The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

[00:00:03] This is a Bramble Jam Podcast.

[00:00:48] I think you enjoyed doing this with us, but I mean, I think you've said on these airwaves that you're like, give me up TV. Yeah, I put it in my veins. Give me up TV. I stand by that. What a weird impression, and I love it. I thought it was spot on. Give me up TV. I love it. No, I do stand by that. He's the Christmas movie monster. Bram, bram, bram, bram, bram. I would rather talk about a bad up TV movie than a Marvel movie. I'm ready for up. Dude, you should have seen- We might already be doing them for all I know. I don't know when this comes out. You should have, that's true.

[00:01:17] You should have seen this guy trying to read a certain network's Christmas schedule off of his computer in the car. I took a picture. It was like he was 80 years old. He was like this. A Christmas chalet? November 11th? I'll put the picture on the Facebook group. I've never seen him look older in my life. I don't know what's going on. Okay, a couple of things. It's all the movies. It was a graphic, okay? I couldn't zoom in on the graphic. And he's old.

[00:01:46] And the font was tough to read. You had to really lock in. And we're in a car. We're moving jostling about. We're the interstate cruise controls on. I just needed to get a little bit closer. I just need to get a little bit closer. We're talking Fantastic Four today. Fantastic Four this week. We've got Spider-Man brand new day next week. Not Brave New World. We've already done that. Different thing. And then we're technically done. Then we're technically done. But we'll be back for Doomsday.

[00:02:15] You going to the end game this week? Yeah, I think we'll... Yeah, I'm going... You went, obviously. Yes, yes. You saw the Hulk Dr. Doom scene. Let's talk about that. Let's talk about that before Spider-Man. Let's talk about that. Yeah, maybe we'll... I love it. Maybe we'll wear different clothes for that. Who knows? Wow. That would be something. I just want to say this has been so much fun. And I love it. And if you guys want to continue with the Marvel Boys

[00:02:42] and do the TV shows, I love it for you. I want you to do it. And I'll pop in. I'll do Hawkeye. I'd love to watch Hawkeye again. Yeah, you pop in. I can take it. Yeah. You don't want... You don't want Bran to be around with his heart's not in it. You don't want that. A heartless Bran? No. A heartless Bran is no Bran at all. That's exactly right. But I am excited to talk... That's what Mr. Feeney thinks of you, heartless Bran. Heartless. Yeah. She had to remind me.

[00:03:11] A hundred-year-old William Daniels thinks Bran is alright. He lost his Christmas spirit. That guy hates Christmas. Nothing we can do. Oh, my God. It's to me. His friends were so concerned about him. They hadn't made this video. For those of you that don't know this story, Dan and company got a... Cameo from Mr. Feeney. And in that cameo, they just had Mr. Feeney talk about how I lost my Christmas spirit. What a shame. What a shame.

[00:03:39] It's the meanest thing that you could have done. Impossible. Nah, but he's still... You still got... Mr. Feeney knows your name still. He still knows who you are. And he's disappointed in me. No. He gave you some encouragement. For all we know, he thinks that you've found it. Yeah. Probably not. I think he was on the... Hell, yeah. I don't think you found it, but he's... I mean, he's probably sitting there right now being like, man, his friends, he was this down bad they needed to bring me in. Yeah. This guy's probably past repair. Bringing in the big guns. Also though, like... But Feeney, I'm over here in the car with my laptop reading Christmas schedules that

[00:04:09] I'm not even going to watch. You don't have long to get that Christmas spirit. I don't think he's a weekly listener. Have you seen you read lately? It's a mess out there, man. I don't think he's a weekly listener, sadly. So, you'll never know. Let's talk the fantastic part. Yeah, the fantastic part. The fantastic part. Give it a bat, bat, bat, bat. Comma, first steps. Mm-hmm. It came out at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. As it should. Stop making stuff up. He's just making stuff up now. Two weeks left.

[00:04:35] They went out to the pavilion in Greer with all the bouncy houses and the ice skating and they were like, what about this movie? July 21st, 2025, and then everywhere else, just a few days later, July 25th, a Christmas party episode on Christmas morning aired that day. Wow. What a big day. What a big day. That's Christmas in July. This is... We got a 4DX theater in Greenville and it opened with this movie. That's right. Oh, wow. You ever told me that? That's awesome.

[00:05:02] This is my first 4DX experience. That's right. We'll see if it... Probably really improved it, honestly. And it went a little something like this. The movie kicks off in 1964 where the world is celebrating four years of the Fantastic Four. Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm become superheroes. Well, they became superheroes after being exposed to radiation during a space mission. And since then, they've become celebrities with their superpowers.

[00:05:32] Things get even more exciting when Reed and Sue announce that they're expecting a baby. When's that baby do? The whole world becomes fascinated with this idea that this baby might have superpowers. But then the Silver Surfer arrives. Uh-oh. Rope, rope. And it has some very bad news. Earth has been chosen for destruction by Galacticus, a giant cosmic being who eats planets.

[00:06:00] Reed investigates the destruction of other planets and realizes that the Silver Surfer is actually telling the truth here, even though it sounds insane. The team heads back into space to try to talk to Galacticus and stop him. Brand editors note it's Galactus. Galactus. What were you saying? Galacticus? Galactus. Galacticus? Galactus. That's easy. Take a syllable out there. Galactus. Galactus. Galactus. Galactus. The team is captured and brought face to face with Galacticus.

[00:06:26] He senses something different about Reed Video in Sue's unborn baby Franklin. So, he offers them a deal. Give me your baby. I'll spare you your earth. Obviously, the fantastic forces is yes, right? Nope. Right? Nope. Not this baby.

[00:06:52] During their trip back to Earth, Sue gives birth to Franklin. A month later, the Fantastic Four return to Earth and Reed reveals everything during a press conference about baby and the offer and all of that. And it's shocked when people are upset that they did not offer up their baby. Johnny starts figuring out the Silver Surfer's language using previous recordings and transmissions that Reed had gotten from deep space.

[00:07:20] As Galactus gets closer and the protest against the Fantastic Four gets larger, Sue takes to the streets with baby to try to talk to the protesters and says, Hey, we're not going to sacrifice our baby, but we're going to do everything we can to make sure that Earth is safe. And I think that we've done enough for you to trust us that we are going to save the day with the Fantastic Four.

[00:07:50] Reed then comes up with a crazy idea. Instead of fighting Galactus head on, they'll teleport the entire Earth somewhere else using technology that he's been developing. Just as the plan is underway, the Silver Surfer returns and starts destroying the teleportation bridges. Johnny manages to stop her from destroying the final bridge in Times Square, really the only one that matters, and reveals everything that he's learned about her and her language.

[00:08:19] Speaking to her and she can understand him and he can understand her. And so she hears this, hears everything that he's saying, still refuses to help him in this moment. With time running out, the team decides to use Franklin as bait. To lure Galactus towards the final teleportation bridge. If we can't teleport Earth, then we can still teleport Galactus.

[00:08:43] Galactus eventually arrives, makes his way through New York, just stomping on buildings and whatnot, and eventually does capture Franklin before the team can use their little trap. So Sue uses everything that she can to hold Galactus back with her force while Reed manages to rescue Franklin.

[00:09:07] Johnny then tries to sacrifice himself using his powers to give Galactus a final push into the portal. But before he can, one Silver Surfer returns to save the day. She pushes Galactus through the portal herself. The portal closes behind them and Sue is laying there. Debt, we believe. Fantastic Four. Fantastic No More. That's something I was wondering. This is really good.

[00:09:37] So Reed puts baby Franklin on his mother to say goodbye, as you do. And the baby starts touching her face. Yeah. Right? And then next thing you know. Mary, did you know? Evanescence style. Wake me up. Wake me up. That's exactly right. She's back, baby. She's alive. Baby. Save me. Baby got powers. Is Franklin Jesus? I don't know.

[00:10:06] Is Franklin not? Is baby Franklin on the line? No, baby Franklin's not on the line. We don't have time for that, actually. I just found out. The movie ends. Yes, Franklin. How you doing, buddy? A lot of people are saying that I'm Jesus. And I don't want to comment one way or the other, but I did bring my mommy back to life. So you need to sit with that. Sit with that. What else can you do? Water to wine? I don't know. Pray to me. See what happens. Water to wine? I could probably swing that. Like a nice merlot? Some chadless? What do you want? Pinot.

[00:10:37] Wham-o-zam-o. Hey, baby. Oh, be careful. You know what I'm saying? It's early. This is not a weapon. Not a weapon, but I am Jesus. That's good stuff. Franklin Jesus 4 is my name. My last name's 4. I don't know if you caught that. Thanks, Frank. Even on the 5th, fantastic. Thank you. My last name's 4. I'm Franklin Jesus 4. It's nice to meet you. FJF. I just want to get ahead of this. Sorry. No, this is fine. Sorry. It's all in good fun. Franklin, he left.

[00:11:06] He flew out of here, which is crazy. We can't control what Franklin Jesus 4 says. You remember Jack-Jack? You remember baby Jack-Jack from the Incredibles? You remember that? Honestly, I was thinking about Jack-Jack while I was watching. Many are saying that I'm like Jack-Jack. He's a poser. He just inflames. That's all he does. He doesn't do anything. But Jack-Jack came before you. Yeah. He was like John the Baptist. Got it. Now I'm out of here. Up and away. God bless. Is Jack-Jack really into honey?

[00:11:34] Does he just constantly, does he have honey residue all over him? Like where does the comparison to John the Baptist end? He's a big locust boy. Got it. He's a big locust boy. There's nothing I can do about it. All right. Bye. Up and away. Bye. I think he says up and away when he leaves, which is weird. Yeah, he's sketching when he leaves. Bye. Bye. No one's ever done that before. Up and away. Goodbye, Franklin 4. Franklin 4. The movie ends with the Fantastic 4 heading off onto another mission as the world celebrates the victory. Then we get a mid-credit scene. This one's important.

[00:12:04] Four years later, Sue's reading to Franklin at home. Gets up to grab another book. When she returns Franklin's gonzo, she finds him with a mysterious man wearing a green cloak is talking to Franklin 4. And that's my friend's wife. The Fantastic 4 first steps. We did it. I just want the people at home to know that the Franklin 4 bit happens in real time before

[00:12:33] 8.30 in the morning. That's right. Yeah. And I think that's... It's important that you know that. It's important that you know that. Real time before 8.30. We cook early, folks. Bran drank wine before 8.30. That's right, yeah. And he's going back for some more. Wow. Good contact. Out of the solo contact. That's good Pino. All right. Let's take a break. We'll come back. We'll break this movie down here on... Take the Hallmark. Up and away.

[00:13:03] Up and away. Up and away. Up and away. We're back, everybody. It's great to be here today talking Fantastic Four. Let's get to the hot takes where we share exactly how we felt about this movie. Do you not hold back? I'm going to start with you, Ryguy. What did you think? Yeah, I saw this in theaters. It was well-reviewed. And I left that theater. It was a Dolby. It's a Dolby. Yeah, it's in Trumbull. Really nice. Really nice. Trumbull, Connecticut. It's really nice. I left that theater thinking that this was totally fine.

[00:13:30] I was happy that Marvel got what felt like a much-needed win. This is like someone who was excited for these to keep going and was curious. I think at this point, yeah, definitely by this point, they had announced RDJ as Doom. They had announced the Russos were back. So I think I wanted this movie to be good. Positive momentum. Yeah. Yeah, I was excited at the prospect of what Doomsday could look like. We had finally figured out what the next big thing after all the drama with Jonathan Majors

[00:13:57] and a lot of misses, as we've talked about over the last couple weeks, has looked like. But this movie just didn't really do it for me. I can also truthfully say that I left that theater in Trumbull, Connecticut and did not think of this movie once again, other than the fact for me to say, huh, that movie wasn't very memorable to me. Um, I, so I, I hinted last week that I was like, I think this is kind of a nothing burger and kind of a snooze fest. And that's still pretty much how I feel. I, I, I don't like this world.

[00:14:26] I don't like futuristic retro in general. That's just a me thing. Like, you know, and if it's your thing, awesome. Um, and I just typically don't find myself enjoying, uh, movies and stories told in that setting. Um, I don't love these castings if I'm being honest and I'm not a Pedro Pascal hater. This was at the height of him being like, yeah, everything. And like, you know, I actually really like materialists. I have no problem with him as Mando. He's like, you know, but, um, so it had really nothing to do with that.

[00:14:55] I just, um, even Vanessa Kirby, who I think is incredibly talented. Yeah. Like, I don't know if she works as Sue Storm. And I also don't think that they have any chemistry, uh, whatsoever. I, the other two castings are fine. Um, of the, of the four, but, um, I, I, I just wasn't, I still am not, maybe some of it is that futuristic retro setting. It's like, it's this weird, they never make it very clear. Although obviously they want you to infer that this is in a different universe.

[00:15:21] This is the first time that an MCU movie, which I feel like opens its own can of arms, uh, creative Deadpool and Wolverine, which starts right. But, but they're making that, but they're making that very clear. They're literally having the protagonist tell you they're elsewhere. Whereas this movie never addresses it. Um, which I understood what was going on, but I just think narratively, it becomes a little messy. Um, I also just by and large find this plot to be, uh, uneventful and underwhelming, uh,

[00:15:51] Galacticus, as I've heard of certain circles, like is a tough villain to do, to be fair. It's just this, you know, skyscraper of a slow walking man who, you know, speaks slowly. Undertaker walking into the ring at a WrestleMania. It takes a while. Can destroy worlds like with at the, at a blink of an eye. It's a very tough villain to do. And like, I think some people were like, why wasn't Galactus? Like, you know, the next Thanos it's like, that would be a totally boring, uh, you know,

[00:16:20] multi-movie arc to tell. Yeah. And so, um, so I think it's tough to do, but I, I just don't like it. I, it's like, you know, with that said, he's not in a lot of the film. Silver Surfer is never really presented as a villain. The majority of the movie is just these characters spending time in a world that I don't particularly like talking. Uh, we don't even really see their powers much now that might be for good reason that we've tried three fantastic four movies before this. They've all sucked.

[00:16:48] They've all been, you know, some people find the first one charming. I find like the first 15 minutes of the Michael B. Jordan one, a worthy swing. Oh my God. That Michael B. Jordan movies. Oh no, it's a bad movie. But like these powers are relatively silly. One guy can be really stretchy. One person's just like, so it might just be a property that worked really well in comics in the days of yore. Yeah. Right. Um, so tough movie to do. Tough movie to do. For sure. Yeah.

[00:17:16] And so, cause like once you get past all that stuff, none of which I liked, I'm just sitting there thinking, why wasn't the thing done practically? Why doesn't Silver Surfer get more to do? Galactus looks dumb as heck. The CGI baby Franklin is really atrocious. Um, the third act is preposterous. Why are we moving a whole world when we could just move Galactus through the same device as they ultimately end up doing?

[00:17:40] Um, the movie is mostly harmless, but it's also mostly pointless and I don't plan on revisiting it. I have this really low four, eight, 12, 16, 20, 24, 20. I have this 35th. Holy moly. I just, it's just not five. Yeah. It's just not for me. Wow. I, I, I, I can't, we talk about every week about like, what are these guys going to do against doom? What are these guys going to do against doom? And that's their villain.

[00:18:09] That's their villain. Exactly. Which, which they don't set up at all. I mean, you can't have RDJ in this movie. Right. So it's like, but a couple months from now, they've shown the scene in the trailer where Pedro Pascal is going to be like, Victor, did you do this? We don't even know that they know each other yet. So if this movie is just not for me, um, I, I'm sure I'm probably too low on it. I don't think it's probably five. Yeah. I, it's not, it's just, I just think it's, I think it's just boring. So up and away. Boredom for Ryan.

[00:18:38] Up and away. Yeah. Up and away. It's good. So I really liked this movie. I, I really liked the world that they've built. I really like futuristic retro. It really works for me. I think this movie is off the charts when it comes to the vibe that they've created. It's definitely distinct. I won't disagree. That's the big bad in this movie. Bit of a bore, which is unfortunate because he eats planets.

[00:19:08] He's playing. So it's like, he should be really awesome. He's giant plant eater. Yes. Planet eater, not plant eater. He could be a. Probably does both. Probably both. Probably both. I almost wish that like he was like, was normal and then can get big like an ant man. Like an ant man. Because like there's something about giant guy going, I'm going to get you. Anybody want a peanut? Anybody want a peanut?

[00:19:35] That's just like, ah, it doesn't, it isn't scary. It's just kind of goofy and dumb. And there was something about the way that Thanos presented himself. Multifaceted. And you could actually hear his actual voice and not this like pitch down like six levels to make him sound like he's so big. So it works. Thanos does. This bad guy does not. So that makes it tough.

[00:20:06] Overall, really like the vibe of the movie. Just don't care about the bad of the movie. And so it leaves me with this movie just kind of, I think about this movie really side by side with Thunderbolts. Two new era Marvel movies. And I like them both pretty equally as far as the movies go themselves.

[00:20:33] And I'm giving Thunderbolts the bump here, the Florence Pugh bump, because Florence is incredible in that movie. And no one in this movie is even close to that level of incredible. And it also reminded me of The Incredibles. It's so funny. Yeah. That Franklin Ford brought up Jack Jack. Because I was going to do that later anyway. So it worked out great. So yeah, I have this movie coming in at 25. 25. Yeah.

[00:21:02] So I'm higher on this movie than both of you, which is wild. And I don't disagree with anything about the plot of the movie, which I think sucks. I think Galactus is bad. I think he's really bad. I think Silver Surfer is really bad in this movie. And Julia Garner is an amazing actor who is wasted in this movie. She's not drunk. She's wasted. Like she is not given anything to do. And she's, go watch The Assistant. Go watch Ozark. Julia Garner is amazing. I also think Pedro Pascal is miscast. I think he's miscast in this movie.

[00:21:32] I think Vanessa Kirby can do no wrong. I think she's wonderful in this movie. I think Yvonne Moss-Bacharack is wonderful in this movie. I think the guy that plays Johnny Storm, I just forgot his name. He's wonderful. No, I like those two. And I like Vanessa Kirby. I just don't think they're in Pedro. Natasha Lyonne is wonderful in this movie. I hate Galactus. I hate Silver Surfer in this movie. I don't think they work at all. And I think that there's so many holes to poke in that.

[00:21:54] When this movie is about a family, being a family and having to navigate what every family has to navigate in this futuristic retro world, I adore this movie. I'm the anti-Ry guy when it comes to that. That's actually what I want to see. The character development. How do you look like a rock and still try to just get along with people and be normal? What does having a child do to you, even if you're a superhero? You still have to childproof the house.

[00:22:23] You still have to figure out what that looks like. I love that. As soon as we... I don't think Mr. Fantastic really goes full stretchy until the end of this movie. And it's embarrassing. It's a really bad scene. It's just like, oof. So for me, the first hour 30, hour 20 of this movie is pretty great.

[00:22:49] Vanessa Kirby is giving just a world-beater performance, in my opinion. The world is so different and distinct. It was the first time I was really drawn into a Marvel movie in a long time. Now, I very rarely side with the nerds when it comes to movie versions of their beloved property. So like movie versions... I saw Zach Craig's Resident Evil. That movie has a very low user rating on Letterboxd.

[00:23:18] That movie ruled. Because all of the video game fans got mad that we got to see Resident Evil through the eyes of an idiot who doesn't know how to shoot a gun. I found that incredibly amazing and charming and a cool way to do this movie. The video game nerds did not, right? I typically don't side with the nerds on that. But when we get to Doomsday, if Victor Von Doom is not the bad guy of the Fantastic Four first and foremost, I think we're going to have a problem.

[00:23:48] Because he is the Joker to the Fantastic Four's Batman. Superman. He's the Lex Luthor to Superman's... You know, to Superman. That's what he is. Right? Like, Victor Von Doom is Norman Osborn. He's the overarching bad guy of this universe. And to waste our time with Galactus was very disappointing. So, I have a lot that I love about this movie. And then the last act of this movie, I really don't like. I think it's miles better than Thunderbolts.

[00:24:16] I give me the Fantastic Four over the new Avengers any day of the week and twice on Sunday. And that's including the Florence Pugh bump, which is granted and accounted for. Without her in that movie, I think that movie is real bad. I just think this... Like, I love this world. I would go back to this world for a better bad guy and a better plot. So, this movie came in at 15 for me. Wow. Which is... You know, now we've got 15, 25, 34. Which is an incredible spread.

[00:24:45] I don't think we've ever had basically 10 apart. Basically, 10 between each. That's right. So, you know, and I also think... Kudos to Matt Shackman. I think that's how you say his name. His first feature film. Matt Shackman directed all of your favorite television. Matt Shackman literally directed episodes of Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under,

[00:25:08] House, Psych, Billions, The Boys, Succession, It's Always Sunny, The Good Wife, WandaVision. This guy has directed... I haven't seen any of those shows. Doggy Go Home. Doggy Go Home, obviously. But this is... When you talk about the golden age of television, aside from Breaking Bad, Matt Shackman has directed all of those shows. And so, this guy knows what he's doing, and I think he...

[00:25:38] You know, we talked about this while we were watching the movie. You can tell he has a singular unique vision, and that is important. Now, Ryguy, it was a singular unique vision that Ryguy didn't like, which I would propose is better than kind of just an open canvas where you're just throwing stuff to see what sticks. I don't disagree with that. This guy has an MO, and he's doing something. If it doesn't work, you're going to have it at 34. And if it does, you're going to have it at 15. I think that's kind of where we are with this, and that's fine.

[00:26:06] But this movie, as a Marvel movie and as a world, I think works incredibly well. The villains just kind of suck. Unless your vision is the Eternals, and then... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Maybe we should reign that in a bit. Let's get to all the feels. Ryguy, anything in the movie? Give me feels. My feels was watching this in theaters, waiting for the last five to ten minutes, being like, all right, they haven't introduced Doom yet. No one knew if Doom was going to be in it. And I was like, they're going to like...

[00:26:36] Because ostensibly, I don't even know if we knew. I think maybe when this came out last year, there was some doubt if Brand New Day would even drop before Doomsday, or the date wasn't announced yet. So we're like, this is basically... And then there's always the weird Sony Spider-Man component to it, where even though they are part of the MCU, it feels a little disconnected. So we're like, this is it. This is the last Marvel movie we're going to see. The shows don't count anymore. This is the last thing we're going to do before Doomsday,

[00:27:05] and everyone had the Thunderbolts, Russo's mid-credits scene in mind that went like 12 minutes. So what are they going to do here? And I thought we were going to explain the multiverse for real, or end the multiverse. And it just ends up being Doom holding his hand to a baby. Which, you know, I'm sure will matter. I'm sure we'll reference in a few months, if not during Endgame Encore here, which I've already seen. But I... Yeah.

[00:27:33] And so my feels was that real anticipation for like, oh, like, what are they about to do? And then much like the film for me in general, it just didn't amount to much, which was a bummer. Yeah, yeah. Dan mentioned it, but this was my first 40X experience, and really enjoyed myself. 40X rules. Like, to go into space was so much fun. There were some really fun moments in that. So that was a fond memory. Yeah. This movie does an amazing job. Thank you, Brian. Thanks for sharing your fond memory. That was really beautiful.

[00:28:03] It was amazing. This movie does a great job showing what it's like to be a parent. I know that that sounds crazy, because we're in a futuristic retro world where there are underground people and a giant monster that's eating planets. But I think what makes this movie tick for me is, is that one, when you have a child, you are forever from that point forward vulnerable. If you were a superhero before you had a child, now everyone knows your weak point. That is the definition of being a parent,

[00:28:32] is there is something in you that is so important and so incredibly vital and necessary that you love more than life itself, and everyone else knows it, and they know how you're vulnerable. And this movie, for all of its, you know, fantasticness of being about superheroes and all of these other grand things, never loses sight of the fact that your child becomes your world. And it is really impressive. Seeing Vanessa Kirby,

[00:29:00] nine months pregnant, in labor, kicking ass is the coolest thing. Like, Matt Shackman being like, we're crafting a movie where this woman is carrying a child and going into labor and in between contractions. She's making a ship disappear. She's just stronger than those three dudes. I thought that was such a cool scene. That is the peak of this movie, is after seeing Galactus for the first time, them getting back home. I think that scene works incredibly well.

[00:29:30] And I also love how... The chair's shaking. Yeah. I also love how showing how there are times when rational is actually irrational. They do a great job with that. Like, you know, Pedro Pascal's Mr. Fantastic, or whatever we're calling him, is like, he's rational to the point of he's ruining it because he's thinking about it without taking into account things that are intangible and not rational. Like, love. You know what I mean? I agree with you on that, just real quick. Maybe it's Pedro's performance. One of my problems is, I think he's just miscast in general,

[00:30:00] but at times, Mr. Fantastic just seems dumb. Yeah. Like, your point is right. Yes. And I'm not, like, the spirit of the script. Like, at times, though, the way he plays it, he just seems dumb, which is, like, not a problem. He's supposed to be the smartest guy alive. Pedro Pascal's really taken it on the chin of this episode, and I think Pedro Pascal's amazing, right? On SNL, unbelievable. Last of Us, great. I like him. You know, great. You know, in Eddington, I really thought he was fantastic. In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent with Nick Cage,

[00:30:30] I think he's a scene stealer, and he's unbelievable. I just think he's doing something here that doesn't vibe with the rest of the movie, and I agree with what you're saying, and I just was never bought into him as anything other than Pedro Pascal, and I just think maybe we had seen too much of him by this point. I think it was probably like, oh, he's in another movie. So there's that. Yeah, for sure. He's like McKenna Grace. It's like, is McKenna Grace going to be in every movie? You guys know what I'm talking about?

[00:30:59] Yeah, it's a great McKenna Grace callback. Yeah, that's really good, Brent. Good stuff, dude. I mean, between... McKenna Grace is good. Yeah, she's great. Yeah. It's too much McKenna Grace. Count the lady. Too much McKenna Grace. Gifted, a movie with McKenna Grace as a child. There you go. Very good. She's gifted as a phenomenal movie. Yeah, there you go. Very underrated. Shout out.

[00:31:28] How many movies does McKenna Grace send between 2024 and the present day? Not as many as Tom Holland and Zendaya. I think it's more. I was surprised. She's in Scream 7 and not the lead girl. She's not. She's not Sidney Prescott's daughter. I think she's been in four or five theatrical movies this year. Yeah, so I saw Regretting You, I think that was last year. Was it Regretting You this year? She's a voice in the Paw Patrol Dino movie. She sure is. Yeah.

[00:31:58] Scream 7 and that's it for 2026. No. Five Nights at Freddy's 2. She's in a movie called The Last Kiss. Okay. The Colleen Hoover thing was last year. Yeah. Which I thought that movie was bad. Everything else is 2025 that you're talking about. Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Regretting You, Anniversary Nimrod. I think Anniversary was the other one, but Anniversary, okay. All of those actually may have come. They say 2025 on here. Yeah, I saw those in 2026. I got you. Yeah. So yeah, and then she's also in a movie called Slanted and What We Hide. I brand you nailed it.

[00:32:26] Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. Yes. She's in the Ghostbuster movies. Yeah. So all of that was 2024 to now. That second Ghostbusters movie was bad. Not good. My kids loved it. Not good. Yeah, my kids love those movies. Okay. First one's good. Yeah. Let's get to Wait What? Okay. So we're talking about what this movie is. Well, I'll start with you, Regai. I don't know. Maybe I'll understand this more. What's up with the retro? But it's the future.

[00:32:55] Maybe I'll understand this more when I'm getting ready to have a kid. But I don't think it's that big of a deal that Pedro Pascal had that robot build that crib. Seems like Vanessa Kirby was all up in arms. It doesn't mean he doesn't care about the kid. That was a weird one. Yeah. I think building a crib is a rite of passage, right? Sure. It is part of, I think they wanted to make that a thing. But I also think if you have robot. He does household chores for them all the time.

[00:33:24] The robot has been doing all of the houseproofing. So you mean to tell me it's fine if the robot puts the knives away and covers the outlets, but not if he constructs the crib? Wouldn't you want the thing holding your child at night to be as secure as possible? So I get the bit that they're doing, which is, hey, we're just like you. We've got to build the crib and we've got to struggle with it, and that's part of having a kid. But also, you have household chores for a robot. That's what you have. Yeah, that's true. It does seem like something that the robot would do, but at the same time,

[00:33:53] any time your pregnant wife is mad at you about something, she's justified in that. As someone who is growing a baby. Like I said, maybe I'll learn better down the road here. Yeah. My second one here is... Growing a human. Yeah. Yeah. You know what? By all means. Who are we to stay? Who are we? I'm just over. I'm being a goober. That's right. You're being a goober. My second one here is, what's up with this futuristic retro? So good. So good.

[00:34:19] Um, the Fantastic Four has existed in this world or this universe that we know is not a 616 for quite a while. Would New York City really... Maybe I'm thinking too far about this. Would New York City really be that shocked by a silver woman on a surfboard? Pedro Pascal can literally extend out to be 50 feet wide. It's like, I just always... I struggle with these movies like, oh my God, we've never seen any... Yes, you have.

[00:34:49] You love these guys. They're on the newspapers and stuff. Makes me mad. Yeah. No, that's fair. That's fair. Yep. And then last one. I already talked about CGI baby. So no need to belabor that point. Belabor. Yeah, that wasn't... I didn't even write that down. So last one. Mr. Fantastic with an all-time bad press conference coming back to explain the galactic... All-time bad press conference. It was like when Tiger Woods did that one that looked like he was doing a magic trick after one of his many transgressions. I don't even remember which one it was.

[00:35:19] It might have been after he... It might have been after Thanksgiving. I don't remember. He had a few bad ones, but really bad. Like, I get... Media training. We need it, Mr. Fantastic. Listen, like, it's so much easier. And we'll talk about this with Brand New Day next week. It's so much easier when our superheroes get to just be superheroes and be like, I'm Tony Stark and I'm Iron Man. I'm Steve Rogers and I'm Captain America. For the poor high school child, Peter Parker, he just gets to be traumatized, right? But if you... Like, he knows...

[00:35:48] Everyone knows he's Mr. Fantastic. The whole time he's at that press conference, I'm just like, don't tell him. Don't tell him. There's really no reason... I mean, like, you want your superheroes to be truthful? Yeah. But like, hey, Galactus is going to try to kill us all. We're going to do everything we can to stop it. And also... And decrease panic by about 20%, right? Also, yeah, he wants my baby. And if he gets my baby, then all of you will live. Why are you telling them that information?

[00:36:16] I think in that case, a hero could be withholding. Yeah, a hero should be like, well, Galactus seems hell-bent on destroying the Earth and we seem hell-bent on stopping it. And we've not let you down before. And then we've solved that entire issue. But also, they also announced Sue Storm is pregnant in her first trimester. And it's like, don't tell him. What are you doing? Do not... Yeah, he's just dumb. He's just a dumb guy. Tell him. I love the idea of them not telling.

[00:36:41] And then Galactus shows up and is like, you should have given me the baby. And everybody's like, what? And Reed's like, what's this guy talking about? What's this guy even talking about? Can you believe this guy? Sheesh. This guy's crazy. That was never an option. What? We could have just done that. Look at tall boy over here with baby stuff. Big guy. Big guy stuff. I might want to touch on the thing for a second. Now, here's the thing. Now, here's the thing. We started off friends.

[00:37:11] It was cool. It was just pretend, though. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well, since you've been gone. He has custom clothes. And he needs them. He's got a big rock body. Yeah, big rock body. So he needs custom clothes. Who's making those clothes? I don't know who's making those clothes. But I do find it interesting that he got a custom hat. Like, you need custom clothes. Yeah. To look like an old samurai.

[00:37:40] He has gone all in on custom hat. Yeah. What's up with that? What's the material? What's going on with futuristic retro? Is it stretchy? What is it? What is it? What's the deal with that? Yeah. Is it a Boston logo, too? It just says to be on it? No, I think it's supposed to be the Dodgers, right? Is it supposed to be the Dodgers? Yeah, Brooklyn, right? Sure. Brooklyn. Brooklyn. Right. And then everybody's working really hard. We just found out that big things come into Eater Planet.

[00:38:09] And we're going to make teleportation devices. And everybody's doing the best they can. And then the thing shows up and goes, hey, let's go back to work, everybody. You haven't been doing jack squat. No, you've just been walking around with a big rock face. These people are working hard. And then the thing shows up. And he's walking up to people on the assembly line being like, why are you slacking? The thing is not the time. We're all doing the best that we can, sir.

[00:38:36] You and your giant pants can scram. That's right. Or get in here and help. That's right. Stop barking orders. There's a weird moment in this movie where they're showing clips of something. And then they randomly, it's like news clips, right? I got you. And then they randomly put in like a black and white clip of a kid in the 40s. It's crazy. It's a crazy thing that they do. You guys like this futuristic retro.

[00:39:06] Everything was futuristic retro. This was just someone's father from the greatest generation. The first video they ever caught. Playing with a toy. It was so weird. It doesn't match the rest of the film at all. It clearly is a shout out to somebody's granddad. Like there's no other way around. And then my last one is, and it's just another Reed Richards mistake. You got to, maybe don't make a big announcement about the plan. It's crazy. Why did you do that? He's dumb, man. Don't tell him.

[00:39:36] Don't tell him your wife's pregnant. Don't tell him that you could. Galactus wants your baby. Don't tell him about the baby situation. And then don't tell the universe your plan to get the bad guy. That's why like when like police officers do press conferences and they're like, what can you tell us about the killer? Like we can't say it. We're still under investigation. We really can't. It's an ongoing investigation. It's an ongoing investigation because if we tell you everything, they'll know. The bad guy could be watching TV.

[00:40:05] The bad guy could be watching and then he would know what to do. Can't tell you. Do you remember when the pipeline for the oil stopped for a couple days up the East Coast? Do you remember this? Like 22, 21. Sure. And we were like, there was a gas shortage for three days. If they said, and then everything was fine after that. Not in my house. What a, you got a man. Uh, they said if, if they had never announced that information, no one would have known. Yeah. No one would have known. Right. And I'm not saying we withhold information.

[00:40:34] What I'm saying is, is if you read Richards, maybe the national panic isn't worth it. That's all I'm saying. Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead. Imagine having your baby's bedroom with that much natural light in it. Imagine it. It's a bad idea. Bad idea. Imagine having. I wouldn't recommend it. Ten foot windows with no shades on them for your baby to sleep. Guys, it's already a challenge for your baby to sleep. You want that room as dark as humanly possible. That's what you want.

[00:41:04] You guys have lost your mind if you think that baby's sleeping any consecutive hours with that much natural light. Maybe. Another dumb idea by Reed Richards. Another dumb idea by Reed Richards. Maybe they have like a window that like you press a button. It could be. Or whatever. We should have seen it at that point. Yeah. The robot probably rigged that up. The robot probably did it. Well, could have been. Yeah. He was busy not doing the crib. Hey, is there a less efficient way for Galactus to destroy planets?

[00:41:29] I like this guy can destroy any planet he wants and he destroys a planet. He saves one planet and steals this person from the planet and says, your job now is to go to planets and give them a countdown. He can destroy the planet whenever he wants. He's going to kill all the people anyway. He could just show up and do it. This, he's hired the silver surfer to go and be like, just so you know, you're going to die.

[00:41:58] Why? What is the point of that exercise? That's for yucks. For yucks. I don't know why in the world. It just doesn't make any sense why he would just not show up and destroy the planet. Like as soon as Thanos has all the infinity stones and the gauntlet, he snaps. As soon as he does it. Right? If his whole thing is, I want to get rid of half the population. As soon as he can, he does. Galactus is sitting in his giant lounge chair going, what if we gave him a head start?

[00:42:28] What if we gave him a little bit of time just to get scared and have some anxiety? Bro, it's ridiculous. Reed Richards, you're dumb. But also that is fundamentally not how you do CPR. And unless it's different in that universe, you not go high up on the clavicle and just boom, boom, boom, boom. You don't do it. In fact, you sing Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. We all know that now. Like you can sing it. Like you can.

[00:42:59] This guy, this guy is not pumping her heart. He's breaking her clavicle. That is what he is doing to his wife. If it wasn't for Franklin Jesus 4, she would have never made it. That's a mess. It's a mess out there. How about Sue Storm going, how dare you even consider sacrificing my baby for 8 billion people? What we do is we use them as bait. How dare you sacrifice my baby to save 8 billion people?

[00:43:29] The only way we go about this is we put him out there by himself as bait. That's how we do it. In her defense, that was the backup plan. What a weird thing. What a weird line. What a weird line to decide that's how we're going to do things. That's all I got. She's willing to audible. When things don't go according to plan. She's willing to audible. Omaha! Omaha! Omaha! It's time for the Hallmark. What a Marvel questions we have, et cetera. Right guy?

[00:43:58] You guys will probably disagree with this because you're both higher on this movie than I am. But my question coming out of this was, does the Fantastic Four just not work as a film property? Although, Dan, you might agree because you even touched on it. I forgot to mention it. But they don't have Mr. Fantastic do the Mr. Fantastic stuff because they know it looks dumb and there's no way to make it look good. Right? And so, yeah, I don't know. I'll be curious coming out of Doomsday. I think we'll get more Fantastic Four movies.

[00:44:24] There's a lot of potential to do an X-Men Fantastic Four crossover film down the line, yada, yada, yada. But, yeah, I just was underwhelmed with this. And so, by my estimation, they're now 0 for 4. You guys disagree with me. I don't think that the Fantastic Four works cinematically unless you do it like this. And I don't think this is perfect. But I think making them normal people more than superheroes is the way to go about it.

[00:44:49] Like, having the thing go down to get his favorite cookies, you know, and go to the temple and all that stuff, I think really works. That's the only way to do this. If you play into their, like, literally they make a joke in this movie out of their, like, aside from Sue Storm, the rest of these guys, maybe Johnny Storm a little bit. But he doesn't even say it's clobbering time until he does at the very end as a joke. I don't think they work.

[00:45:17] I think all the Fantastic Four movies are fundamentally flawed. I think this is the best way to go about it, though. Real humans who happen to have superpowers, but that's not really what the movie's about. It's not about the superpowers. But does that mean they're going to help against Doom? I don't think so. Not in Doomsday, anyway. Yeah. Ten-year-old Bran thought that first Fantastic Four was a ripper. Well, yeah. I think it was. I think 11-year-old me liked it, too. Oh, yeah. I mean, I was older than you guys, and I thought it was fine. And then I remember seeing the second one and being like, oh, boy.

[00:45:45] But also, I mean, I think I was 20, but I was a Jessica Alba fan at the time. So, you know, I think that didn't hurt its chances. I do want to get into some timeline questions really quick because we're leading into Doomsday, and there's a lot of questions about where Doomsday is going to take place.

[00:46:09] But clearly, Fantastic Four is not our sacred timeline, not our planet, not our Earth-6. Correct. But they're heading that way somehow. They're heading that way at the end of Thunderbolts. But then Doctor Doom shows up. Like, is that where the majority of Doomsday is going to take place? I would assume so.

[00:46:35] I mean, like, all of our 616 heroes are in it, and so one would imagine that both the Fantastic Four and Doom. Mine's Doctor Doom, too, but I'm like 99% convinced that Doctor Doom is a different Tony Stark from a different universe. I think it has to be. We might even find out during Endgame Encore, which I already know. Yeah, that's right. You're not saying. But, like, I think showing him not stealing the child but holding the child and making sure that the Fantastic Four clocks him is a move.

[00:47:02] But I do think to get to our universe, there has to be something involving Doom, Fantastic Four, and Tony Stark. I think those three things together make the universe travel necessary. What's going to be the thing that gets them? That's right. That's mine, too. Yeah, why? Like, why? Samesies. Because this is clearly a different place, but clearly they're all going to be together. Yes. Which is why, to your point, Bran, which is why I think that I'm not convinced Doomsday is going to be a home run because the movie's 250.

[00:47:31] That seems like a lot to do in the first hour to set up the movie, right? Because, again, that's why I'm expecting at the end of Fantastic Four to basically be the prologue to Doomsday, which would give that movie a head start, which it does not do. I mean, an endgame literally got to hit the ground running, and it was three hours long. No, it was the building. Exactly. Yeah. I'm with you. Well, we'll find out. Yeah. We've got one more to do. Let's take a break for a week. For a week. We'll come back. It's a week break, everybody. And we will do Spider-Man.

[00:48:01] I know the holiday season is upon us here on Deck the Hallmark, but we've got to do what we've got to do. We've got to do what we've got to do. We're going to be back next week with the final Marvel Monday until Doomsday. So be back for that. Until then, maybe the first to wish you a Merry Christmas. Deck the Hallmark is a Bramble Jam podcast produced by Brandon Gray. And yeah, that Greenville, South Carolina. For more information on the show, go to deckthehallmark.com. Follow us on the socials at Deck the Hallmark. And leave us a five-star rating review on Apple Podcasts, if you please.

[00:48:30] And then head on over to Bramble Jam Plus to join the best corner of the internet with ad-free podcasting, live video watcher, and so much more. That's bramblejampplus.com. He's out of here, folks. You're about to hear some ads that help keep the lights on here in the old studio. Thanks for listening or don't listen. It's really up to you at this point. It's at the end of the show.

[00:48:59] I mean, you're listening to me. Hi. But here they come. I promise they're coming. Yep, here they are. Happy day.