The third time’s the charm following two false starts for the big screen franchise of Marvel’s first family – The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally gets the franchise right. If that’s not enough numeral gimmicks, the film’s remarkably stylish retro-futuristic aesthetic mixed with the palpable familial chemistry of the core cast upgrade what could have been a by-the-numbers Fantastic Four/Galactus origin story.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps gets directly to establishing the status quo for the super family on their 1960s-inspired alternate Earth as its protectors as well as beloved global personalities; although it employs more expositional backstory than that other major superhero franchise revival, Superman. This world is showcased in a terrific montage that highlights the Four’s early adventures against campy throwback villains like Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, Mole Man and more. Without having to ground or modernize The Fantastic Four, it’s all great, pulpy Saturday morning cartoon material that lets them be what they were meant as the source material intended.
As the story catches up to the team’s current whereabouts, we learn Invisible Woman/Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) is now an expecting mother with her husband Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal). As they prepare to celebrate with Sue’s brother The Human Torch/Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Reed’s best friend The Thing/Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) the skies open and the herald of Galactus, aka The Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives, declaring the impending death of their planet. Now it becomes a race against time for The Fantastic Four to use their unique skills and ample intellect to avoid global catastrophe.
First Steps is more on the nose than originally intended with much of the film getting close to greatness, but then wobbly and awkward as the subtitle implies. The story is predictable and follows most first installment genre tropes, especially the final act which employs fake out main character deaths, resurrections and redemptions – all drawn out longer than necessary.
The cast is all great as a group, but lose focus as individual characters. Ben Grimm certainly has the heart of The Thing thanks to Bachrach, but is missing the temper and passion of the rocky behemoth. Johnny’s humor hits as much as misses and Quinn seems conflicted in his portrayal, and the character’s trademark cocky, ladies man swagger is talked about but rarely shown. Reed is exactly the analytic, overly protective father figure he should be, but Pascal is unusually bland in many scenes. Sue is the most consistent character thanks to a strong, but still warm performance from Kirby.
Where The Fantastic Four: First Steps works best is in its little moments of source material reverence and embracing of the gorgeous world that director Matt Shakman and his crew created. Scene stealers like Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser) bring the fun and help balance the impending dread and darkness that unexpectedly hovers over much of the second half of the film. H.E.R.B.I.E., the awesome little robot buddy that looks like a toy from the 80s, is instantly a crowd-pleaser. Additionally, Michael Giacchino’s score is a sparkly revelation with Oscar written all over it, fitting the timeless vibe of one of the best visually designed movies in a long while.
Everything works better here when the characters and the plot are having a good time. The Fantastic Four: First Steps actually pulls off a giant purple man in a goofy hat as the main antagonist, thanks in part to Ralph Ineson’s booming performance, so leaning into this kind of wacky excitement and less on the overdramatic side might serve future installments well. As the credits roll on the film’s less than two hour running time, you feel like these are indeed really solid first steps for The Fantastic Four, but there’s room for improvement. Hopefully, after the family is done with their role in the upcoming Avengers films, audiences can return to their delightful retro-futuristic Earth for more a light-hearted adventure.
Score: 3.5 out of 5