The Fantastic Four First Steps first reviews: Best MCU film of decade, say critics
Josh Wilding of Comic Book Movie wrote, "B-Listers no more. This team has found redemption in a nonstop fantastic adventure that gives the movie a high-stakes feel we know many of you feel has been lacking from several Multiverse Saga titles. Superman soared earlier this month, but 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is the superhero event of the summer that demands to be watched on the biggest screen possible."While praising the film and the presentation of the villain, Galactus, Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "The comic-book studio finally does right by the popular quartet, scaling back from the overcrowded feel of recent offerings while delivering its most gargantuan threat yet in the all-consuming villain Galactus." Robbie Collin of The Telegraph ranked the movie above 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame'. While calling it 'Marvel's best film in a decade', he said, "Starring an excellent Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal, this reboot feels like the start of an exciting new chapter for Marvel."The cast's performances were commended in several reviews, which also mentioned the chemistry between Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. "The actors are so terrific and their chemistry so palpable that the hangout scenes in their fabulous Baxter Building penthouse — with a domestic droid that's like Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons meets Number 5 from John Badham's Short Circuit — are some of the movie's most appealing interludes," wrote David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter.The camaraderie between Vanessa and Pedro's characters was praised by Giovanni Lago in his review for Next Best Picture. He wrote, "At its core, this is Reed and Sue's film. They are the characters most deeply tied to Galactus's threat and receive the most whole development. Academy Award-nominee Vanessa Kirby gives the strongest performance among the leads, anchoring Sue's emotional journey through motherhood with conviction. Her chemistry with Pedro Pascal sells their dynamic as both partners and parents."Set against a 1960s-inspired backdrop, the movie introduces the new MCU lineup: Pedro as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon as Ben Grimm/The Thing. Their mission is to stop Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a cosmic force bent on destroying Earth, and face off against his powerful Herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).advertisementThe film is directed by Matt Shakman and produced by Kevin Feige.'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is scheduled to release in theatres on July 25, 2025.- Ends
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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Marvel Cosmic Invasion preview: Classic beat 'em up action meets superhero mayhem in 2025 release
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up game releasing later in 2025. It's published by Dotemu, a French studio known for reviving classic arcade-style games like Streets of Rage 4 (2020) and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (2022). The gameplay is classic and simple: walk forward, beat up waves of enemies, and move to the next level — just like in old-school games. The graphics are pixelated and retro, looking like a game from the 16-bit SNES era. Dotemu has other 2025 games (Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and Absolum), but Cosmic Invasion sticks closest to pure retro design, with very few modern updates, as per the report by Rolling Stone. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Character selection & game mechanics Players can pick from 15 Marvel superheroes. Instead of using just one hero, you pick two heroes per player, and you can switch between them in real-time during the game. With up to 4 people playing together, you can have 8 heroes on screen at once thanks to the tag-team system. This tag-style setup comes from old Marvel fighting games, like X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), but it's rare in side-scrolling beat 'em ups, making it feel fresh. Each hero has Light and heavy attacks, Dodges or blocks, Special moves that use a stamina meter, and Tag-team attacks, where your second hero jumps in for a flashy hit, as stated by the Rolling Stone. ALSO READ: Bill and Hillary Clinton subpoenaed in Epstein case bombshell — what could they be forced to reveal? Live Events Playable characters 9 characters were playable in the preview: Captain America, Spider-Man, Storm, Wolverine, Venom, Phyla-Vell, Nova, She-Hulk, and Rocket Raccoon. The full roster will have 15 heroes, with 4 still unannounced. More may be added post-launch. Cap, Spidey, Wolverine, and Storm feel like their versions from Marvel vs. Capcom. Tribute Games said this was intentional, to match fans' expectations. They all move fast, with strong combos like Cap: His shield throw is great for crowd control. Spidey & Wolverine: Good for fast, close-up multi-hit combos. Storm: Can zap enemies all over the screen with lightning. Venom is stronger and bulkier than his fighting game version, playing more like a tank, as per the Rolling Stone report. Standout heroes Phyla-Vell (a lesser-known hero from Marvel space comics) was a top performer in the demo. She has a giant sword. Can fly and teleport. Dominates both ground and air — feels like a "one-woman army". Nova is also great — quick, hard-hitting, and smooth in the air. She-Hulk is super slow, but her big punches and long reach make her really strong in crowds. Rocket Raccoon was the worst to play in the demo. His gun-based attacks feel different and not in a good way. Weak in the air, and awkward to control. Made fights harder, but not in a fun or rewarding way. Rocket shows the problem of having so many heroes: some will feel unbalanced or just plain bad, even if they're popular, as per the Rolling Stone report. Ground vs air combat A new feature is that some heroes and enemies can fly, adding two layers of combat (ground and air). Flying just needs a double jump, but then you stay locked to the air level — like walking on an invisible path in the sky. Problem: enemies on the other plane can still hit you, and switching layers isn't always smooth. If your hero has bad air attacks, chasing flying enemies becomes annoying and kills the game's rhythm, according to the report by Rolling Stone. ALSO READ: Earthquake shakes New Jersey near NYC: USGS confirms 2.7 magnitude quake Level structure & bosses The gameplay loop is simple: Walk in a straight line, beat up bad guys, fight a boss, and repeat. The preview included 2 levels: Streets of New York, ending with a boss fight against Beetle and S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, ending with a boss fight against Taskmaster. Taskmaster has a special trick — you must knock off his Captain America-style shield to land real damage before it regenerates. Like old arcade games, bosses have unique attack patterns that you need to learn and counter. The plot is simple but big: Cosmic villain Annihilus launches a galaxy-wide attack. He brings along major threats like Thanos and Galactus, tapping into Marvel's space lore that got popular again in the 2000s. The Guardians of the Galaxy's rise in the comics (which inspired the movies) is part of the vibe here, as per the report by Rolling Stone. Level design & flow Levels are totally linear — you just move right and fight. No secrets, no collectibles, and no branching paths were seen in the demo. Some areas are tight and narrow, forcing players into close fights. Even open spaces don't feel as large or dynamic as in Streets of Rage 4 or Shredder's Revenge. Because of this, it can sometimes feel repetitive or slow, especially during quieter moments. Combat feel & visuals When action heats up, it becomes wild fun: flashy moves, tag-ins, and massive combo chains (500+ hits possible!). That said, it's best when the right characters are picked — some are clearly more fun and responsive, as stated by Rolling Stone. Visual effects are bright, satisfying, and old-school cool. But the experience feels "vanilla" (basic) — there's nothing groundbreaking outside of the tag team mechanic. ALSO READ: Trump climbs White House roof, yells at reporters in bizarre press conference — internet erupts in chaos Cosmic Invasion is perfect for casual fun, especially for Marvel fans or people who love retro games. It's not deep or revolutionary — but it's accessible, simple, and filled with superhero chaos. The Marvel IP is the biggest draw here — gameplay comes second, but still delivers decent fun. Whether later parts of the game include surprises or variety is unknown — the preview focused only on early levels. Marvel Cosmic Invasion launches later in 2025 for: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, as per the report by Rolling Stone. FAQs Q1. When is Marvel Cosmic Invasion releasing and on which platforms? Marvel Cosmic Invasion is releasing in late 2025 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Q2. How many playable characters are in Marvel Cosmic Invasion? The game features 15 playable Marvel superheroes, with 9 shown in the demo and more to be revealed before launch.
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Marvel Cosmic Invasion preview: Classic beat 'em up action meets superhero mayhem in 2025 release
Synopsis Marvel Cosmic Invasion will launch in late 2025. Dotemu publishes this game. It is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up. Fifteen Marvel superheroes are playable. Players can select two heroes and switch during gameplay. Up to four people can play together. The game will be available on multiple platforms. These include Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Spider-Man, Storm, and more battle in Marvel Cosmic Invasion's 2D arcade-style action, coming 2025 to PS5, Xbox, Switch, and credit X : Marvel Cosmic Invasion Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up game releasing later in 2025. It's published by Dotemu, a French studio known for reviving classic arcade-style games like Streets of Rage 4 (2020) and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (2022). The gameplay is classic and simple: walk forward, beat up waves of enemies, and move to the next level — just like in old-school games. The graphics are pixelated and retro, looking like a game from the 16-bit SNES era. Dotemu has other 2025 games (Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and Absolum), but Cosmic Invasion sticks closest to pure retro design, with very few modern updates, as per the report by Rolling Stone. Players can pick from 15 Marvel superheroes. Instead of using just one hero, you pick two heroes per player, and you can switch between them in real-time during the game. With up to 4 people playing together, you can have 8 heroes on screen at once thanks to the tag-team tag-style setup comes from old Marvel fighting games, like X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), but it's rare in side-scrolling beat 'em ups, making it feel fresh. Each hero has Light and heavy attacks, Dodges or blocks, Special moves that use a stamina meter, and Tag-team attacks, where your second hero jumps in for a flashy hit, as stated by the Rolling Stone. ALSO READ: Bill and Hillary Clinton subpoenaed in Epstein case bombshell — what could they be forced to reveal? 9 characters were playable in the preview: Captain America, Spider-Man, Storm, Wolverine, Venom, Phyla-Vell, Nova, She-Hulk, and Rocket Raccoon. The full roster will have 15 heroes, with 4 still unannounced. More may be added post-launch. Cap, Spidey, Wolverine, and Storm feel like their versions from Marvel vs. Capcom. Tribute Games said this was intentional, to match fans' expectations. They all move fast, with strong combos like Cap: His shield throw is great for crowd control. Spidey & Wolverine: Good for fast, close-up multi-hit combos. Storm: Can zap enemies all over the screen with lightning. Venom is stronger and bulkier than his fighting game version, playing more like a tank, as per the Rolling Stone report. Phyla-Vell (a lesser-known hero from Marvel space comics) was a top performer in the demo. She has a giant sword. Can fly and teleport. Dominates both ground and air — feels like a "one-woman army". Nova is also great — quick, hard-hitting, and smooth in the air. She-Hulk is super slow, but her big punches and long reach make her really strong in crowds. Rocket Raccoon was the worst to play in the demo. His gun-based attacks feel different and not in a good way. Weak in the air, and awkward to control. Made fights harder, but not in a fun or rewarding way. Rocket shows the problem of having so many heroes: some will feel unbalanced or just plain bad, even if they're popular, as per the Rolling Stone report. A new feature is that some heroes and enemies can fly, adding two layers of combat (ground and air). Flying just needs a double jump, but then you stay locked to the air level — like walking on an invisible path in the enemies on the other plane can still hit you, and switching layers isn't always smooth. If your hero has bad air attacks, chasing flying enemies becomes annoying and kills the game's rhythm, according to the report by Rolling Stone. ALSO READ: Earthquake shakes New Jersey near NYC: USGS confirms 2.7 magnitude quake The gameplay loop is simple: Walk in a straight line, beat up bad guys, fight a boss, and repeat. The preview included 2 levels: Streets of New York, ending with a boss fight against Beetle and S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, ending with a boss fight against has a special trick — you must knock off his Captain America-style shield to land real damage before it regenerates. Like old arcade games, bosses have unique attack patterns that you need to learn and plot is simple but big: Cosmic villain Annihilus launches a galaxy-wide attack. He brings along major threats like Thanos and Galactus, tapping into Marvel's space lore that got popular again in the 2000s. The Guardians of the Galaxy's rise in the comics (which inspired the movies) is part of the vibe here, as per the report by Rolling Stone. Levels are totally linear — you just move right and fight. No secrets, no collectibles, and no branching paths were seen in the demo. Some areas are tight and narrow, forcing players into close open spaces don't feel as large or dynamic as in Streets of Rage 4 or Shredder's Revenge. Because of this, it can sometimes feel repetitive or slow, especially during quieter action heats up, it becomes wild fun: flashy moves, tag-ins, and massive combo chains (500+ hits possible!). That said, it's best when the right characters are picked — some are clearly more fun and responsive, as stated by Rolling Stone. Visual effects are bright, satisfying, and old-school cool. But the experience feels "vanilla" (basic) — there's nothing groundbreaking outside of the tag team mechanic. ALSO READ: Trump climbs White House roof, yells at reporters in bizarre press conference — internet erupts in chaos Cosmic Invasion is perfect for casual fun, especially for Marvel fans or people who love retro games. It's not deep or revolutionary — but it's accessible, simple, and filled with superhero Marvel IP is the biggest draw here — gameplay comes second, but still delivers decent fun. Whether later parts of the game include surprises or variety is unknown — the preview focused only on early levels. Marvel Cosmic Invasion launches later in 2025 for: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, as per the report by Rolling Stone. Q1. When is Marvel Cosmic Invasion releasing and on which platforms? Marvel Cosmic Invasion is releasing in late 2025 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Q2. How many playable characters are in Marvel Cosmic Invasion? The game features 15 playable Marvel superheroes, with 9 shown in the demo and more to be revealed before launch.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Siddhanth Kapoor talks about his passion for intense roles; reveals always liked playing dark characters
Siddhanth Kapoor stars as Ajay Yadav in 'Mandala Murders,' praising co-star Vaani Kapoor and the professional crew. Known for playing dark, challenging roles, he has upcoming films with Navas, Marvel, and a unique indoor thriller. He began acting in 2013 and is recognized for roles in 'Ugly' and 'Bhoot.' In 'Mandala Murders', Siddhanth Kapoor portrays Ajay Yadav , a brief yet pivotal and intense character essential to the storyline. In a recent interview, he discussed how he prepared mentally for this challenging role and shared insights about his upcoming projects spanning various genres and platforms. Working with Vaani Kapoor and the crew Talking to Money Control about working with Vaani Kapoor and other actors during the shoot, Siddhanth described Vaani as amazing and said it was really nice to work with her on set. He mentioned that the whole crew was a very nice team, very professional, and super talented. He appreciated this aspect of the experience. Siddhanth expressed that he has always liked playing dark characters since the beginning because they play an important role, though they are always quite challenging. He found it amazing to play this role. Regarding his future choices, he said he doesn't really think about what projects he will take up or not. Upcoming projects revealed When asked about upcoming projects, Siddhanth revealed that he has a film with Navas and another film with Marvel that he is really looking forward to. He also spoke about a very different character in another film, which is mostly set indoors. Career background and recent works Siddhanth Kapoor, son of actor Shakti Kapoor , began his career assisting director Priyadarshan and debuted as an actor in 'Shootout at Wadala' (2013). He gained recognition with films like 'Ugly' (2014), 'Haseena Parkar' (2017) and 'Bhoot – Part One' (2020). His recent projects include 'Chehre' and 'The Heist'.
