Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

We’re one movie into Marvel’s three-part 2025 and Captain America: Brave New World was a good time that, as Stewart Hotston pointed out, is at its best when it’s at its kindest. Thunderbolts* is getting very good early word and after that, things get very weird with the MCU debut of the Fantastic Four. The new trailer for First Steps arrived this week and it looks great. And weird. Alasdair Stuart dives in.

0.01 – Ted Gilbert Show

Is this the first we heard of Mark Gatiss being in the movie? He seems to be playing an Ed Sullivan, or to be more up to date, Graham Norton type chat show host. It’s an interesting idea and it also lets the trailer show us how beloved the FF are. But what did they save this world from?

0.09 – Film Stock

It’s a small point that I’ve mentioned before but the rich colours, the focus and even the angle of the rocket launch all evoke Apollo-era newsreel brilliantly.

0.33 – Ben looks so good

He just does! He’s emotive and subtle and also huge!

0.51 – ‘You’re late’

This little exchange is one of the moments that tells me they’ve got the family dynamic right. Johnny being more interested in the gotcha and Ben having the emotional intelligence to realise Sue’s pregnant is textbook FF.

1.20 – Structure of cloud

This is almost certainly nothing but the cloud we’re led to believe Galactus emerges from seems to look a lot like the rift in the sky at the end of No Way Home…

1.36 – ‘I stretched the bounds of space. And they HEARD.’

Reed’s guilt is always interesting to see play out but this is something else. It seems to lend credence to the theory the FF aren’t from this universe (maybe the core MCU itself?) and raises a very large question. Who heard?! Was it the Celestials? Because if we somehow get a backdoor wrap-up/progression of an Eternals plot here I will be made of pleasant surprise. I also like the frisson of cosmic horror this gives the movie.

1.46 – ‘I don’t know,’

And this is huge. Reed Richards knows things. He knows everything. He’s the living embodiment of kind, polite, brilliant, reassurance. When he says he doesn’t know something, that’s when you panic.

2.12 – ‘It has to be us’

This really does seem to tie into the idea that what’s happening is somehow their fault. Or if nothing else that the FF are the only people who stand a chance against Galactus.

2.20 – Reed’s powers

It’s a little thing but Reed’s powers being pretty close to exactly how they appear in the comics is oddly reassuring. The FF are pretty weird visually but the decision to shoot that weirdness pretty pragmatically seems to be paying off.

2.39 – Galactus

There’s the big fella! I love that we’re seeing him in daylight

The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases on 25 July.  Ryan North’s fantastic run on the comic is ongoing, the first volume is called Whatever Happened To The Fantastic Four? is great and is out now.