MOVIE REVIEW: FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (PG-13)
Grade: B+
After a disastrous mid-90s Roger Corman produced take, a pair of seldom talked about mid-2000s Tim Story-directed adaptations, and an infamous all-too-serious version from the mid-2010s directed by Josh Trank (it should be noted that Trank claims the version that came out in theaters is not the version he wanted audiences to see), Marvel looks to give us a big-screen adaptation of Fantastic Four that’s truly worthy of remembering. And wouldn’t you know it? They pulled it off! And interestingly enough, Fantastic Four: First Steps dropped in theaters less than two weeks after James Gunn’s much-talked-about Superman. While there were certainly moments that I liked in the latest look at Krypton’s favorite son, I prefer First Steps because quite honestly, even though it isn’t without its flaws, this movie is more cohesive as a whole and it’s considerably more moving.
Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in the 60s and rather than giving us the traditional origin story, this richly detailed comic book movie introduces us to the already formed superhero troop. By way of a brief flashback, we are witness to how our four fearless heroes returned to Earth with unique powers following a space mission gone awry. Reed Richards (aka, Mister Fantastic) would be blessed with stretchy flexibility, The Invisible Woman would have the ability to…You guessed it…Turn invisible, Johnny Storm (aka, the Human Torch) would have the power to produce fiery flames from within and blaze through the sky at top speed, and Ben Grimm (aka, Thing) would come back as a literal rock man. Together, this selfless foursome would protect the people of Earth from whatever dangerous threats might come their way.
Of course, the Fantastic Four have their work cut out for them after a metallic-looking presence known as the Silver Surfer arrives on Earth without warning and informs all humans that they should make the most of what little time they have left as their planet will soon be destroyed by an otherworldly baddie known as Galactus. It’s an intense and frightening set up, one in which Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and Thing must immediately spring into action. It isn’t long, however, before our determined heroes soon discover that in order to save our planet as we know it, they will be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.
As helmed by WandaVision director Matt Shakman, First Steps benefits from being a standalone Marvel movie. It isn’t at all consumed with implementing the sort of connective tissue that most Marvel movies are reliant upon. With the exception of a mid-credits sting, this film focuses solely on the Fantastic Four world and what a fantastic world it is. As others have noted, this movie has a colorful retro 60’s vibe that gives it a live action flavor akin to popular animated properties like The Incredibles and The Jetsons.
The performances are solid across the board, too. And I say this as someone who wasn’t particularly sold on the casting of Pedro “Have you noticed that I’m being cast in everything these days?” Pascal and Vanessa Kirby. I’m still not entirely sure that they were necessarily the perfect actors for Reed Richards and Sue Storm but…they certainly played their roles perfectly bringing strength, warmth, and vulnerability to this loving married couple in equal measure. Likewise, Joseph Quinn is a lot of fun as lady’s man, Johnny Storm, a lovable sort so confident that he’s not even afraid to flirt with one of this film’s primary antagonists. And finally, we have Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, a somewhat reluctant and lowkey hero who is much more interested in entertaining kids and cooking for the family then he is showing off and uttering his infamous catchphrase; “It’s clobbering time!”
As terrific as these performers are on an individual basis, it’s their chemistry as a team (more importantly, as a family) that truly elevates the proceedings. Yes, they are that good together. Elsewhere, a terrific Julia Garner (Breaking Bad) appears as Shalla-Bal, a variation of the beloved comic book character, Silver Surfer. Despite not having as much screen time as other characters in the film, there’s a surprising amount of depth here and a lot of that can be attributed to the fashion in which Garner plays the role. Likewise, Ralph Ineson does outstanding vocal work as the villainous Galactus, eater of planets. From the moment we hear him speak, it’s clear that Earth may be in for a world of hurt.
On a technical level, Fantastic Four fires on all cylinders. The world building is impressive and again, the retro look really lends a magical quality to the film. Solid special effects, too. From the space battles to a menacing and physically imposing Galactus, the visual effects team works overtime in the name of our entertainment. Beyond all of that, Michael Giacchino compliments the entire film with another winning score. No telling why he parted ways with Team Jurassic World: Rebirth but their loss was certainly this movie’s game.
There’s just a lot of joy to be found in this film and while Marvel generally delivers in the visuals department, the last thing I expected was to be as moved as I was by this movie. No joke…I caught myself getting choked up a couple of times. Further still, while this is certainly a movie about the fantastic, it’s also a movie rich with very relatable themes. High among them, hope, team work, family, sacrifice, motherhood and parenting in general. This is to say that First Steps delves into the lengths to which a mother and father will go to protect their children. But at the same time, this film also suggests that in their own way, our children often return the favor.
Fantastic Four: First Steps is not a perfect film. There are standard moments of convenience and some strange pacing issues (a sequence in the first half of the movie finds the team not only reaching the domain of a particular threat quickly and with relative ease, but ultimately escaping that threat in even easier fashion.) There are also moments where the film feels as if, perhaps, it might have been retooled and cut back a bit in an effort to keep the action under two hours.
Flaws aside, though, this is one of the bigger surprises of the summer. Additionally, it’s one of the stronger Marvel efforts to be released in quite sometime and I say this as someone who was also pleasantly surprised by Thunderbolts*. Ultimately, it’s not every day that an MCU movie offers emotional beats that actually rise above the spectacle of it all but in the case of First Steps, that’s exactly what happened and it’s all the stronger for it. Here’s hoping that the “next step” is as straight up entertaining as this one was.
