Fantastic Four: First Steps – Another Review. By Daniel Rester.

Marvel’s famous comic book family The Fantastic Four has finally arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Four previous Fantastic Four films have been made outside of the MCU, all of them ranging from bad to mediocre. Thankfully, that curse has now been broken as The Fantastic Four: First Steps is mostly excellent.

First Steps takes place on the retrofuturistic Earth-828 during the 1960s. Scientist Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), her brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and their friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are four years into being celebrated superheroes after having gained powers from exposure to cosmic rays. Reed can stretch his body, Sue can turn invisible and use force fields, Johnny can fly and burst into flames, and Ben has superior strength and skin made of orange rock.

Sue finds out that she and Reed are going to have a baby. Not long after, the herald Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives and tells the people of Earth-828 that their planet will soon be devoured by the cosmic being Galactus (the deep-voiced Ralph Ineson). The Fantastic Four set off into space to find Galactus in order to stop this from occurring.

Despite having a screenplay credited to four writers (Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer), First Steps manages to contain a focused story and consistent tone. By taking place on Earth-828, it is free of the rest of the MCU and therefore doesn’t feel like it’s trying to reference previous MCU films or set up future MCU films (until a scene during the end credits, that is). This approach feels welcome and fresh in a day and age where some of the MCU films have started to feel like homework.

The screenplay also has a good sense of humor, while not trying to force in too many jokes; the banter between Ben and Johnny is especially fun. Its dramatic scenes work well too, especially when they are focused on Sue and her responsibility as a mother. The aspect of Sue protecting her child and family really becomes the heart of the film, as she gets put into an impossible situation that I won’t spoil.

Some of the supporting characters do lack development on the page. Galactus is an imposing villain and Ineson gives him personality, but there isn’t much to him besides “bad guy needs to eat planets.” Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser) and Rachel Rozman (Natasha Lyonne) are two welcome characters, but they are given barely anything to do. The subplot involving Ben being attracted to Rachel is so undercooked that it could have been removed altogether and First Steps wouldn’t have lost much.

Director Matt Shakman brings the script alive with his confident handling of the character interactions, staging of the action sequences, and capturing of the retrofuturist environments. He is greatly aided by production designer Kasra Farahani and composer Michael Giacchino. The film’s entire technical team brings fine work to the table (including vibrant CGI from the visual effects members), but Farahani and Giacchino’s work in particular elevates Shakman’s vision; the 1960s interiors pop from scene to scene and the musical themes are rich and exciting.

The whole cast in First Steps is strong. Pascal feels a bit miscast as Reed, but he still delivers a committed performance and gives Reed emotional complexity. Quinn, Moss-Bachrach, and Garner are also very good. The standout of the film, however, is Kirby. Her performance as Sue is magnetic as the character goes through a rollercoaster of decisions. It’s a performance full of both nuance and intensity, and it’s one of the finest in the MCU.

First Steps is easily the best Fantastic Four film to date and is among the better MCU films of the past few years. There are many smaller elements in the film that can be nitpicked, but First Steps as a whole is an entertaining and uplifting superhero blockbuster. Marvel’s first family has arrived and is hopefully here to stay in the MCU going forward.

Rating: 8.25/10

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