After giving us an unexpected hit with Thunderbolts*, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is giving us the return of one of its most popular superhero groups, in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps follows a group of scientists-turned-superheroes four years into their tenure as the protectors of an alternate earth. Reed Richards and Sue Storm find out that they will be expecting a child, but just as they prepare to celebrate they are confronted by the Silver Surfer, a herald of a planet-eating cosmic giant known as Galactus.
However, First Steps comes with a lot of cinematic baggage. Particularly the fact that this is fourth version of the franchise with the last film, Josh Trank’s Fant4stic, receiving overall negative reviews. Lest we forget, there was also Tim Story’s series of two films (that gave us Chris Evans as Johnny Storm) that ended after underperforming at the box-office.
So, does this MCU’s version finally give Marvel’s superhero family the film they deserve or will they be needing some rewrites soon?
Caution: Mild spoilers ahead!
Here’s our review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps
What we liked:
A real family
Right of the bat, the four main cast members playing the Fantastic Four felt like a real family. Hollywood’s mustached leading man Pedro Pascal plays Reed Richards, with Venessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and The Bear‘s Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm aka The Thing.
The chemistry between each of the cast felt light and snarky but with an undertone of love between all four. You get the sense that they’ve been with each other for years and that they deeply care for one another. Pascal and Kirby especially are quite convincing as a married couple dealing with the pressures of pregnancy and caring for a new-born child.
Quinn was also surprisingly entertaining as Storm aka The Human Torch, a character who in the past has been played as a fast-talking hotheaded jock. Here, he never felt irritating despite his brotherly spats with The Thing and his attempts at flirting with the Silver Surfer. You could tell that he cared about this family and the coming child.
Even with little screentime, the Thing delivered some of the most emotional moments of the film. Like a big older brother, he was the emotional support of the entire team. And yes, he does a fair share of clobberin’ time.
1960s retrofuturism
The retro futuristic world created by Matt Shakman was absolutely delightful as a fan of 1960s design. From the Baxter Building to the flying cars, and the spaceship Exelsior, everything looked inspired from a 1960s jet-age magazine. Even the Fantastic Four’s domestic robot helper H.E.R.B.I.E. gets a few good gags and was a practical prop on-set.
There were very clear visual references to films like The Incredibles and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The interior designs of the family’s living quarters and labs had warm circular structures that made it visually distinct from the headquarters of other heroes from the MCU. Even the spacesuits and superhero costumes featured bright bold baby blues and were proud of the sheer cheesiness of their designs.
The world Shakman created pays homage to the original Marvel comics, the time in which they were made, and nods to other sci-fi films of the 1960s.
Galactus
Unlike the weird worm version of Galactus Rise of the Silver Surfer, First Steps gives us the real deal. Galactus is a force to be reckoned with, and the film does a good job at showing just how huge he actually is. Played by Ralph Ineson, his voice is commanding and intimidating, blurring the line between man and space-god.
Though he isn’t on screen for long, his coming is the central conflict of the story. His power pushes the family to their limits in finding a way to protect the earth from being destroyed and consumed. And when he does show up and confront the Fantastic Four it felt like something ripped right out of a comic book cover. Prepare for an epic kaiju-esque final battle.
A standalone story
I think it’s a smart move by Marvel to set this film in an alternate universe dettached from the main timeline. Audiences are tired of having to watch multiple MCU films in order not to be confused in the latest one. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a refreshing new story which stands on it’s own.
In fact, it follows the trend started by James Gunn’s Superman of ditching the origin story and jumping straight into seasoned superheroes. The film does a good job with a brief opening montage explaining how this version of the Fantastic Four came to be. And for ardent comic book fans and moviegoers, we didn’t need to see their origin story for the fourth time.
What we didn’t like:
Lightspeed pacing
I was quite surprised that the runtime of the film came in at one hour and fifty-five minutes including credits. After a decade of films with bloated runtimes, it felt that a superhero film had to be at least two hours or longer to please everybody.
Generally, I’d be in full support of cutting down on modern movies but in this case, I wished this film was longer. It didn’t feel long enough to tell a story featuring Galactus, the Silver Surfer, and the birth of Reed and Sue’s child. Like the Excelsior jumping through different worlds, the film itself moved so fast that it overlooked some important character moments.
Even in the quieter moments, the jumpy editing between talking heads was noticable and I felt that I didn’t get to breathe. Even some important character moments don’t get enough build-up for a proper pay-off, one of those characters being the Silver Surfer.
The Silver Surfer
I was excited for a new female version of the herald of Galactus, being a fan of the character in the comics. To be fair, she is powerful and is a strong foil to the team’s plans. Julia Garner also plays her well under all the silvery CGI.
However, despite having more screentime than Galactus, I felt that the resolution to her storyline was underwhelming. The film set good things with her and the Fantastic Four but took them nowhere which made this version of the Silver Surfer feel more like a henchwoman than a real character.
Special effects
While I did praise the retro futuristic design of the world, some of the CGI in certain sequences was noticable. Fortunately, the Silver Surfer and Galactus looked great, though I can’t say the same for some of the human characters. Reed runs into the age-old special effects problem of how to make stretchy powers look good. Meanwhile, the Thing does have some interactions with humans that didn’t look quite right.
Without giving too much away, there was one smaller character whose CGI was very obvious. And because this character was featured in the most emotional moments in the film, it was pretty distracting and took me out of the scene.
In conclusion, First Steps is a solid superhero film. It’s not groundbreaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Will this save the MCU? Perhaps, if its successful opening weekend is any sign. But the MCU is still going to need a few more great films to curb audiences’ superhero fatigue. But if you’re looking for a good time at the movies, you should definitely check it out.
Cast: 8/10
Plot: 7/10
Visuals: 7/10
Score: 9/10
Overall score: 7/10
All images by Marvel Studios