After the surprising revelation that was Superman, which restored the Man of Steel to his former glory, lightning strikes twice, only this time with the MCU and their latest attempt to bring the Fantastic Four to the big screen.
Every 10 years, it seems Hollywood wants to revamp Marvel’s first family to mixed to negative results. However, this latest effort, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, is the first one that gets it right.
Like Superman, First Steps bypasses the origin story of how the heroes acquired their powers and gets straight into the Fantastic Four already being superheroes in a retro 1964 setting. The characters are still the same as in the comics: Pedro Pascal is Dr. Reed Richards, who has the power of stretching; Vanessa Kirby is Sue Storm, his wife with the power of invisibility; Joseph Quinn is Sue’s brother, Jonny a.k.a. the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing.
Reed and Sue soon discover they’re going to be parents, and they soon question whether their first child will have superpowers, just like them. Their celebration is cut short by the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), an alien life form who claims she is preparing the way for the coming of her master, Galactus, a cosmic entity.
The Fantastic Four are given a choice: Either Reed and Sue give up their firstborn child, or Earth suffers severe consequences. Now there is a diabolical scheme with really high stakes.
True to spirit
The Fantastic Four: First Steps knows how to stay true to the spirit of the material, while also effectively juggling several tones: it crafts a story that feels plausible without straying too far into the ludicrous. It creates characters that have convincing motivations and allows just enough screen time for them to be real, as opposed to being a prop for the special effects.
Pascal, Kirby, Quinn, and Moss-Bachrach are wonderfully cast, and each brings the right level of drama to their characters’ more intense and emotional scenes, as well as humor and wit to others. The scenes involving Earth’s citizens holding the Fantastic Four responsible for their dilemma are another level of complexity that earns its moments. Plus, the action is genuinely thrilling right up to the riveting climax.
The film’s look also deserves to be commended. It’s a movie that feels like a comic book. It exists around the same time as when the characters were created, with a sci-fi twist.
Already this summer, Superman brought a refreshing spin to the Man of Steel, and now The Fantastic Four: First Steps is proof that the MCU hasn’t lost its edge.
