Marvel returning to form.

Color me impressed.

The term blockbuster should carry more weight. All big-budget summer films fall under that umbrella, but it ought to mean more – like: worth seeing on the big screen. As if the filmmakers made something big-budget and inspired. Or better yet…

Worth seeing in IMAX.

Where the comic brands diverge.

Compare this to DC, which did not put its large-screen resources to good use. Fantastic Four feels designed for IMAX – whereas Superman feels digitally formatted to pass as IMAX. You can feel the difference. One justifies the format. The other hopes you won’t notice.

That’s why the unique release schedule makes sense. Fantastic Four gets a two-week IMAX run – double the usual.

The ticket costs $31.35, which is approaching outrageous. But it’s worth paying the premium for this one. Budget accordingly. Skip two or three forgettable films so you can afford this.

Some people hear my criticism about the excessive volume in modern blockbusters and immediately push back.

“I didn’t notice anything wrong with the volume,” they say.

…usually the same people who don’t mind CGI.

Volume Control

Fantastic Four is loud, but never too loud. Machinery crashes together, characters exchange blows, objects rocket through deep space – but none of it grates. The sound is sharp yet velvety.

Sensible, considering the ambition of the story.

The baby effects are outstanding. No uncanny weirdness. Just charm.

The opening scene is predictable, but the plot steadily improves – unfolding in unexpected directions.

Using the colossal screen.

The villain choice is bold. Possibly the most invulnerable character in comic history. Usually too difficult to bring to live action, but here Marvel succeeds completely. A near-impossible story element, adapted with precision and confidence.

The scenes involving this massive character overflow the screen with commanding visuals – absolutely made for IMAX.

Action sequences are balanced, grounded, and clear. The fantasy mechanics are acceptable. The fictional science doesn’t distract.

There’s consistent, understated humor that doesn’t try too hard. The drama may not surprise, but it compels.

Many of the usual Marvel trappings have been stripped away. There are too many shots of civilian life for my taste, but they contribute to a tone Marvel’s trying to build. Still – I’m not a fan of this trend. I don’t need to see my fellow viewers on screen.

Marvel’s new love for everyday nobodies – extras treated like heroes – just distracts. I came to watch heroes, not audience stand-ins. It shrinks the myth.

The Silver Surfer

Changing the gender is bold – not political, just creatively sharp. It opens new angles without preaching. Smart.

Like Ben, The Thing, SS is a completely CGI humanoid. Both rendered excellently – Silver surfs molten lava. Ben lifts a Volkswagen.

Mr. Fantastic stretches minimally – and that’s for the best. His superpower should be flexed the least on-screen.

The final bit with the car seat – three grown men fumbling like sitcom dads – feels like a studio-mandated chuckle. Pointless.

An excellent example of Disney doing what it does best. A well-packaged narrative, executed so proficiently, the content commands attention beyond the screen.

Here, Disney folds narrative into structure – making the title card and the rolling credits feel less like bookends, more like part of the plot.

In reviewing Snow White, I highlight an event that communicates back with the preceding title card. Fantastic Four transitions cleanly from the film’s end into an engaging form of rolling credits. Music pulls us forward. The screen holds us. Then – an early-credits sequence.

A thoughtful coda. Marvel gives us one last experience before sending us back to real life – an event that transitions us to the next.

It doesn’t end with a bang or a wink – it ends with control. Theatrical restraint. A blockbuster that earns its screen time.

And for once, you leave not just impressed – but grateful.

★★★ ★★★ ★★★

Compact versions here: IMDb & Letterboxd.