"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" — Marvel's "first family" returns in breezy sci-fi romp
“Your planet is now marked for death.”
After a string of dismal live-action outings over the past three decades, the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s “first family,” finally comes home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Leaping onto the screen as a group of public figures, diplomats, scientists, and, now, expectant parents, this Fantastic Four makes a clean break from the previous iterations and the other contemporary Marvel Studios with visual pizzazz and nostalgic charm. Pairing an exaggerated 1960s New York with an unyielding level of earnestness from its main characters, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, like an infant learning to walk, promises a future worth investing in for the saga. It might have taken an ill-fated, never-released mid-’90s film, two mean-spirited mid-naughts adventures, and a grey-marinated Cronenberg rip-off, but Matt Shakman’s spirited reinvention finally gives the Fantastic Four their due on screen. Terrific performances come from the entire cast, but especially from Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal, who emotionally anchor the film in a mature romance between Sue Storm and Reed Richards. It might be a timid first step for the superheroing team, which sometimes struggles to find its feet as it balances its world-ending stakes with a compelling family dynamic, but the film is a light-hearted, breezily-paced sci-fi romp that embraces the very mid-century sci-fi sensibilities of the comics for a refreshing Marvel adventure.
Set in a universe parallel to the main continuity — which the film identifies as Earth 828, the only nod to the wider MCU — the Fantastic Four are the world’s greatest, and only, superheroes. Following in the footsteps of other recent superhero reboots like Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Batman, and James Gunn’s Superman, which came out just two weeks ago, First Steps skips over the origin story almost entirely (save for a brief recap of that fateful trip into space presented in the form of a talk show clip), jumping in four years into the heroic careers of the primary characters. This is a story about a Fantastic Four with plenty of experience. They’ve fought off many extraordinary villains (including one brief moment that’s a visual homage to the iconic cover of Fantastic Four #1 from 1961), negotiated peace deals around the world, and founded the “Future Foundation.” But now, as the film’s first scene establishes, Reed Richards and Sue Storm find out that their little family is going to be expanding with the impending birth of their son, Franklin. They might have conquered the stars, but the prospect of raising a child might just be the scariest thing they have ever tried to do before. Everything changes when a woman on a silver surfboard with a knack for theatrics and ominous messages arrives on Earth and proclaims the coming of Galactus and the death of Earth. Shooting back out into space, the Fantastic Four are off to stop the devouring entity from eating their homeworld. He agrees to spare them, for a price: their unborn son, Franklin, an embodiment of the “Power Cosmic” who could be Galactus’ successor and satiate his ceaseless hunger.
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| Photo via Marvel Studios. |
Directed by Matt Shakman, who also helmed the television limited series WandaVision, from a script by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer, the film is a delight. While the all-too-short runtime leaves the characters feeling underdeveloped and unchallenged, the energy kept throughout makes the whole adventure feel lively. A retrofuturist 1960s New York, with gorgeous period fashion and television shows mixed with the exaggerated art styles of the likes of Jack Kirby, drapes the film with a beautiful sense of visual identity and some fun editing choices, and sets this film apart from the rest of its contemporaries in the best way possible. It represents a degree of commitment to the original comic book source material found here that has been completely unseen from the rest of the MCU. It makes me desire an entire Marvel franchise styled after this retrofuture, with chunky cars, big hair, and bright colours. Narratively, this film stands entirely alone from everything else that has come before. Producer Kevin Feige described First Steps as their first standalone film, and it’s a sentiment that is very true in the film itself. While this might be the thirty-seventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, the titular team is one of the first Marvel properties created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the early 1960s, predating the Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the X-Men. By moving the action away from Earth 616, the primary universe of the MCU, this sense of originality is captured. The team is in great shape heading into this new film, as well.
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| Photo via Marvel Studios. |
The team’s lineup is the same as it has ever been, although with characterization that is much more thoughtful than previous interpretations. Where the Tim Story-directed pair of films makes the entire FF outfit into either mean-spirited half-wits or objects for oggling, this team are portrayed as thoughtful adults who make adult decisions that befit the supposed intelligence that they profess to hold. Pedro Pascal leads the team as Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards, one of the world’s greatest minds and a lover of numbers, with the ability of extreme physical malleability. Reed’s love of numbers has helped him crack the mysteries of faster-than-light travel, teleportation, and the existence of other parallel universes, but his mathematical mind makes him consider possibilities that put him in emotional tension with his family. Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays Ben “The Thing” Grimm, Reed’s best friend, pilot, and now a rock-skinned man of incredible strength. He might be revered by the public, but his unusual appearance has kept him at arm’s length with anyone else for the last four years.
The Storm siblings are wonderfully realized as well. Joseph Quinn plays Johnny “Human Torch” Storm, the youngest member of the team who can burst into flames on command. Balancing the ladies’ man attitude with a true heroic spirit and a knack for linguistics that makes him integral to the Silver Surfer’s story, this Johnny is less “frat boy on spring break” (like Chris Evans’ grating performance) and more like a young, attractive, and impassioned brainiac. Anchoring the entire film, Vanessa Kirby plays Susan “Invisible Woman” Storm, Johnny’s wiser elder sister and Reed’s wife, with the ability to manipulate light into force fields and shields of invisibility. Sue plays the emotional centre, tempering out Reed’s cold impulses and keeping the family focused on what’s important, both for themselves and for the planet. Not only are they great on their own, but Quinn and Kirby nail a strong sibling rapport.
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| Photo via Marvel Studios. |
Things don’t go too well for the Fantastic Four when they first meet with Galactus, and, after barely escaping the clutches of the Silver Surfer in a thrilling chase sequence across the cosmos (probably the film’s best action sequence), they make it back to Earth without the foggiest notion of what to do next. They’re going to need to rely on each other to come up with a plan for how to outsmart the “devourer of worlds” in hopes of saving the life of their son and the rest of the human race. While echoing back to plot beats from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the film’s interpretation of both Galactus and the Silver Surfer is decidedly different. Here, Galactus is given a body and face, rather than just being a giant, malicious cloud, and is played by the incredible Ralph Ineson. Ineson’s gravely voice is the perfect fit for the fourteen-billion-year-old cosmic tyrant. Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, an interpretation of Shalla-Bal, normally portrayed as Norrin Radd’s lover. Garner’s stoic, dramatic performance makes the character menacing and, by the end, sympathetic, despite relatively slight screentime. The space-set sections of the film are portrayed with great contrast to the bright, lively New York setting. There’s a sense of dread that Shakman pulls out of Galactus’ home that makes the depths of the cosmos feel truly scary, a feeling that’s absent in the spacefaring Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor movies. Finally, when Galactus finally sets foot in New York City, part of an elaborate feint to stop the monster from killing Earth, the Fantastic Four are in for a thrilling final battle for the fate of their world.
For all of its cosmic ambition, First Steps is a very quick-paced movie. Coming in at under two hours, making it one of the shortest MCU movies to date, the film is incredibly lean, cutting out any unnecessary fat from the narrative. Even in recent weeks, the film has been trimmed back, with John Malkovich’s Red Ghost being removed from the film, despite appearing in the first trailer and even being credited on some posters in theatres (check the “billing block” on the poster at your local theatre to see if his name is still here). The no-filler approach does a lot to keep the film moving at a quick clip, but comes at the cost of surprises and the presence of character arcs for the team. This is a film where, unfortunately, nearly every major plot beat or set piece is shown in the trailers. It also means that most of the film’s characters lack a discernible arc. For as well characterized as they are, the Fantastic Four resist change. These are characters who are already heroes and have already figured out most of their emotional baggage. While Galactus’ desire for the Richards’ child puts strain on the entire family, they don’t change as people. It means that the film lacks the emotional depth from its familial storyline that other family-oriented superhero films, like Superman and Guardians of the Galaxy, are able to deliver. There’s an absence of real narrative catharsis to make the film’s rock-solid characterization and performances into something more than the sum of their parts.
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| Photo via Marvel Studios. |
Despite the great direction from Shakman, the excellent production design, and the performances, it is the screenplay that lets the film down. It lacks anything that makes it particularly special or unique, takes no changes, and does not fundamentally challenge its characters. For many, I am sure that First Steps is going to be a bit too much style over substance. And in many ways it is. Desperately needing a hit after two phases defined by rather mixed critical and commercial reception, Marvel has lab-made a film that feels a little too clean in order to maximize its chances of being a hit. And in many ways, it works. In a time where too many blockbusters are recycling familiar colour pallets and aesthetics, of which Marvel Studios is a great offender, it is so exciting to find a film of this scale that wants to look unique, that enjoys its worldbuilding, and is willing to be a little old school with how it does superheroes. But when the film is so unaffecting, the thrill leaves quickly after you leave the theatre. One of the strongest Marvel products in recent years, The Fantastic Four is without surprises or real emotional consequence, but plays the part of joyous superpowered adventure better than most, making a much bigger impression than Thunderbolts* earlier this year, but not as infectious as Superman. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is brimming with fabulous visual ideas, a few great action sequences, and a cast that is ever so compelling — including a wonderful comedic performance from Paul Walter Hauser as Mole Man. Tonally, it handles itself well. It lacks the sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek humour of previous Marvel man while embracing the things that make it silly. It’s wonderfully earnest, even if it never amounts to much emotionally.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theatres.
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