Sound the ‘BIG MOVIE KLAXON’ because this week sees the release of a whopper! The film is The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Produced by Marvel Studios, this is one of the most anticipated movies of the year and is expected to do very well this summer. After some less than fantastic outings under the watch of Fox, Marvel is now in full control of the awesome foursome and promises to deliver a much stronger FF film than we have seen before.
Has the studio achieved this goal? You can find out below.
Plus, in this week’s edition of Movie Reviews 2025, there’s suspense and drama in the Korean thriller, Wall to Wall. And if that wasn’t enough, Talk to Me filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou return with another new horror: Bring Her Back.
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Now streaming…
Wall to Wall (2025)
First up this week is the Korean drama-thriller, Wall to Wall. Directed by Kim Tae-joon, the film stars Kang Ha-neul, Yeom Hye-ran, and Seo Hyun-woo, and focuses on a young man who feels stuck in a rut due to a poor investment.
In the movie, the year is 2021 and in Seoul, housing has risen to record prices. In response, the government has introduced strict loan regulations to help control the buying and selling of properties.
One new apartment owner who is happy to invest in a property is Woo-Sung. He believes his new apartment will continue to increase in value over the coming years and looks forward to the good times ahead.
Jump forward to 2024 and things are looking less positive. Property prices have dropped, maintenance bills are stacking up, and if he was to sell now Woo-Sung would lose a significant amount of money.
To make ends meet, Woo-Sung is working a night job as a takeaway delivery guy. This is not the life he imagined when he put all his money into the apartment.
To make matters worse, Woo-Sung is being harassed by a neighbour who claims he is creating lots of noise. Woo-Sung knows it isn’t him, but as he sets out to uncover the culprit, and rectify his financial problems, he finds himself feeling increasingly trapped by his circumstances.
With a promising start, and a decent degree of mystery, Wall to Wall is an intriguing and fairly interesting thriller. The story about increasing house prices and noise complaints may not sound like gripping stuff, but the way in which the drama spirals is the key.
Woo-Sung is under increasing financial pressure which is putting him on edge. He is doing everything he can to reduce his outgoings, including sitting in darkness to cut his energy bills, but it is getting him nowhere.
And then the noise complaints start to mount up, with notes being left on his door. It’s all very passive aggressive, but it’s the drip, drip effect which gets to him and starts to send him round the bend.
With all this going on, director Kim Tae-joon focuses on Woo-Sung’s mental state to demonstrate his frustrations and tensions. This is conveyed through smart direction and slick editing, which ensures the story zeroes in on the human side, so this film is about more than just financial failings and domestic disharmony.
The result is a picture which is often quite intense. There is a very dark edge to the material in Wall to Wall, with some creepy undertones, and it’s quite the involving thriller.
Where Wall to Wall struggles a bit is in the length. What’s on offer would be fine for a short sharp picture, but the film is too long.
From time-to-time the momentum goes and this impacts some of the tension. Sure, things soon swing back round again, but perhaps a 90-minute version of this story would work better than this two-hour cut.
Either way, Wall to Wall is intriguing stuff and for those wanting to sink into a dark story, it should tick a few boxes. The film is now streaming on Netflix should you wish to take a look.
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In cinemas…
Bring Her Back (2025)
Over to the cinema now for a ruddy good new horror you are going to want to direct your eyeballs at. The film is the Australian supernatural picture, Bring Her Back, which is now available to watch in UK cinemas.
Directed by brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, with Danny as co-writer alongside Bill Hinzman, the film follows the story of step-siblings, Andy and Piper, who find themselves in care following the death of their father. Placed under the watchful eye of eccentric former counsellor, Laura, they expect to remain here for the next three months until 17-year-old Andy comes of age and can apply to be Piper’s legal guardian.
However, things don’t quite go to plan. Laura harbours a dark secret, and placing Andy and Piper in her care puts them in imminent danger.
If you caught the Philippou brothers’ previous horror, Talk to Me, you’ll know it was a disturbing and rather unsettling film, which was uncompromising when it came to its creepiness and brutality. This latest offering, Bring Her Back follows a similar path, but is arguably even more twisted.
This is a dark, bleak picture which looks at loss and abuse. It places Andy and Piper at the centre of a truly sinister story, and boy, is it an engrossing tale.
On the surface, this is a film about how the two cope following the death of their father, with a particular focus on Andy’s response and state-of-mind. But accompanying this jaunt into grief is a worrying plot involving Laura, which puts emphasis on her troubles.
To say too much would give things away, however, it becomes very clear once Laura is introduced as to what her end goal is. Let’s just put it this way: She ain’t winning no mother of the year award, and watching her story unfold is where a great deal of the horror can be found.
Sally Hawkins takes on the role of Laura and is outstanding in the part. The two young actors playing Andy and Piper – Billy Barratt and Sora Wong – are excellent, but it is Hawkins who is the scene-stealer, bringing a manic energy to the role.
From the moment Laura appears on screen, she draws the attention through curiosity and unease. There’s something off about her, yet also something intriguing, and it’s difficult to shift your attention anywhere else.
However, the aforementioned Barratt and Wong are more than able to keep up with Hawkins, so don’t think for one minute that she engulfs the movie. While Laura does become a key part of the film, and this is a notable performance from Hawkins, the two young actors understand the material and hit their marks.
To add to this, Bring Her Back has some strong support from Jonah Wren Phillips, playing Laura’s foster son, Oliver, as well as from the ever fabulous (and current Neighbours actor) Sally-Anne Upton playing social worker, Wendy. The Philippou brothers, and casting director Nikki Barrett have assembled a solid collection of players with this lot and it all adds to the strength of this film.
Bring Her Back is another triumph from the Philippous, as well as another excellent Aussie horror, following this year’s Dangerous Animals. The film is unrelenting when it comes to its story, it is incredibly atmospheric, and is highly recommended.
This is easily one of the best horrors this year, and a must-watch if you want something dark at this stage of the summer blockbuster season. So, give the kids some money, send them off to see Smurfs, and settle down with this beautiful nightmare of a picture.
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In cinemas…
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
And finally, now playing in UK and US cinemas is The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Directed by Matt Shakman, the film stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, and Ralph Ineson, and is the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the movie, on an alternate Earth to the main MCU, it has been four years since Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm gained super powers and became the fabulous Fantastic Four. Within this time, the quartet have acquired celebrity status and are beloved by all.
One night, a short while after Sue reveals she is pregnant, the team’s Halloween dinner is interrupted by the sudden arrival of the alien being known as the Silver Surfer, who makes a shocking announcement. Earth has been marked for destruction by the planet-devouring entity known as Galactus.
With the fate of everything at stake, the FF promise the citizens of the world they will save the day. However, when an attempt to reason with Galactus fails, they are forced to come up with an alternate plan.
It’s fair to say the Fantastic Four has not had the best track record on the big screen. The team’s first film in 1994 went unreleased; two offerings in the mid-2000s received a mixed response from critics; and the less said about the awful 2015 offering the better.
As such, hopes have been very high that this latest stab at the characters will get things right. In turn, this has not only made The Fantastic Four: First Steps the most anticipated Marvel movie of 2025, expected to outperform Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*, but also one of the most anticipated films of the year.
But irrespective of how much this film clobbers the box office, the key thing fans want to know is: Can this FF movie deliver? Well, the answer is a resounding yes.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a leap in the right direction. This is a highly enjoyable action-adventure picture, which nails the characters, and the family dynamic, as well as the spirit of the comics.
A notable aspect of this new FF movie is its setting. Unlike the previous 36 MCU movies (Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine’s universe hopping aside), this story does not take place in the main 616 universe, but instead on Earth 828.
Because of this move away from the usual backdrop of the MCU, director Matt Shakman is free to play around somewhat. The contemporary aesthetic of 2025 is ditched, and instead we are treated to a futuristic version of the 1960s.
Think The Jetsons meets Jonny Quest, with even more imagination and style. It is a visually exciting place, as well as a hopeful one, and boy does it give this film plenty of character.
There is so much to love about The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but the overall design aesthetic is what sets it apart from what has come before – both in terms of previous FF movies and previous MCU films. If you’re an old school FF fan, I’m talking the Kirby/Lee era of the comics, you’ll love what is on offer here, and if you just want something that looks cool, you can have that too!
And then from here, Shakman builds out the rest of his world, as well as his team, with Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben all present and correct. This is a solid unit – a family unit – with everyone gelling perfectly.
The ‘00s films nailed Johnny and Ben, but struggled with some of the other casting. This film gets it right, and while the FF seem a little more serious this time around, it all fits with the story that is being told.
Speaking of the story, the tale in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is epic, world-ending stuff. It’s fairly straightforward, with Galactus wanting to devour the Earth etc, but there is an important wrinkle this time around, and it adds more depth and a personal touch to the FF’s involvement.
Now, you might be thinking “but haven’t we seen all this before with 2007’s Rise of the Silver Surfer?” Well, no, actually, because while First Steps includes the Surfer, Galactus, and the world-ending plot, it’s all done quite differently.
For example, audiences actually get to see Galactus this time around, who is portrayed quite menacingly by Ralph Ineson. There’s no budget-saving cloud nonsense here; it’s big G in all his glory.
As for the Surfer, Julia Garner takes on the part, playing the Shalla-Bal version of the character, rather than Norrin Radd who we saw last time around. Garner is great, even if she doesn’t get lots to do, but then, this isn’t her movie.
Instead, the lion’s share of this film goes to the FF themselves, and rightly so. All are superb, but it’s Vanessa Kirby who stands out the most as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman.
She’s brilliant. Simply brilliant and the best version of Sue seen on film. Every time she’s not on screen you simply want her to return.
Sue and the rest of the FF are due to reappear in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, and that film can’t come quick enough. First Steps presents a fully-formed team, who are ready to be lifted up and taken on an array of new adventures, and this film leaves you wanting more.
With far more weight, a lot more substance, and space ship sized amounts of creativity, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a wonderful and thoroughly entertaining movie. The picture reduces the team’s origin to a montage in order to get straight into the action, then lays down a compelling story moving forward.
The stakes are presented as high and certainly feel high, and the emotional investment is felt throughout. It would seem fairly lazy to call this film fantastic, but hey, sometimes you’ve gotta say what you see. Its fantastic.
Similar to this summer’s Superman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps offers a more comic book-y take on the characters, which is hopeful and inspiring. If you need some fantasy escapism right now, or you simply want to see the FF done right, then get yourself to the cinema this weekend.
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week now and this week it’s a double-bubble. Bring Her Back and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are the Movies of the Week!
Bring Her Back is a superb horror, which really gets under the skin, while The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the FF movie we have all been waiting for.
And if you like Bring Her Back, then you might also like:
- Talk to Me (2023) – Danny and Michael Philippou direct this horror about a group of friends who unleash a supernatural force.
- The Shape of Water (2017) – Sally Hawkins stars in this Oscar-winning dark fantasy about a cleaner who falls in love with an aquatic creature.
- Hereditary (2018) – Toni Collette leads this intense supernatural horror about a grieving family tormented by dark forces.
And if you like The Fantastic Four: First Steps you might also like:
- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) – Fun FF sequel which sees the team cross paths with the Silver Surfer and the planet-ending Galactus.
- Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four (2015) – Documentary movie about 1994’s unreleased Fantastic Four film.
- The Incredibles (2004) – Disney-Pixar’s action-adventure movie about a family of super heroes.
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Forthcoming attractions
And that’s it for another week, but the summer blockbusters aren’t over. Coming soon, The Naked Gun, Freakier Friday, and Weapons. Plus, Bob Odenkirk returns for Nobody 2, and Genndy Tartakovsky and Netflix team-up for the animated film, Fixed.
All this and much more will be with you soon. Be sure to come back and check it all out.
Alex
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Thank you for taking the time to read Movie Reviews 2025 on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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