The Super Powered Fancast

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Marvel Studios

Directed by Matt Shakman

Written by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan

Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles and Mark Gatiss

Rated PG-13

Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.

Marvel Studios has decided that fourth time could be the charm by creating another reboot of Marvel’s first family the Fantastic Four on the big screen and while I was skeptical, I was absolutely intrigued enough to pay my money and sit down to see what they did with it. Admittedly, my personal history with the Fantastic Four has been spotty at best. I’ll read a few comics and runs here and there, but the characters have never really captured my attention on their own to facilitate my reading them extensively.

That might actually change.

This latest iteration of the heroes doesn’t take place in the 616 universe, but on Earth 828 which is subtle nod to FF co-creator Jack Kirby and a lot of this film definitely feels like a love letter to the comic book legend. Shakman and the production team create a unique and visually engaging look for this world by setting it in a retro-futuristic 1960’s style world where there is a mixture of classic architecture and sci-fi elements including flying cars and more. I appreciate that the film embraced the uniqueness of this world instead of trying to ground these fantastical characters in the real one.

The plot is pretty simple, but with some much-needed emotional layers. The Fantastic Four are the heroes of this world and by all accounts, the only heroes. They movie doesn’t go deep into their backstory because it’s one that most people going into this movie already know. It’s hinted at with archival footage, but those moments are in service to the bigger story and I appreciate that. Like James Gunn’s recent Superman movie, I like coming into a lived in world that doesn’t feel the need to explain everything to me like I’m a child.

Reed Richards (Pascal) and Sue Storm (Kirby) are the leaders and de facto parents of this surprisingly functional family and they discover that they are going to become actual parents relatively soon. I love the chemistry between Pascal and Kirby and you get the sense of a mature, loving and mutually respectful relationship between them. They live in the technological marvel known as the Baxter Building with Sue’s brother Johnny (Quinn) and Reed’s best friend and pilot Ben aka The Thing (Moss-Bachrach). If there’s one thing that I found a little off about the family dynamic it was the fact that they seemed too functional. In the comics and every other iteration of the characters, there is a brotherly tension between Johnny and Ben and this movie never really explored that beyond a couple of soft moments.

The main plot revolves around the arrival on Earth of the Silver Surfer (Garner) who warns the world that she is the herald of the entity known as Galactus (Ineson) who is on his way to devour the Earth. The Fantastic Four must suit up to take a trip to the stars to find a way to prevent Galactus from feeding on the planet and when they arrive, he offers them a reprieve in exchange for Sue and Reed’s unborn child. Most of the film up to this point is needed setup for those familiar with the characters and those new to the world and I appreciated that, especially the visual moments straight from the covers of some of the Fantastic Four’s earliest and best covers.

The film leans into the action after that point as the characters attempt to escape Galactus’ ship with the Surfer on their heels and the chase and ultimate escape are visually stunning to see. Returning to Earth, the family must deal with their first defeat while also trying to find a way to protect a planet of people who are turning on them for the choice that they made. There is a great scene with Sue and an angry crowd gathered at the steps of the Baxter Building that solidifies everything that I do enjoy about these characters.

All of the actors give great performances and have some great moments. Garner is great as Shalla-Bal/ Silver Surfer and her reveal gives a great emotional connection to Sue’s decision to not give up her child. The movie crafts some great action beats that ultimately lead to an epic battle in the middle of the city that was visually thrilling throughout.

The biggest thing I enjoyed about this version of the Fantastic Four is that it embraced all of the absurdity, kitsch and charm of a comic book. It didn’t apologize for being a comic book movie and never made the characters feels like there was something wrong with living in that universe. I try not to compare one movie to another, but much like the recently released Superman movie, Fantastic Four: First Steps is first and foremost a comic book movie and it doesn’t try to be more than that. It isn’t trying to be a political thriller or allegory. It’s a movie about good people trying to the right thing for everyone around them and if this is one of the “First Steps” for this new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I am eager to see what the next ones will be.