Now Playing Podcast Presents: The Fantastic Four Retrospective Series

Avengers Series Episode 50

The MCU takes its First Steps into Phase Six by bringing comic’s premiere family, The Fantastic Four, back into the fold. But was newborn Franklin also mutated by the cosmic storm that stretched the talents of Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), disappeared Vanessa Kirby (The Crown), got Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) rock hard, and made Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) so hot?  And how well does Silver Surfer Julia Garner (Ozark) herald the arrival of big boss Galactus (Ralph Ineson)?  Hear “The Terrific Trio” of Arnie, Justin, and Stuart break it all down for you now!

Avengers Series Episode 47

Ryan Reynolds makes a big gambit to save the MCU from the Phase Four doldrums by reviving Hugh Jackman and the rest of 20th Century Fox’s stable of discarded superheroes for a 2024 blowout. But will Disney prune Deadpool & Wolverine from the sacred timeline once the vulgar assassin and his cranky man crush start letting blood and R-rated words fly? Maybe audiences are okay with Professor X’s twin sister Emma Corrin (The Crown) wiping out everything that’s happened since Endgame? Skate uphill with MFs Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie to find out now!

Fantastic Four Series Episode 4

It’s been 20 years since Roger Corman first made (but never released) the world’s first Fantastic Four film, and now we get our fourth.  Gone is the humor of the Tim Story duology; instead, Chronicle director Josh Trank created a grim and gritty version of Marvel’s First Family, more based on the Ultimate Comics version than any other. But behind the scenes squabbles and internet gossip led to this movie’s record low audience and critic ratings. Can this film be, if not Fantastic, any good at all? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!

Fantastic Four Series Episode 3

With Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, 20th Century Fox doubled down on Marvel’s First Family, bringing one of the most beloved cosmic storylines from the comics to the big screen. The mysterious Silver Surfer (voiced by The Matrix’s Laurence Fishburne) arrives as a harbinger of world-eating Galactus. With bigger effects, higher stakes, and a fan-favorite character finally in live action, this sequel aimed to correct the missteps of the first film and expand the franchise into true cosmic territory. Is the third time a charm for the Four? Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob dive into the spectacle, the tone, and that controversial depiction of Galactus in this chapter of Now Playing Podcast’s Marvel retrospective.

Fantastic Four Series Episode 2

After decades of development limbo and one unreleased low-budget experiment, the Fantastic Four finally arrived in theaters in 2005 with a full studio push from 20th Century Fox. Positioned as the next Marvel team franchise to stand alongside X-Men, this big-budget adaptation brings Reed Richards (102 Dalmations’ Ioan Gruffudd), Sue Storm (Idle Hands’ Jesica Alba), Johnny Storm (Not Another Teen Movie’s Chris Evans), and Ben Grimm (The Shield’s Michael Chiklis) to life as they square off against Victor Von Doom (Nip/Tuck’s Julian McMahon). With glossy effects, a $100 million budget, and clear plans for sequels, does this first official big-screen outing capture the mix of science fiction spectacle and family dynamics that made the comic a classic, or does it struggle to ignite? Join the Now Playing Podcast crew as they break down the film that finally gave Marvel’s First Family a theatrical release.

Fantastic Four Series Episode 1

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four launched the modern Marvel Universe in 1961, redefining superheroes as flawed, bickering, deeply human characters. On screen, though, Marvel’s First Family has had a rockier path. In this first chapter of our Fantastic Four retrospective, Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob go back to 1994 and the infamous Roger Corman-produced Fantastic Four film. Shot on the cheap and reportedly made primarily to retain the movie rights, this version was never officially released, yet bootlegs turned it into a comic-book legend. Why was it shelved? Was it truly unwatchable, or just a victim of studio politics? Join the Now Playing Podcast crew as they examine the most unloved and abandoned superhero movie ever made.

This was an early Now Playing Podcast review, shorter and spoiler-free. It was not intended to be part of our Fantastic Four Retrospective.

After surprising just about no one creatively and nearly everyone financially, Fantastic Four is back two years later with a sequel that goes bigger, shinier, and stranger. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer reunites Marvel’s first family and introduces one of their most iconic characters, the Silver Surfer, the tragic herald of Galactus, voiced with gravitas by Laurence Fishburne. The original film leaned hard into camp, broad humor, and comic-book silliness, and audiences still showed up. This time, the stakes are higher, the spectacle is bigger, and the cosmic mythology finally enters the picture. But does adding the Silver Surfer elevate the sequel into a better superhero movie, or does it just polish the same lightweight formula? Arnie and Marjorie break down the action, the tone, the effects, and whether this follow-up actually improves on the first film or rides its box-office goodwill a little farther into space.