THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS:
MARVEL’S SUPER-FAMILY’S MCU DEBUT TRULY IS “FANTASTIC”!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: **** out of 4
MARVEL STUDIOS
Ben Grimm/The Thing, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, and Johnny Storm/Human Torch in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Marvel’s Super-Family returns to the big screen in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series (Third if you count the 2005 film as a reboot). The Fantastic Four has had a…pretty bumpy history when it comes to bringing these classic comic characters into the world of film to put it lightly.
There was the 1994 Roger Corman Fantastic Four movie that was screened once and never officially released to the public, but bootlegs and YouTube helped make it a fascinating piece of comic book movie history. Obviously, you had the 2005 Fantastic Four movie and its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer produced by 20th Century Fox following the success of the X-Men and Spider-Man films that will always have a special place in my heart even if they aren’t exactly good.
The 2015 Fantastic Four reboot from Fox is straight-up garbage and one of the worst comic book and superhero films I ever saw as it wasted a talented cast and equally talented director and turned some of Marvel’s most upbeat superheroes into a dull slog of a trainwreck. I even reviewed that movie nearly ten years ago, how time flies.
But then, something happened, a variant of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic played by John Krasinski and Chris Evans reprising his role from the 2005-2007 movies as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch suddenly appeared in the MCU films, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Deadpool & Wolverine and got people excited for Disney and Marvel to finally do this Super-Family properly. That’s where The Fantastic Four: First Steps comes in directed by Matt Shakman (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo, Game of Thrones) who had previously directed the MCU miniseries, WandaVision for Disney+.
I was excited for this when I saw the trailers and could tell it was going to be a very different version of the Fantastic Four compared to previous films with a 1960s-inspired world, a comic accurate version of Galactus, and tons of campy visuals reminiscent of media from the era and the comics that inspired it.
Well, I’m happy to report that after two decades of mediocre or straight-up awful film adaptations of one of Marvel’s most iconic teams, this new version of Fantastic Four truly lives up to the name. People, superhero movies are back! Between this and the new Superman that came out a couple weeks ago, we’re starting to regain that excitement for superhero and comic book-based cinema again.
The film is set in a universe parallel to the Avengers and follows astronauts turned superheroes, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal-The Mandalorian, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Materialists), Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby-Mission: Impossible franchise, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Napoleon), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach-The Bear, The Punisher, Andor), and Johnny Storm/The Human Torch (Joseph Quinn-Stranger Things, Gladiator II, Warfare) who after being exposed to a cosmic storm of radiation are given extraordinary abilities thus becoming the Fantastic Four. But when Sue becomes pregnant with her and Reed’s child and intergalactic threats come in the form of the planet-eating, Galactus (Ralph Ineson-The Green Knight, Nosferatu, Frankenstein (2025)) and his messenger, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner-The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Weapons), this Super-Family must fight the giant space god and defend their planet before things get personal which…they do.
The film also stars Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso, The Toxic Avenger (2023), F1: The Movie) as Lynne Nichols, Matt Gatiss (Sherlock, The Favourite, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning/The Final Reckoning) as Ted Gilbert, Natasha Lyonne (Blade: Trinity, DC League of Super-Pets, The Bad Guys 2) as Rachel Rozman, and Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell, Black Bird, Cobra Kai) as Harvey Elder/Mole Man.
Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally gives Marvel’s Super-Family the movie they deserved since at least 2005 by giving audiences a fun superhero adventure that blends flashy action, strong family dilemmas, and heart and isn’t afraid to be a comic book movie. Not putting the Marvel Studios intro in front of Captain America: Brave New World doesn’t automatically make it dark and gritty and listing a bunch of A24 movies in the trailer for Thunderbolts* doesn’t mean it’s a superhero version of an independent film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps embraces the retro comic book tone and gives exactly what it promises in the best way.
This movie looks amazing in terms of the cinematography and production design which makes it feel like a superhero movie if it took place in a futuristic world where Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can was like the second coming of Jesus. With tons of vibrant colors, technology reminiscent of 1960s tech that still feels high-tech, and campy visuals and retro scene transitions like media from that decade, it’s like “A Comic Book Movie” he-DOY?
Given that this is Fantastic Four we’re talking about, the family dynamic is very strong in this movie with a lot of the fun coming from seeing and hearing the different four members interact with one another. These actors and characters are incredibly funny and charming while also being endearing and interesting especially Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm who is basically the emotional anchor of the film, a mother doing everything she can to protect her child and saying she’s the best live-action Invisible Woman would be a huge understatement.
The action is very creative and fun to watch especially on IMAX with my favorite being a fight with the Silver Surfer in a wormhole that could put Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar to shame. Also, the climactic fight against Galactus is great because it’s essentially four superheroes going up against a Godzilla-sized super-being, huge props for not causing the conflicts yourself, F4!
As someone who does have a soft spot for the Fox Fantastic Four movies from 2005 and 2007, The Fantastic Four: First Steps really is the only Fantastic Four movie that matters as it finally gives a film that’s worthy of Marvel’s Super-Family and reminds us why we fell in love with them to begin with. I’m sure it’ll make die-hard Marvel fans happy and moviegoers will have a “Fantastic” time at the theater as well; comic book and superhero movies are back!
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