The Fantastic Four: First Steps is like an ice-cold drink on a warm summer’s day. A slice of apple pie with a glass of milk. It’s a nice, simple, familiar-feeling movie that will make you feel warm and fuzzy for a while but maybe doesn’t have the lasting power of something stronger. It’s easily the best Fantastic Four movie ever, and yet, falls just short of being fully “fantastic.” Nevertheless, it’s still highly enjoyable.
Directed by Matt Shakman (Wandavision), Fantastic Four takes place four years after Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) went to space, encountered a strange occurrence, and returned to Earth with superpowers. In that time, they’ve become, dare we say it, Earth’s mightiest heroes, protecting everyone, everywhere. But the story picks up with Reed and Sue learning they’re going to have a baby, which, despite what they tell themselves, means everything is about to change.
In most iterations of the Fantastic Four, the fact that the group is such a tight-knit family unit is half the charm. In First Steps, it’s all of the charm. Not only does the movie just drop in on these four adding one more to the group, but that group is magic together, exhibiting a comfortable chemistry that perfectly approximates their closeness. You can tell they know each other inside and out, and that gives the film an almost palpable energy. Simply put, we love anytime any of them are on screen, and the more they are on screen together, the better.
The cast itself is primarily responsible for this, as each brings distinct characteristics and points of view to their characters. Pascal, for example, turns Reed into this linchpin that’s both super confident and also surprisingly vulnerable. With that dichotomy, he can almost supercharge whoever he’s on screen with by giving them so much to work with. Quinn’s Johnny, who has some of the most entertaining lines and throughlines in the movie, reaps the most benefits from that and easily becomes the standout of the film.
Across from him, Moss-Bachrach is perfect as Ben, giving the character a grounded, homely quality. It’s just unfortunate that of the four, he gets kind of shortchanged in terms of more fully realized arcs, but we love him anyway. Then there’s Kirby’s Sue, who holds the whole group together—sometimes literally—with her charisma and likability. Put them together, and it’s lightning in a bottle.
That’s tested, though, when a silver surfer (played by Julia Garner, who is never referred to as the “Silver Surfer,” but instead goes by Shalla-Bal, an occasional alternate herald to Galactus from the comics) comes to Earth to let them know it has been marked for death by Galactus. Galactus (played by Ralph Ineson) is one of the biggest, baddest villains in all of Marvel Comics, and Fantastic Four does him justice, especially visually. It also sets him up as a near-impossible foe to beat, which raises the stakes and tension. The film then ups the ante of its warmth and kindness with themes of selflessness and family as we watch the world come together to back these heroes against a common enemy.
Galactus’ story, which ends up directly tying into Sue and Reed’s child, Franklin, keeps the movie chugging along but also works against its best feature: the chemistry. As the group attempts to find a way to beat Galactus, each has to deal with their own emotions and reactions. When that happens, the film’s aw-shucks, comfort food vibe clashes with the brooding and drama.
It also doesn’t help that, ultimately, everything happening with Galactus is a little too familiar, especially when the movie builds to our heroes saving the world by winning a battle in New York. Again. As a result, the film can at times lose a bit of its spark. It’s not a big thing, but it’s there, and you feel it.
One thing that always lights that spark is whenever Michael Giacchino’s score blares across the soundtrack. The man who has made music for Batman, Spider-Man, Star Wars, Star Trek, and more has crafted another banger of a score for Fantastic Four. Anytime it cranks up, the whole movie is elevated by it. But, conversely, when the film gets a little quiet or personal, that lack of electricity (and music) is once again noticeable.
Fantastic Four is set on Earth-828 (after co-creator Jack Kirby’s birthday), which is different from Earth-616, the primary MCU timeline. In this place, things turned out much differently. It’s a futuristic 1960s. A live-action Jetsons, basically, and that unique design and look is another huge factor in the film’s charm. However, beyond those choices of the settings and, of course, the cast, very little about Fantastic Four stands out. There’s nothing wild, or overly interesting about the movie. It looks beautiful, has tons of charm, and breezes by as quickly as can be. It just never seems as if it’s interested in being a top-tier Marvel movie. At all times, it plays things incredibly safe.
Which, of course, is probably also the reason why it works at all. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a first step for these characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even if it’s not a home run, it had to work on a base level to move the franchise forward. And it does that. There are more than a few standout moments thanks to the cast, visuals, and music. But by ultimately playing it safe, we’re left with something nice and sweet but a little underwhelming.
Thankfully, the movie does such a wonderful job endearing the audience to these characters and this place that we leave wanting to see more of them. And we will soon (in Avengers Doomsday). In the end, film is indeed a great first step, but we were kind of hoping for a giant leap.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters July 25.
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