packed heist-comedy about the Bad Guys trying to prove that they’re still good after being put in a position where they’re seen as bad again. Again, it doesn’t mean this is a bad film as I was laughing hard and invested in what was going on, I personally just favor the plot of the first movie more. 

            Like the first, the animation is still excellent and captures that stylized graphic novel look of the source material and yes, that Spider-Verse influence shines through again. Characters react in different animation styles, flashy effects during action scenes, and cartoony slapstick, this along with the first film’s animation makes me want to check out the original books sometime, they seem very artistically pleasing if they’re anything like the movies that spawned from them. 

            The Bad Guys 2 is one of DreamWorks’ better animated features and a solid follow-up to a very entertaining film. Compared to Elio, Smurfs, and the live-action versions of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, Wolf and his crew easily stole their thunder and they won’t be giving it back anytime soon. 

Happy Gilmore 2 review

HAPPY GILMORE 2: 

ADAM SANDLER RETURNS TO THE COURSE IN MODERATELY FUNNY SEQUEL! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** ½ out of 4

NETFLIX

Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2

 

            Adam Sandler (50 First Dates, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Uncut Gems) is back on the golf course in Happy Gilmore 2, the much anticipated sequel to his 1996 comedy smash hit, Happy Gilmore. I won’t be the first to say that Sandler’s style of humor is pretty hit-or-miss especially in recent years, but the original Happy Gilmore is often considered one of his best comedies and a staple in the sports-comedy genre. 

            It wasn’t trying to be a game-changing comedy or anything like that, it’s just a dumb, funny movie that delivers on laughs while also balancing it out with a fair amount of heart. Like I said, Sandler is a mixed bag, but films like this, Anger Management, 50 First Dates, and The Wedding Singer best showcase his comedic talents. 

            After 2015’s Pixels which was a huge disaster, I started to distance myself from Adam Sandler movies with a couple of exceptions like Hotel Transylvania and Uncut Gems, but since Happy Gilmore is a film of his I speak fondly of, I decided to give the new sequel on Netflix a shot. Happy Gilmore 2 reunites Sandler with his onscreen nemesis, Christopher McDonald (Flubber, The Iron Giant, Hacks) this time with Kyle Newacheck (Workaholics, Murder Mystery, What We Do in the Shadows) behind the camera. 

            So, does this comedy sequel bring Adam Sandler back to his glory days? Not exactly, but I laughed a fair amount of times during my viewing. 

            I didn’t really have any expectations with this movie and while I can’t say it works entirely and often relies heavily on nostalgia for the first movie, I found the movie funny enough and it was neat seeing Sandler and McDonald again as their iconic characters. 

            The film is set eleven years after the first and follows hockey player turned golfer, Happy Gilmore (Sandler) who was once at the top of his game, but a stroke of bad luck plunges him back down to rock bottom. His wife, Virginia (Julie Bowen-ER, Multiplicity, Horrible Bosses; reprising her role from the first) was accidentally killed by a golf ball to the head (Yeah, they did the Zoolander 2 thing here!) and now he’s trying to pay for his daughter’s overseas ballet school so now Happy Gilmore has to get back on top by making his return to professional golf. 

            However, the game has changed drastically with a new form of golf known as Maxi Golf making its ways thus forcing Happy to make an unexpected alliance with his arch nemesis and shit-for-breakfast eater, Shooter McGavin (McDonald) in order to save traditional golf and get the money for his daughter’s ballet school. 

            The film also stars Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Oppenheimer) who also co-directed Sandler in Uncut Gems as Frank Manatee, Bad Bunny (F9, Bullet Train, Caught Stealing) as Oscar Mejias, Ben Stiller (Zoolander 1 and 2, Starsky & Hutch, Tropic Thunder) reprising his role as Hal L., Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Blink Twice) as Billy Jenkins, Lavell Crawford (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Ridiculous 6) as Slim Peterson, and Eminem (8 Mile, Funny People) as Donald Floyd Jr. 

            Overall, Happy Gilmore 2 is a sequel that gives exactly what it promises and doesn’t try to be anything more which might be enough for fans of the original film or Adam Sandler fans in general. I can’t say I found this film knee-slapping hilarious especially compared to the first, but there were some gags and jokes that made me laugh with probably my favorite being this fight between Sandler and Christopher McDonald when they meet again in a cemetery that shows all the characters and actors from the original that passed away including Carl Weathers AKA Chubbs Peterson which was both very funny and somehow touching at the same time. 

            Christopher McDonald in general is still hilarious as Shooter McGavin who I found to be the most consistently funny character in the film who suffered a mental breakdown after the last movie so McDonald gets to unleash his crazy side and I found myself smiling and laughing every time he was onscreen. Ben Stiller also reverts back to his Heavyweights and Dodgeball days as Sandler’s abusive leader of his alcoholic support group and like McDonald, delivers some great laughs in his amount of screen time. 

            The movie leans into absurdity a lot of the time with a more exaggerated version of golf compared to the first that reminded me of the Space Jam: A New Legacy version of basketball minus the video game part. Sometimes I was just entertained by how crazy this game of golf against these almost-bionic golfers got. 

            However, the film does fall into those Happy Madison traps that sometime work, but most of the time REALLY don’t. Grown men showing off their rear ends, fart jokes, toilet jokes, Rob Schneider looking for a paycheck, that kind of shit though I guess they were a little more restrained here compared to other Adam Sandler/Happy Madison projects and there were some genuine laughs in this movie. 

            The plot is pretty unoriginal and we’ve heard this kind of set-up dozens of times before (maybe even more). The superstar was once on the top of the world, then he sinks down to rock bottom, and now he needs to get his groove back and rise back to the top, Happy Gilmore 2 doesn’t add anything new to this and gives the exact formula you’d expect out of this premise. 

            I will give this film a lot of credit for bringing back the heart from Sandler’s earlier work as while I didn’t find everything in the movie funny, I was invested in Sandler returning to golf to pay for his daughter’s ballet school. Despite turning to alcoholism after his wife died and facing financial problems, Sandler’s Happy is trying his damnedest to be a good father for his children at various points of the film and there was a strong family dynamic to anchor it. 

            Happy Gilmore 2 is a downgrade from the original 1996 comedy classic and relies on a lot of nostalgia for the first movie (Even right down to recycling footage from it all the damn time), but fans of the original and Adam Sandler will likely find something to enjoy here. Personally, I’ll stick with the first Happy Gilmore but given that this was on Netflix for free and I did laugh a number of times during it, I didn’t feel like my time was wasted. 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps review

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS: 

MARVEL’S SUPER-FAMILY’S MCU DEBUT TRULY IS “FANTASTIC”! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

MARVEL STUDIOS

Ben Grimm/The Thing, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, and Johnny Storm/Human Torch in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

 

            Marvel’s Super-Family returns to the big screen in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series (Third if you count the 2005 film as a reboot). The Fantastic Four has had a…pretty bumpy history when it comes to bringing these classic comic characters into the world of film to put it lightly. 

            There was the 1994 Roger Corman Fantastic Four movie that was screened once and never officially released to the public, but bootlegs and YouTube helped make it a fascinating piece of comic book movie history. Obviously, you had the 2005 Fantastic Four movie and its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer produced by 20^th Century Fox following the success of the X-Men and Spider-Man films that will always have a special place in my heart even if they aren’t exactly good. 

            The 2015 Fantastic Four reboot from Fox is straight-up garbage and one of the worst comic book and superhero films I ever saw as it wasted a talented cast and equally talented director and turned some of Marvel’s most upbeat superheroes into a dull slog of a trainwreck. I even reviewed that movie nearly ten years ago, how time flies. 

            But then, something happened, a variant of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic played by John Krasinski and Chris Evans reprising his role from the 2005-2007 movies as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch suddenly appeared in the MCU films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine and got people excited for Disney and Marvel to finally do this Super-Family properly. That’s where The Fantastic Four: First Steps comes in directed by Matt Shakman (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo, Game of Thrones) who had previously directed the MCU miniseries, WandaVision for Disney+.

            I was excited for this when I saw the trailers and could tell it was going to be a very different version of the Fantastic Four compared to previous films with a 1960s-inspired world, a comic accurate version of Galactus, and tons of campy visuals reminiscent of media from the era and the comics that inspired it. 

            Well, I’m happy to report that after two decades of mediocre or straight-up awful film adaptations of one of Marvel’s most iconic teams, this new version of Fantastic Four truly lives up to the name. People, superhero movies are back! Between this and the new Superman that came out a couple weeks ago, we’re starting to regain that excitement for superhero and comic book-based cinema again. 

            The film is set in a universe parallel to the Avengers and follows astronauts turned superheroes, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal-The Mandalorian, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Materialists), Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby-Mission: Impossible franchise, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Napoleon), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach-The Bear, The Punisher, Andor), and Johnny Storm/The Human Torch (Joseph Quinn-Stranger Things, Gladiator II, Warfare) who after being exposed to a cosmic storm of radiation are given extraordinary abilities thus becoming the Fantastic Four. But when Sue becomes pregnant with her and Reed’s child and intergalactic threats come in the form of the planet-eating, Galactus (Ralph Ineson-The Green Knight, Nosferatu, Frankenstein (2025)) and his messenger, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner-The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Weapons), this Super-Family must fight the giant space god and defend their planet before things get personal which…they do. 

            The film also stars Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso, The Toxic Avenger (2023), F1: The Movie) as Lynne Nichols, Matt Gatiss (Sherlock, The Favourite, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning/The Final Reckoning) as Ted Gilbert, Natasha Lyonne (Blade: Trinity, DC League of Super-Pets, The Bad Guys 2) as Rachel Rozman, and Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell, Black Bird, Cobra Kai) as Harvey Elder/Mole Man. 

            Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally gives Marvel’s Super-Family the movie they deserved since at least 2005 by giving audiences a fun superhero adventure that blends flashy action, strong family dilemmas, and heart and isn’t afraid to be a comic book movie. Not putting the Marvel Studios intro in front of Captain America: Brave New World doesn’t automatically make it dark and gritty and listing a bunch of A24 movies in the trailer for Thunderbolts* doesn’t mean it’s a superhero version of an independent film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps embraces the retro comic book tone and gives exactly what it promises in the best way. 

            This movie looks amazing in terms of the cinematography and production design which makes it feel like a superhero movie if it took place in a futuristic world where Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can was like the second coming of Jesus. With tons of vibrant colors, technology reminiscent of 1960s tech that still feels high-tech, and campy visuals and retro scene transitions like media from that decade, it’s like “A Comic Book Movie” he-DOY? 

            Given that this is Fantastic Four we’re talking about, the family dynamic is very strong in this movie with a lot of the fun coming from seeing and hearing the different four members interact with one another. These actors and characters are incredibly funny and charming while also being endearing and interesting especially Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm who is basically the emotional anchor of the film, a mother doing everything she can to protect her child and saying she’s the best live-action Invisible Woman would be a huge understatement. 

            The action is very creative and fun to watch especially on IMAX with my favorite being a fight with the Silver Surfer in a wormhole that could put Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar to shame. Also, the climactic fight against Galactus is great because it’s essentially four superheroes going up against a Godzilla-sized super-being, huge props for not causing the conflicts yourself, F4! 

            As someone who does have a soft spot for the Fox Fantastic Four movies from 2005 and 2007, The Fantastic Four: First Steps really is the only Fantastic Four movie that matters as it finally gives a film that’s worthy of Marvel’s Super-Family and reminds us why we fell in love with them to begin with. I’m sure it’ll make die-hard Marvel fans happy and moviegoers will have a “Fantastic” time at the theater as well; comic book and superhero movies are back!