The fact that the three most recent live-action superhero movies have been good, let alone that Marvel has put out two solid showings in a row has made me very excited for a resurgence in the genre. Between “Thunderbolts*” and “The Fantastic Four: The First Steps,” which I’ll be talking about in this piece, I’m thinking the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be back.
The Fantastic Four have not had a great track record on feature films, whether it was the cancelled 1994 film, the Tim Story films in 2005 and 2007, or the 2015 disaster, it’s been a struggle for Marvel’s first family to find a footing, and “First Steps” seems to be the first mostly good showcase for the team. While I overall loved the movie, there are definitely some areas for improvement.
The latest iteration of the “Fantastic Four” features Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic aka Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman aka Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch aka Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing aka Ben Grimm.
I know people are starting to get sick of Pascal as a lead father figure in almost everything he shows up in now but I thought he was an outstanding Reed Richards, Kirby also stole the show as Sue Storm and was a main driver for the plot of the movie. I was most excited to see Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm because I loved him as Richie in “The Bear” on FX and, while he was great, he unfortunately just did not get enough screen time as I will talk about more later. Quinn’s Johnny Storm suffered a similar fate and to me was the most forgettable of the team. The movie’s villain, Galactus is played by Ralph Ineson who does an excellent job of making this giant, cosmic entity feel menacing and quite literally a huge threat for the Fantastic Four.
The plot is straightforward as their Earth, which is in a separate universe from the main story of the MCU, has been marked for consumption by Galactus, who travels throughout the universe consuming planets to fill his insatiable hunger, and the Fantastic Four must find a way to prevent him from destroying the planet as the planet’s sole protectors. All the while, Sue is pregnant with her and Reed’s son Franklin, who, for those not in the know, is an extremely powerful cosmic being that becomes Galactus’ target.
Off the rip, I thought the premise of introducing the MCU’s Fantastic Four from a different universe was a good way to bring them in as it would be incredibly difficult to just say they have existed in the main continuity. I am also glad they went the route where we get a quick recap about how the Fantastic Four got their powers, which, for those who don’t know, they are originally a team of astronauts who go up into space where they gain superhuman abilities after being exposed to cosmic rays.
As the only superheroes on the planet, this Fantastic Four team becomes a group of messiah-like figures for their planet, which rubbed me a little bit the wrong way. Not only do they serve as the protectors, but, with their intelligence, serve effectively as leaders for the planet, where Reed is the smartest man in the world and Sue is a diplomat who has worked through their Future Foundation to demilitarize the planet and led to world peace. As a result of the peace and Reed’s inventions, this 1960s version of the world is far more advanced than ours with flying cars, more advanced space travel and much more.
Visually, I thought the setting and set pieces were a great backdrop to the film. The futuristic 1950s-60s aesthetic is something I always love to see whether that is how it was portrayed in the “Fallout” series or like in “First Steps” there’s something visually appealing to me about that look. I know people get annoyed with product placements, but I thought it was cool to see some familiar brands in this different sort of style.
Unlike most Marvel movies, “First Steps” was a bit quieter, focusing on characters and their relationships, especially the husband-and-wife dynamic of Reed and Sue with a child on the way. The action is limited to just a couple of scenes with big fights, which I thought were fun and exciting. One scene, where the team is facing off against Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer around a black hole as they try to find their way back to Earth was awesome and felt really high stakes, and the visual effects seemed to hold up without any horrific CGI that Marvel has become known for.
I do also like that “First Steps” serves as a largely standalone move from the rest of the MCU and you could absolutely see it without any real prior knowledge of what’s happening in the MCU. There are two small teases for the next Avengers movie but otherwise it is largely unconnected.
While I have had a lot of good things to say, I think there was just a bit missing from the movie. I think if it was about 20 minutes longer a lot of these issues would have been alleviated.
As I mentioned previously, I felt that Ben just did not have enough going, there was a whole subplot of a love story between him and a schoolteacher that went absolutely nowhere. While Johnny propels the secondary plot of the movie I just don’t think that Quinn did enough for the role, and is still second to Chris Evan’s previous performance as the Human Torch both in the previous “Fantastic Four” movies and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” He just did not have a lot going and I felt there were missed opportunities for him to show his relationship with his sister Sue or his brother-in-law Reed. Both characters needed the spotlight like Sue and Reed had and the movie suffers because they don’t. I’m hoping both get more screentime in upcoming projects since the Fantastic Four are set to take a leading role in the future of the MCU, but I’m worried they won’t given the amount of characters Marvel is going to jam into the next two “Avengers” movies.
Like all Marvel movies, expect a mid- and post-credit scene and while I won’t say much, the mid-credit scene is a quick little tease that had my entire opening night showing stand up and start clapping. I’m just sad that we’ll have to wait until at least December of 2026 to pay off in “Avengers: Doomsday.”
While I really enjoyed “First Steps,” it just needed a little more to make the leap to the list of the best Marvel films, but it was certainly better than what we have been subjected to in the last few years until “Thunderbolts*” in May.
