For me, as a BIG Marvel fan (since the very first in 2008), I can’t quite recall why I didn’t see this at the cinema when it was released back in July of this year. Maybe it was simply that the highly infectious ailment called ‘super-hero fatigue’ had finally caught up with me too, after previously infecting most fans of this genre! Simply put: there were just too many Marvel Films being released, and it was difficult to keep up. Oh, and the quality suffered too!
In this fan’s eyes, some of the past batch of Marvel so-called ‘blockbusters’ just weren’t busting ANY blocks at all!
Yes, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels and finally, the woeful Thor: Love and Thunder, I’m looking at you lot! ☹️☹️☹️☹️. Having said that, the more recent: Thunderbolts, Deadpool & Wolverine and finally Captain America, Brand New World have all been marked improvements 👍😊👍😊
So, this is THE Marvel movie that is supposed to put Marvel Productions back on track, and judging by most of the reviews at the time, it seems that everyone was satisfied after just a few weeks in the cinema – including the professional critics! 👍😉. Since then, ordinary punters seem to agree, as it has taken over $519m at the Box Office to date – which is perfectly respectable! 👍
Tonight, therefore, was going to be the perfect combo of a great film (hopefully!) and a yummy meal (definitely!) as we invited Jo and Janet around for another of our Movie Nights/TV Dinners with Friends. Well, even if the movie turns out to be a disaster, we know the food and company is going to tick all the boxes! ✅✔️☑️
Previous TV Dinners/Movie Nights
Paddington in Peru – March 2025
Avatar, The Way of Water – February 2025
Grease – January 2025
The Imitation Game – August 2024
Mexican Possible 3 – March 2024
Top Gun: Maverick (again!) – August 2023
Spider-man – Into the Spiderverse – June 2023
The Banshees of Inisherin – March 2023
Top Gun: Maverick – February 2023
The King’s Man – October 2022
Dune (the original) – November 2021
Black Panther – June 2018
With Ann in the kitchen, you can’t go wrong! On tonight’s menu…
- Ox Cheek Casserole (a low and slow 4 hours of cooking)
- Mashed Potato
- Roasted Squash
- Cabbage, followed by
- Apple & Raspberry Crumble
- REAL Custard 😋
With the food doing its usual magic, it was time to settle down for the Film…
7.50pm: We’re going in! See you in 114 minutes! 🙄
Synopsis
On an parallel-Earth in 1964, the world celebrates the fourth anniversary of astronauts Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm becoming the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four after they gained superhuman abilities from exposure to cosmic rays during a previous space mission. The team struggle against the world-devouring Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer. After the Surfer reveals Earth’s doom, the Fantastic Four attempt to negotiate, but are forced into a difficult choice.
Any good?
Well, that was all very watchable and good to have a variation on the usual ‘good vs evil’ trope. The SFX, as you might imagine, were top notch and in spite of the almost two-hour runtime, it didn’t feel that long. Given that Fantastic Four has seen a number of on-screen interpretations over the years (1994, 2005, 2007 and 2015) this, for me, was by far the best, not just because of the generous budget ($200-250m) but for the non-standard storyline and great cinematography. If you’re not a fan of the genre, this one won’t change your mind, but it was a good bit of escapist fun – AND, more crucially, more like Marvel Productions used to be. It seems that the deliberate reduction in the number of films Marvel is turning out has had a knock-on effect regarding quality – great news!
Don’t forget to stick with the credits, as halfway through, there’s a sneak-peek of a character (possibly) from a future Marvel movie – Avengers: Doomsday – scheduled for Christmas NEXT year 👍
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
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