Marvel's 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' Described As "Mid" After Test Screening

A new report claims that Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps film is being described as mediocre following a recent test screening.

Jeff Sneider at TheInsneider shared that a source informed him that the movie is “Not that bad, but not that good either.”

Sneider’s source was not the only one to indicate the film is mediocre. X user Cryptic4KQual shared, “Hearing it's ok, not bad, it's good. Hmmmmmm.”

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Mayur Kaushal at Indulge Express also shared feedback from an attendee at a Los Angeles screening noting that reaction was mixed. Specifically, the report noted that the film had “a noticeable lack of character development and missed chances to delve into the team’s family dynamics.”

The outlet added, “That while the film captures a gripping tone and offers moments of spectacle, it lacks emotional depth and fully fleshed-out character dynamics.”

The viewer also took issue with Pedro Pascal’s performance describing it as a “bit flat” and that Reed Richards’ stretching powers were “disappointing and weak.” The Thing was reportedly “emotionally lacking” while Sue Storm and Johnny Storm are described as the “best of the four.”

The one aspect of the film that did stand out was Galactus. One viewer shared that he has “an incredible sense of scale and looks like he was ripped straight from the comics comics.”

Finally, the outlet noted that the film has unfinished visual effects and CGI.

On top of these reactions from the test screening, one of Sneider’s industry sources, who did not attend the test screening, described the film as “a mess” and “a huge problem movie.”

Scooper and commentator Grace Randolph also shared that she believes Marvel is “a little bit nervous about the film.”

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Randolph also shared similar sentiments to the reports from Sneider, Cryptic, and Indulge Express regarding the test screening. She said, “I heard that the people who saw the screening, they didn’t hate it, to be clear, but they didn’t love it. And, apparently, from what I heard, from a source that I trust they were pretty vocal at the test screening. …. I heard that, you know, let’s just say that any executives who were at the test screening didn’t need to look at the comment cards to find out that the audience thought the movie was medium. Let’s just put it that way.”

She even added, “They might have shouted out ‘Mid!’ … One or two people might have said it and then maybe someone might have heard it.”

As for the reports about the unfinished visual effects, Randolph shared on X, “For this week’s test screening of Fantastic Four the VFX were like only around 25% done. On the good side, that means the audience didn’t see the completed film On the bad the movies comes out in like 2 months.”

“To clarify the VFX were only 25% complete in the print shown - so only 25% were audience ready,” she added. “However there’s always the chance that other elements are further along but for some reason they chose not to show them at the screening.”

What do you make of these reactions and descriptions of the film?

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