Dallas Fisher

    Tag: mcu

    • The Fantastic Four: First Steps

      One small step for Marvel, one decent leap for The Fantastic Four.

      It’s getting harder to talk about middle of the road Marvel movies because, in a vacuum, this movie is entertaining from the jump. Watching these characters, in their beautiful, blue uniforms, was such a delight. It made me laugh and feel like a kid again. It has the feeling of a classic episode of TV and the concise retro vibes that suck you in, until it doesn’t.

      The First Family gets to show off what makes them a family with internal and varying outside conflicts. Their dynamics are special from a comic perspective, and I think they did pretty well at making everything real and obvious. Joseph Quinn finally stands out as The Human Torch and maybe it’s just the nature of his character, but he’s the only one that seemed to have any personality. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing was missing the gravel needed for his character, and that’s all I have on him. Sue and Reed as the priority focus felt a bit lost because like I said, it mainly worked as a one off episode, but its sights should have been a lot higher if we’re rushing forward.

      I don’t want to get into too much detail, but having to speed through everything to make sure this fit into the MCU was a major flaw. Exposition instead of a few movies to really get to know these characters makes things feel lesser and unearned. The only reason for having any pull towards anyone is just because of their presence as characters themselves.

      Marvel has a problem lately at creating new universes within itself and introducing new characters that will be forgotten about until their next Endgame. I know we’re getting most of these introduced here again soon which has my curiosity peaked, but doesn’t leave much for hope beyond the surface level. There are no real surprises, and it’s lost a lot of weight when you know the intended outcomes. The impact just isn’t there anymore.

      It more than anything feels like a comic book as much as it can. Not only because of it’s colors, but because of its dialogue and subject matter. I do wish we were able to see more of their powers in use because if you didn’t get the first few minutes of explanation or have any past knowledge, you might not know what each does on an individual level.

      I LOVED Galactus and finding out Ralph Ineson voiced him was just the cherry on top. His presence is the definition of threatening. The wavering around his powers and who or what can stop him, is tiresome, but typical as of late. Silver Surfer being introduced was almost inconsequential, yet needed for a film about the Four. I hope to see more of what Julia Garner can bring to the role.

      Without repeating myself too much, The First Steps has a fabulous throwback feel that will leave you wanting more of this universe without necessarily needing more of the bigger picture. I really wanted to like this more.

      6.6/10

    • Thunderbolts*


      A much different approach to the Marvel genre (yes, it’s a genre now) than I could have ever expected.

      Thunderbolts is a team up movie most parallel to The Suicide Squad, but feels more like it should have been called “The Suicidal Squad”. There is fun to be had within the crew, but the joy is constantly and immediately yanked away from you with the downright sad internal meaning behind everything. Basically the antagonist here is depression. Through multiple scenes of character to character therapy, you get the jist pretty quickly that the villain here is mostly psychological.

      I really like this new theme that Marvel brings into the fold, even if it’s not fully what you want from one of their films. The fight choreography is super solid, without being over the top. It’s the memorable and exciting action that keeps the story moving along at points, just to make sure you remember where you are. I do wish there was a little bit more of it though. Without spoiling anything on purpose, I again wish the danger here felt more believable and not out of reach for our “heroes”.

      The cast does work so well together. There’s not the overly quippy jokes that we usually see in this franchise, but you still get plenty of the laughs. Florence Pugh and Wyatt Russell steal the show, as expected. Everyone else fills their roles perfectly and Lewis Pullman is a surprise hit as The Void. At first I thought we might be in for another weak villain but the look and anti-control of the character really hit. You get a lot of downtime with these characters that feels like reminiscing for them and the franchise as a whole. Most things worked except I was not into the manipulative nature of Juila-Louis Dreyfus’ role.

      This is the most R-rated Marvel has ever been on the non violence side of things. It’s dark, like super dark. Fans growing up with this franchise, and caught up with the shows, should heavily relate to a lot of things here. I may not have fully loved where some of the story went, but this is a solid installment that I give major props to.

      7.2/10