Scientific gymnastics: "Fantastic Four" screenings have begun in Russia

Screenings of the movie "Fantastic Four: The First Steps" will begin in Russia on July 31. This is the fourth attempt to bring the adventures of a group of Marvel superheroes to the big screen, the previous ones were in 1994, 2005 and 2015, all of them did not achieve significant commercial fees or the love of the fan base. The novelty became one of the most successful releases of the year in the USA and collected almost $ 130 million there, the global box office is now $ 230 million. The film is available to Russians in a pre-screening format in professional dubbing.

Who will benefit from the new product

"Fantastic Four: First Steps" is not just the fourth attempt to adapt a superhero team for cinema, but a vivid example of Marvel Studios' systemic failure in understanding the essence of the collective, which has earned great love from geeks on the pages of comics. The franchise known as the "Marvel Royal Family," with its deep family dramas and science fiction, has once again been devalued by the formulaic approach of filmmakers.

Previous film adaptations failed not because of "bad casting" or "bad director." That was often the case. They failed because Marvel never gave the team enough attention. Instead of revealing the uniqueness of the "Four" as a family with conflicts, ambitions and growth, the studio preferred to simplify them to the level of a "superhero gang", where the main thing is action and bright costumes. Even if individual scenes from two Matt Shaw films (for example, the dynamic between Reed and Dr. Doom) turned out to be vivid, they were drowned in a general stream of meaningless action and ridiculous plot moves (like "turning Sue into an invisible lady in five minutes").

The new film adaptation does not correct this mistake — it only transports the problems to an alternate universe. Moving the team to Earth-838 and refusing to detail their backstory is not a "bold experiment", but a lazy move that allows the studio to avoid having to explain to the viewer who Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are. The result? The viewer sees a group of strangers whose motives, fears, and connections to the world are not revealed even at a basic level. The "family" turns into a set of characters who "suddenly decided to unite," rather than a group that has gone through decades of joint victories and defeats. They clearly have a lot to learn from Vin Diesel and the new Fast and Furious.

The only ray of hope in the film is the performance of Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards) and Vanessa Kirby (Susan Storm). Pascal, known for his roles in "One of Us," "Game of Thrones," and "The Mandalorian," is generally one of the most sought-after artists in the world today. He is being shot by Pedro Almodovar and Ari Astaire, and "The Materialist" is currently in the Russian box office, where he is also starring. In the new film, Pascal was able to convey Reed's intellectual fervor, his obsession with science and his hidden concern for his loved ones. But they don't let him play, his character doesn't have a single deep scene in the script. Instead of showing Reed struggling with guilt over the team's past mistakes, the film restricts him to phrases like "I should have been more careful"—empty, devoid of emotional weight.

Kirby, in turn, perfectly copes with the role of Sue: she conveys her inner strength, caring for the team and the very "invisible" pain from the fact that her abilities have always been overshadowed by her brother and husband. But again, the script doesn't give her any space. Instead of developing her conflict with her father or growing as a leader, she was forced to utter banal remarks. "We must protect the Earth," she proclaims. And the viewer immediately has a desire to leave the popcorn in the chair and leave the hall. It's noteworthy, but in reality, the video with Pascal freaking out at Comic Con and Kirby holding his hand became viral, but in the movies this on-screen chemistry was splashed out at the production stage.

The main disappointment of the film

The biggest disappointment of the film is the image of Galactus, the devourer of worlds, who in the comics embodies the very threat to the existence of the universe. Instead of conveying his power and tragedy (as Julian McMahon did in Fantastic Four: Invasion of the Silver Surfer, playing him as an ancient creature forced to devour worlds in order to survive), Marvel turns him into a parody.

Galactus in the new film is not a cosmic horror, but "just a big man with horns" who wanders through empty New York and offers the characters a deal: "Give me your son, and I will spare the Earth." Without even trying to hide how absurd this is, the film tries to present it as a "stressful choice," but the viewer just chuckles at the absurdity of the script. In the TV series "Inhumans" (2017), a similar threat (the awakening of Tiamut) was created through an atmosphere of anxiety, the invisible presence of the creature and the growing fear of the inhabitants. Here, Galactus is not a threat, but the "villain No. 5" in the MCU, who does not even deserve a name.

The technical aspects of the film do not save the situation. The visual effects, especially in the scenes with little Franklin Richards and Johnny Storm's transformation into a Human Torch, look pathetic: the skin of the flame hero is artificially red, and the movements are mechanical, as if animated in a cheap program. Even the "cool" battle scenes with Galactus are disappointing: instead of epic destruction and dynamics, we see the characters "hitting" a certain substance that does not even react to blows.

Fantastic Four: First Steps is not just a bad movie. This is an example of how a studio with inexhaustible resources can ruin even an icon team. Marvel does not understand that the essence of the "Four" is not in costumes and action, but in their family ties, in their ability to grow through conflict, and in their role as "science heroes" who fight not only villains, but also their own weaknesses. Instead, the film gives the viewer a weak, devoid of depth scenario, where the characters are just puppets in the hands of the plot. As for the actors, they are undoubtedly trying, but they cannot save what has been destroyed at the root. Finally, the villains here arouse neither fear nor respect.

For comic book fans, this movie is just another passing summer movie season. Of course, there are numbers: the Variety report shows that the novelty has become the fourth largest premiere of 2025 in the United States. This result exceeds market forecasts, where revenue was expected to be in the range of $100-110 million. If we talk about the international box office, then the film is doing well there, it has almost $ 230 million at the time of writing. This is the most successful debut in the history of the four-friend team, having managed to surpass the $56 million forgotten unsuccessful attempt "Fantastic Four: Invasion of the Silver Surfer" in 2007.

Marvel Studios once gave the world such masterpieces as "Iron Man" and "The Avengers," but today it prefers to make money from templates rather than ideas. "Fantastic Four: First Steps" is a very weak and predictable beginning for the sixth phase of the Marvel cinematic universe, leading the viewer to an apogee in the form of a large—scale "The Avengers: Judgment Day" with Robert Downey Jr. But all this will only happen in December 2026, and now we have only a barely noticeable summer action movie, against which even "Thunderbolts" looks like a bold arthouse movie in the spirit of early Takeshi Kitano.