MOVIE REVIEW: THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

 

Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and the Thing face their most daunting challenge yet as they defend Earth from Galactus and Silver Surfer.

Director: Matt Shakman

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Ralph Ineson

Release Date: July 24, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for action/violence and some language.

Runtime: 1h 55m

Review:

The Fantastic Four: First Steps retro futuristic aesthetic instantly gives Matt Shakman's film a distinctive look paired with strong chemistry from its core cast makes it easier to overlook some of the script's deficiencies.  Shakman decision to go with more of a period setting works wonders for the film especially as we are introduced to the titular team through a series of montages of their previous exploits.  It gives the film a fun energy from the start that it tries desperately to maintain throughout.  The action thrown on screen is fun with its more sci-fi leaning story opening up the action to space set sequences which work incredibly well such as the team’s first encounter with Galactus.  There are slivers of Kubrick's 2001 visually referenced here and there for good measure as we follow Marvel's first family.  Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn are solid across the board with their familial connection and interactions coming off as sincere and naturalistic.  Vanessa Kirby's striking appearance and strong screen presence gives us the most fully realized version of Sue Storm as there is little question that she serves as the backbone of the family and film as whole.  She adds an impressive level of depth to the character that really shines through during a speech she delivers about halfway through the film.  Pedro Pascal is a bit more of a mixed bag because his sincerity fits the role well, but his usual everyman charm works against him here since we're supposed to believe he's one of the world's smartest people.  He proves more than capable of pulling off the emotional side of the role, but he just can't pull off the analytical side believably especially since his character is wrong numerous times throughout the film.  Thankfully, Pascal and Kirby work well together onscreen, which makes it easier to overlook him being miscast here.  Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn are better suited to their roles, but the characters feel a bit short changed by the script as they're never really fleshed out and only given a few distinguishing characteristics.  Moss-Bachrach in particular seems ready and willing to add some real pathos to his character if given the chance.  Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson are both talented performers, but they're terribly underused as paper thin villains which never takes advantage of their skills.  Missteps like that keep The Fantastic Four: First Steps from being something truly special even though it will still rank as the best onscreen iteration of these characters outside of The Incredibles. 

B

MOVIE REVIEW: TOGETHER

 

After moving to the countryside, a supernatural encounter starts to transform a couple's love, their lives, and their flesh.

Director: Michael Shanks

Cast: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman, Mia Morrissey

Release Date: July 30, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi

Rated R for violent/disturbing content, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug content.

Runtime: 1h 42m

Review:

Together is devilishly funny bit of body horror sprinkled with bits of rom-com which works better if you don't think about the story too much and focus on stellar turns from Dave Franco and Alison Brie.  Writer/Director Michael Shanks leaves quite an impression in his directorial debut by delivering an equal balance of visceral frights and relationship humor that hits more often than not.  He judiciously utilizes a series of well timed jump scares scattered throughout to give you a sense that something horrific could be lurking in the deepest recess of your nightmares.  Long overhead shots take full advantage of the scenic setting but there's something just slightly off that keeps everything unsettling.  Casting real life husband and wife proves to be a masterstroke since Franco and Brie bring an air of authenticity to their relationship.  Their interchanges will likely sound familiar to anyone who's been in a long term relationship.  Alison Brie takes full advantage of her talents here as we get the full spectrum of her character's traits which swing from sweet but mildly passive aggressive to cuttingly acidic in the blink of eye.  Dave Franco is equally impressive as her boyfriend, who's clearly used to be overshadowed and domineered by the time we meet him. Their relationship reeks of the worst kind of toxic codependency with neither being able to take the final step and just leave.  Even as things get increasingly insane there's something relatable about their endless cycle of arguments and reconciliations that leaves neither happy.  The allegory here is about as blunt as they come as they literally become unable to leave each other as we witness a series of increasingly grotesques encounters.  The script doesn't concern itself too much with why this has happened to them which feels like Shanks might have painted himself into a corner, ultimately deciding to just avoid a  tangible of explanation altogether.  It’s, ultimately, a minor complaint because Together works on so many levels thanks to strong direction and performances from its central duo. 

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: 40 ACRES

 

Surviving on an isolated farm after a series of plagues and wars, a former soldier and her family make one last stand against a vicious militia that wants to take their land.

Director: R. T. Thorne 

Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O'Connor, Jaeda LeBlanc, Michael Greyeyes, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, Leenah Robinson

Release Date: July 2, 2025 US/August 1, 2025 UK

Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violent content and language.

Runtime: 1h 53m

Review:

R.T. Thorne's debut film, 40 Acres, is a lean mean apocalyptic thriller that delivers impressive action along with plenty of thematic allegory, powered by a steely turn from Danielle Deadwyler.  Initially, there's a sense of familiarity to the proceeding with portions of it echoing the bleakness of 2009's The Road.  The family unit here though is a seasoned team ready to defend their land at a second’s moment thanks to the leadership of Danielle Deadwyler's tough as nails Hailey Freeman and Michael Greyeyes Galen's both of whom were former soldiers before becoming a couple after the end of the world.  Their relationship is a steady balance of carrots and stick as they prepare their kids to survive in this brutal landscape.  They are both overprotective to a fault but it’s all a means to an end to give their offspring the best chance to endure in the future.  Deadwyler's hardened stare barely breaks throughout as she serves as a stoic taskmaster for the adopted family.  Greyeyes provides a bit more tenderness as a counterbalance to her with book loads of history shared via unspoken looks which gives their relationship an air of realism.  The film allows us plenty of time to get to know each of the younger family members with Kataem O'Connor and Leenah Robinson getting the most screentime.  O'Connor is solid as the eldest teenage son, full of angst and ready to rebel by exploring beyond the limits imposed by his parents.  He brings the right amount of resentment for his mother which is revealed to extend further into the past.  On the other side of the coin, Leenah Robinson and Michael Greyeyes have a much more congenial, loving daughter/father relationship with some of their interchanges providing some much-needed moments of warmth.  The film methodically establishes the setting and characters before building to its more action heavy finale which boasts a series of well-constructed action sequences highlighted by a moment in a darkened house that's sure to leave an impression.  Once it's all said and done, 40 Acres brings together its themes of family, legacy and perseverance in an impressive manner especially since it’s packaged in such a familiar package.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: EDDINGTON

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, N.M.

Director: Ari Aster

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O'Connell, Micheal Ward, Austin Butler, Emma Stone

Release Date: July 18, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Western

Rated R for strong violence, some grisly images, language, and graphic nudity.

Runtime: 2h 25m

Review:

Ari Aster's Eddington is aggressively overstuffed as he tries to capture the general insanity of the summer of 2020 through the lens of the fictional town with Joaquin Phoenix doing the majority of the heavy lifting onscreen.  The film is a measured, slow burn as we watch real world external events and the story threads thrown onscreen move toward their unavoidable intersection.  Aster takes his time setting the table with the assorted collection of characters that inhabit the town, establishing them more as types than anything else.  Joaquin Phoenix's mask adverse Sheriff, Joe Cross, is a sad sack of a man when we meet him, finding some sliver of empowerment by taking up the cause of personal freedom that leads him to run for mayor against Pedro Pascal's Ted Garcia, Eddington's incumbent mayor.  Phoenix plays the character as a lonely, emasculated man that's in a position of power but totally inept until he grabs hold of his cause.  His wife Louise serves as little comfort as she has issues with physical contact leaving both isolated even when they are together, a recurring theme that serves as an undercurrent to the entire film.  Emma Stone looks appropriately disheveled and bizarre with one moment giving off some strong Carrie vibes as her character falls under the influence of Austin Butler's cult leader.  There's some fertile ground that's left untended with their relationship as both Stone and Butler are underutilized with both popping on and off screen far too quickly.   Louise's conspiracy obsessed mother played effectively by Deirdre O'Connell gets more screentime with an air of sly calculation amid all the insanity she traffics in.  Pedro Pascal's character is more straightforward and less nuanced as he serves a performative counter point to Phoenix's Cross.  He's given precious little time to really flesh the character out which leaves him coming off far more one dimensional than Cross.  Likewise, a subplot involving local BLM protest and a love triangle involving Cameron Mann, Matt Gomez Hidaka and Amélie Hoeferle feels undercooked, serving as little more than a plot device for the final and rather brutal finale which drags out into an unnecessarily long epilogue that leaves more questions than answers.  In the end, perhaps that point Aster is trying to achieve with Eddington serving as a rumination on the isolation that led to the increased insanity of that moment in time with no end in sight.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

 

When five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep it a secret rather than face the consequences. One year later, the past comes back to haunt them as they learn someone knows what they did last summer. Stalked by a mysterious killer, they soon seek help from two survivors of the legendary Southport massacre of 1997.

Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Cast: Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt

Release Date: July 18, 2025

Genre: Horror

Rated R for bloody horror violence, language throughout, some sexual content and brief drug use

Runtime: 1h 51m

Review:

The legacy revival of I Know What You Did Last Summer dusts off the same basic plot of the original with fresh new faces, led by Chase Sui Wonders and Madelyn Cline, but it never decides if it wants to play it straight or lean into outright camp. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson film borrows heavily from the 1997 original as it immediately feels familiar for better or worse.  Legacy films typically have a classic film to fall back on for inspiration but if we are being honest the original was a so-so product of the post Scream craze.  It’s an opportunity for her to do something different or interesting with the concept, something she toys with at various points but never fully commits.  There are moments that feel like the film might go full bore satire thanks to an incredibly fun turn from Madelyn Cline who seems to be channeling Amanda Seyfried's Mean Girls character throughout.  She provides the film with some much-needed injections of energy that the film sorely lacks since it’s never scary or inventive with its kills.  The clunky need to add in random call backs to the original film like random mannequins in a restaurant or a parade float in a cemetery ultimately keep the film from ever finding its own footing.  Chase Sui Wonders does her best to keep the whole thing afloat as she desperately tries to deliver a much more nuanced performance that the film deserves.  The script doesn't do anyone any favors as it's filled with plenty of aggressively stupid logical leaps that are just nonsensical instead of shocking.  Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt's return should make a bigger impact on the film than they do, which just hammers home the point that their original characters weren't terribly interesting to begin with.  There's a late game story thread about the gentrification of the town and its horrific history which would have been a more interesting approach to the story than we get in this overlong, tepid redux.   

C-

MOVIE REVIEW: SUPERMAN

 

When Superman gets drawn into conflicts at home and abroad, his actions are questioned, giving tech billionaire Lex Luthor the opportunity to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good. Will intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Superman's four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help him before it's too late?

Director: James Gunn

Cast: David Corenswet,  Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced

Release Date: July 11, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for violence, action and language.

Runtime: 2h 9m

Review:

James Gunn's Superman forgoes all the dour, grittiness of Snyder's take on the character by going in the opposite direction by embracing a more colorful, less grounded approach that allows for him to have more fun with the character and his heavily populated comic book world.  Gunn doesn't bother with the usual origin story instead he gets right into the action almost immediately which gives the film a strong headwind that rarely lets up throughout its runtime.  The world he splashes onscreen is fully formed, already populated by villains and heroes who battle regularly.  It all leans heavily into its comic book roots which feels like it unburdens him and his cast to just have fun with the characters and story.  The action sequences are bombastically big and fun however this version of Superman is beaten around on more than a few occasions.  This version of the character is established but also still green enough to give moments of trepidation and self-doubt.   David Corenswet easily steps into the role with a disarming, boyish charm that fits the character perfectly especially when he's in his Clark Kent guise.  He has the perfect "Aw, shucks" quality that Christopher Reeve brought to the role back in the 1978 version that makes the character easy to like.  This is very much the boy scout version of the character who's straightlaced, well intentioned and ultimately just trying to do the right thing.  Rachel Brosnahan is equally impressive as she takes up the Lois Lane mantle with her performance being a mix of Margot Kidder and Dana Delany's animated versions.  Her Lane is plucky enough to hold her own against the Man of Steel as exemplified with a wonderful character moment during a private interview with him.  Corenswet and Brosnahan share excellent chemistry together, something that shines through in that scene as they bounce off each with believable ease.  I personally would have preferred a bit more focus on them at the cost of some of the more extraneous characters we get time with.  The "Justice Gang" made up of Green Lantern, Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl played by Nathan Fillion, Edi Gathegi and Isabela Merced are fun when they pop up on screen, but we're given the tiniest bit of information about each.  Fillion has a blast playing up the jerk angle as Guy Gardner's Green Lantern while Merced does what she can with the limited amount she's given to work with as Hawkgirl.  Edi Gathegi gets more screentime as the super genius Mr. Terrific, playing him mostly like a human supercomputer with occasional flashes of personality.  He gets a fun action sequence that feels like Gunn is plagiarizing his own work from Guardians of the Galaxy as it feels fairly similar to Yondu and his arrow.  In the same vein, Krypto essentially serves as this film's version of Groot with his appearance being well used for relatable pet comedy.  On the downside, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor is more of a mixed bag as he comes off more like a hodgepodge of previous versions but missing the cold calculating, genius from the best take of the character which was Clancy Brown's work in Superman The Animated Series and Justice League.  Additionally, the film is overstuffed with ideas and plotlines that the film almost buries the titular character under the sheer weight of it all.  Still, it’s hard not to appreciate what Gunn and his cast accomplish with this restart of the DC movie universe with this easy to enjoy and incredibly fun version of Superman.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH

Zora Bennett leads a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on Earth, an island research facility for the original Jurassic Park. Their mission is to secure genetic material from dinosaurs whose DNA can provide life-saving benefits to mankind. As the top-secret expedition becomes more and more risky, they soon make a sinister, shocking discovery that's been hidden from the world for decades.

Director: Gareth Edwards

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ed Skrein

Release Date: July 2, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference.

Runtime: 2h 14m

Review:

Jurassic World Rebirth offers the big scale dinosaur action we've come to expect from the long running series however it suffers from an identity crisis as it struggles to figure out if it wants to lean into its horror roots or something more family friendly and safe.  Gareth Edwards is perfectly capable of handling the dinosaur mayhem that occurs throughout the film by delivering impressive set pieces.  There are sequences that are reminiscent of his older works such as The Creator, Godzilla and Monsters which work well for this franchise.  The required T-Rex set piece is particularly well executed although people of a certain age might get heavy hints of the Land of the Lost intro from the 70's.  The rest of the action is solid but it’s nothing groundbreaking or new which is disappointing since the crux of this entry being that this was an R&D island which worked on genetic splicing to create something new to keep the public’s waning interest in the park and their regular dinosaurs.  It’s a bit of unintentional meta commentary on the series itself as this entry’s creatures really don't take any wild swings with the raptor/pterosaur hybrids and Distortus rex (which looks like a weird hybrid of the Rancor from Star Wars and an Alien from that franchise) which aren't nearly as memorable as they should be.  The story doesn't help matter much as we get competing narratives with one following Johansson's covert opt to retrieve dino DNA and a random family that's rescued by her team after being shipwrecked by Mosasaurus.  The script separates each group once they hit the island for no discernible reason other than to expand the geography of the film.  Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali top line the film and their characters are given hints of deeper development which should have been nurtured with more screentime instead of the narrative tangents provided by the most generic family in the form of the Delgado's.  It’s a headscratcher of a decision since the film has two top list stars that could have carried this film with general ease, but the script decides to sideline them for half the film's screentime.  As a result, both groups of characters are underserved and they all come off as far more generic than they should be, especially considering the top tier talent.  It leaves everything in Jurassic World Rebirth feel like a retread of the far superior original, something a steady series of clunky visual easter eggs manage to hammer home.

C+