Dir: Matt Shakman
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Ralph Ineson
While the narrative is somewhat uninspired and tedious, this latest version of the iconic superhero team proves to be the most charming yet, thanks to the strong chemistry among the cast and the stunning retro-future world design
Despite the countless caped and masked heroes introduced in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception seventeen years ago, one group of superheroes has been notably absent: The Fantastic Four. The rights to these particular heroes were held by 20th Century Fox for many years, which often rushed productions featuring the superhero team in a desperate bid to prevent the ownership from expiring. Past attempts at bringing them to the big screen include the two films directed by Tim Story—“Fantastic Four” (2005) and “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (2007)—as well as the widely criticised 2015 reboot, often referred to as “Fant4stic” in response to its questionable title during its marketing campaign. Even before Fox’s ownership, there was an unreleased “The Fantastic Film” in 1994, produced by legendary low-budget filmmaker Roger Corman to retain the rights under the Constantin Film banner. Ultimately, the negatives of that film were purchased by Marvel to pave the way for more lavish adaptations in the mid-2000s.
Despite being one of the most beloved superhero teams in Marvel’s expansive comic book catalogue, the Fantastic Four have never been successfully brought to life on the big screen. While there is some merit to Tim Story’s instalments—particularly Michael Chiklis‘ poignant portrayal of Ben Grimm—they failed to capture the chemistry of this close-knit group of cosmically altered superheroes. Both the 2005 and 2015 films also severely misrepresented Doctor Doom, one of Marvel’s most powerful and feared villains. Thus far, the most successful cinematic event inspired by the Fantastic Four is Pixar’s “The Incredibles”, which, while not featuring characters like Reed Richards or Sue Storm, does follow a family with powers similar to those of the Marvel heroes.
With the acquisition of Fox in 2019, Marvel finally regained the film rights to the Fantastic Four. Following a major narrative shake-up in their planned phases five and six, prompted by allegations against Jonathan Majors—who had been introduced as the new primary antagonist, Kang—Kevin Feige and his creative team aim to capitalise on this new acquisition by positioning Doctor Doom as the franchise’s next “big bad.”
Departing from the universe that is mostly familiar to us in the MCU, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is set in an alternative retro-future 1960 on Earth-828. Four years before the events of the film, astronauts Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), siblings Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) embarked on a deep-space mission, during which they gained superhuman abilities from exposure to cosmic rays. Upon their return to Earth, they became the planet’s guardians, collectively known as the Fantastic Four.
In the present day, the team enjoys a celebrity lifestyle, with Reed’s inventions having advanced technology worldwide and Sue’s diplomatic efforts leading to global demilitarisation, including with the underground city of Subterranea, ruled by their former enemy, Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser). Reed and Sue also announce that they are expecting a child, prompting speculation about whether the baby will inherit powers like its parents.
Just as the world prepares for the baby’s arrival, the cosmic alien Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) appears to announce that Earth has been marked for destruction by the colossal intergalactic being Galactus (Ralph Ineson).
The Fantastic Four—Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing—must fully exert their superhuman abilities and race to stop Galactus from destroying their home planet, especially to protect Sue and Reed’s baby, which Galactus has taken a keen interest in.
Having been repeatedly disappointed by big screen adaptations of the Fantastic Four, I felt somewhat optimistic about their introduction into the MCU. While I have not always embraced the ever-growing franchise, which often relies on formulaic and increasingly stale storytelling, I was pleasantly surprised by “Thunderbolts*”, released earlier this year. Although it retained some of the tropes synonymous with Marvel over the years, this surprisingly dark comic book outing took the franchise in an excitingly fresh, yet bleak, direction.
From the opening seconds of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”, it is clear that a more upbeat tone was to be expected. The famous foursome are introduced by an old-school 60s talk show host portrayed by Mark Gatiss, of “The League of Gentlemen” fame. The glossy, slick futuristic 60s aesthetic hearkens back to the comic book roots of the heroes, and the world is vibrantly brought to life with some of the most spectacular and impressive production design Marvel has offered in years, if not ever. Although the film takes place in New York City, the alternative universe setting separates it from the superhero-laden universe we have become familiar with in the franchise’s central timeline, adding a sense of peril since there are no superhumans, Nordic gods or super-soldiers to rely on.
The ongoing dynamic among the makeshift family of siblings Sue and Johnny, Sue’s husband Reed, and his best friend Ben creates compelling chemistry. The four core cast members, all at the peak of their careers at the moment being involved in multiple projects, do an excellent job of capturing the familial dynamic that makes the Fantastic Four so enjoyable on paper. Each character is given the spotlight throughout the film, emphasising the importance of teamwork, which is a fundamental aspect of the Fantastic Four, more so than any other comic book team.
However, outside of their on-screen chemistry, there is a lack of real character development among the four central characters as individuals. The impressive Moss-Bachrach is given very little to work with in his portrayal of Ben Grimm, who is arguably the most interesting and tragic member of the group due to his immediately apparent cosmic alteration. Even the late great Stan Lee claimed that the mid-2000s portrayal of the character was the best big-screen depiction of any of his creations. Despite Moss-Bachrach’s hard work, much of the most interesting and heart-breaking aspects of the Thing seem largely absent in this adaptation.
The main issue with “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is its pacing. The narrative moves slowly as Earth awaits the arrival of Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Aside from an impressive space sequence involving light travel, black holes, and a zero-gravity birth, there is a surprising lack of action in this superhero film. For most of the time on Earth, our heroes are confined to their sleek high-rise apartment, where they spend their time trying to solve the mysteries of Galactus and his silver-bodied herald. They are focused on preventing Earth’s destruction without sacrificing Reed and Sue’s baby, as the impending threat is overwhelmingly powerful to fight head on.
The Verdict:
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” stands out for its sleek and stylish design, featuring strong familial chemistry among its leading characters and is easily the best and most faithful portrayal of the legendary superhero team on the big screen to date. While the film suffers from narrative weaknesses and poor pacing, it still manages to be a charming and relatively enjoyable comic book experience, although it doesn’t offer much more than that.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
Good review. Personally, I liked this movie. I think it was a bit hurried in some moments, which could’ve been easily expanded upon in both story and characters, but it was far superior to the all the other previous other. I loved how the movie was separated from the established MCU (and for good reason) and felt more like self-contained narrative rather than a “homework” of trying to figure out connections here and there. Loved the cast and loved the retro-futuristic visual aesthetics. Was it the absolute best? No, but, given the MCU’s track record for the last several years, this movie showcases that Marvel Studios still has a few more tricks up its sleeve…and that’s a great thing!
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