Re the new Fantastic Four, I’m somewhere between MZS and Adam Nayman. I didn’t like it as much as the former, but was higher on it than the latter.

The set design and aesthetic were perhaps the best of any Marvel or even any superhero film this century; the plot was a welcome surprise; the family dynamic worked; the acting was top notch; and the seemingly requisite connections to the wider MCU were nil.

Nevertheless two or three things held me back. First, even when the visuals were colorful and punchy, the tone was oddly plangent throughout. It was nice not to witness another quip-fest, but the wit and humor and warmth were lacking for some reason. The movie just wasn’t brimming with fun; like Pascal’s Reed Richards, it took itself somewhat too seriously.

Second, the film is more of a character piece than an action flick. I get the appeal of that, but you’ve got to really nail it if that’s what you’re aiming for (a la Unbreakable). This one could have used some more set pieces.

Third, neither Ben Grimm nor Johnny Storm quite worked. I think this had more to do with writing and editing than casting, but they needed to own every scene they were in, and they both proved a bit too dour to pop the way they needed to—especially if Reed was going to be so melancholy and trapped in his own head the whole time.

Kirby’s Sue Storm steals the movie, from start to finish. Yet she couldn’t save it, because, as others have remarked, there’s already been a perfect Fantastic Four adaptation: it’s called The Incredibles. Brad Bird beat Kevin Feige to the punch more than twenty years ago. Oh well.