Welcome to this month’s Cinema Snapshots! At the beginning of each month, I reflect on what I watched the prior month and provide a quick “snapshot” of my thoughts on those films. So without further ado, here are my Cinema Snapshots for July 2025.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel’s First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a good, but flawed film. It’s easy to grade on a curve given the poor past attempts at the property. When compared to any of the previous onscreen Fantastic Four iterations, First Steps is far superior. The casting is great, the characters’ personalities and dynamics together are spot on, and the film avoids over-complicating the plot by dropping viewers in media res rather than focusing yet again on their superhero origin story.
But that decision comes at a cost. I found my knowledge of and attachment to these characters informed more by my past experiences with them outside this film than by what we are explicitly shown. We’re given fleeting glimpses of Johnny’s brash overconfidence or Ben’s feelings of otherness, but that’s all they are - glimpses. Sue at times plays like a side character, her main trait being “pregnant.” Viewers are left to infer the rest about the characters based on what they (hopefully) already know about them. Reed gets the most development of the four, but even that feels secondary to the plot mechanics.
All that to say, for a film with relatively little action, we also see surprisingly little in terms of character and relationship development. Dialogue is more expository than character-driven. We get so many compelling hints of intrigue, but they come and go so quickly we barely get to linger on them. It often feels as if the entire film is one long montage sequence.
That’s not to say the film is without merit! As mentioned before, I enjoyed the casting and performances, which do a lot of heavy lifting for the underdeveloped characters. The production design and technical components are among Marvel’s best ever, with hair, makeup, music, costumes, props, and sets all cohesively forming a beautifully realized retro-futuristic world. The CGI has some impressive moments (though the CGI baby is particularly bad), and director Matt Shakman continues to demonstrate a strong command of the camera.
First Steps clearly sought to correct the mistakes of past Fantastic Four films, and it’s largely successful in doing so. But I do wonder if this was too much of an overcorrection. At any given moment it really is an enjoyable watch. But when taken as a whole, you start to see the lack of substance, and that ultimately kept this from being…well…fantastic.
★★★☆☆
Materialists
A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.
Though I have mixed feelings on Materialists, I’m still calling it a positive experience because it’s a pleasure to watch. Despite only having two films to her name, Celine Song is a great director. This film is shot remarkably well, and the editing is great too, both from shot to shot and from scene to scene. And that’s not to mention the core trio of Johnson, Pascal, and Evans, three terrific actors that play their roles in this unusual love triangle to perfection.
That said, the writing was really frustrating. Story decisions range from too expected to too out of left field to downright insensitive at times, while the film’s many monologues teeter between genuinely profound and annoyingly insincere. Materialists is never a bad film, but it’s a film that has flashes of greatness that make you realize it could have been so much more.
★★★☆☆
Superman
Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
There’s a lot I like about 2025’s Superman. The film captures the character’s optimism, his humanity, and his belief in good. It places Superman in interesting and challenging moral and physical conflicts. It provides some wonderful moments between Clark and Lois, with an interview between them possibly being the highlight of the entire movie. And the theme of identity and belonging was really powerfully interwoven throughout the narrative.
David Corenswet perfectly embodies Superman, Rachel Brosnahan is a fantastic Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult brings an expectedly fun and campy take on Lex Luthor. The music can occasionally feel too “trailer-y,” but how can you not get goosebumps when the modernized John Williams theme kicks in?
There was a lot I didn’t like about the film though. Episodic storytelling has its place, but it was utilized here to such a degree here that I practically could edit the film into a 6 episode miniseries. The flow frequently feels interrupted by this writing and editing decision, and while the story ultimately comes together, it just could have felt more cohesive with some tweaks. And, of course, it doesn’t help that we’re dropped straight into the action rather than given a more traditional introduction to the character (side note: it’s fascinating that this month’s Superman and Fantastic Four reboots both skipped doing origin stories for the characters).
I’m just not sure James Gunn was the best person to direct this. His best talents and sensibilities (ensemble casts, throwback needle drops, stylized action) don’t always fit in a Superman film. At times Gunn seems to have more fun filming the Justice Gang than the titular hero. And that’s to say nothing of the film’s strange wide angle lens cinematography, which I personally wasn’t a fan of.
It’s a solid film to reboot DC and, for better or for worse, one of the most “comic book-esque” films I’ve ever seen. Krypto the Superdog is the real MVP though.
★★★☆☆
Eddington
In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.
Ari Aster making a Coen Brothers film goes exactly how you’d expect it to. I would’ve enjoyed this more if it was 50% funnier, but the film really leans into its uncomfortable and awkward tones. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cringe, sometimes you squirm, and that’s exactly what Aster was going for.
Eddington features one of my all time favorite Joaquin Phoenix performances, a very effective minimalist western score from Daniel Pemberton, and the sound mix is a standout technical element. Theres a third act chase and shootout that is instantly one of my favorite scenes of the decade. And that’s to say nothing of Darius Khondji’s brilliant cinematography.
It’s not a film I’d recommend to everyone, but it perfectly captures the panic, unease, discord, and unrest America went through in 2020, even if it doesn’t offer deeper insights into those feelings. I left the theater a little bewildered and leaning slightly negative, but the more I sit on it the more I appreciate what Eddington was going for.
★★★★☆
Heads of State
The UK Prime Minister and US President have a public rivalry that risks their countries’ alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they’re forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent, they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.
Semi-parody action comedies like Heads of State just aren’t my cup of tea. I was similarly lukewarm on Nobody, this director’s previous film, and I just find the films have a disingenuous “wink at the camera” feeling without committing fully to that direction.
That said, it’s admittedly refreshing to see a decent film with good cast chemistry that’s unafraid to be silly and have fun. It may not be great, but John Cena and Idris Elba are a hilarious pairing that almost carry the weight of the film. I won’t watch it again, but I’m not mad I saw it.
★★☆☆☆
Bonus reviews!
Here are some other films I caught up on this month that I haven’t had time to fully review.
KPop Demon Hunters: The story felt pretty underdeveloped, but a good soundtrack and unique animation will make up for a lot in a musical | ★★★☆☆
A Minecraft Movie: I was fairly impressed with the blending of practical and digital elements, but that’s where my admiration ends. This is more of a meme than a movie | ★☆☆☆☆
Novocaine: Not great, but better than I expected. Jack Quaid is a star | | ★★★☆☆
The Shrouds: Interesting premise that gets bogged down by poor dialogue and convoluted plot points | ★★☆☆☆
M3GAN 2.0: I don’t have an attachment to the first film, so I actually appreciated the boldness of switching genres here. It’s a little too long and over-plotted, but it’s shot well and knows what it is. Fun! | ★★★☆☆