THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Review: Marvel’s First Family Gets a Do-Over

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Review

Marvel’s First Family has officially joined the MCU with The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

After nearly 40 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Fantastic Four has finally arrived at the party.  Following years of hopeful fan-casting and corporate synergies, Marvel’s first-ever superhero team has returned to the big screen with an all-star cast including Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Cousin himself, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing). 

Directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision), the film is set in an alternate Earth timeline that looks like a Jetsons episode come to life. Amidst a gloriously colourful ‘60s-inspired pop-art New York City backdrop, we meet The Fantastic Four in media res; the superhero group are beloved as local heroes who return from a trip to space with superhero powers. 

Their status as media darlings is soon tested when The Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) appears in Times Square with a dire warning — Earth is scheduled to be devoured by the planet-eating entity known as Galactus (Ralph Ineson). 

Not thrilled with the head’s up from the silver-clad naked messenger, The Fantastic Four (including a very-pregnant Sue Storm) head to space to confront Galactus head-on in a desperate attempt to save the planet from annihilation. 

The Best-Looking MCU Film in Years

Based on the classic ‘60s comic run by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, The Fantastic Four: First Steps brings to life one of Marvel’s greatest storylines in spectacular fashion. This is undoubtedly the best-looking MCU film in years; director Matt Shakman and cinematographer Jess Hall (also of WandaVision) finally bring colour back to the MCU after dozens of drab-looking films. 

Their version of a souped-up ‘60s NYC complete with era-appropriate clothing and design mixed with space-age technology feels torn from the original comics and stands in stark contrast to much of what has come out of the MCU machine in recent years. 

While The Fantastic Four: First Steps is very much a classic sci-fi epic, the story hinges on the family dynamic between the group; the husband and wife team of Reed and Sue, her brother Johnny, and their close friend Ben. Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) steals the show as Ben Grimm/The Thing, the rock-clad monster with a heart of gold who struggles the most after being altered by cosmic rays on their first journey to the stars. 

Galactus Done Right

Longtime comic readers will be thrilled with the on-screen depiction of Galactus in this iteration. After being portrayed as some sort of cloud in 2007’s dismal Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Galactus is restored to his purple-helmeted space-god self this time around, voiced with deep authority by Ralph Ineson. Matt Shakman nails the immense scope of Galactus here, and his scenes battling the Fantastic Four are pure sci-fi comic book gold. 

It’s hard not to grade The Fantastic Four: First Steps on a curve given how lacklustre the last few Fantastic Four films have been. While this version is far from perfect (one pivotal plot mechanism is pretty silly), it delivers a classic superhero tale that doesn’t rely on having to watch 30+ prior movies and TV shows, which alone is cause for celebration. 

A Love Letter to the Comics

It’s no secret that the MCU has been struggling in recent years, but with Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps it feels like the studio is pivoting to fairly self-contained movies that don’t feel like $250-million episodes of a never-ending TV show. 

Filled with a deep love for the actual comics and their creators (look for the touching Kirby nod), The Fantastic Four: First Steps is one of the best Marvel films in years. It may not reinvent the superhero genre but it proves that there is still much to mine from the original comics explosion if the work is treated with care and artistry. Now bring on the X-Men!

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theatres now.