Marvel Studios

Directed by: Matt Shakman
Written by: Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer
Run Time: 1 hour 51 mins

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It’s a testament to their wealth of characters that Marvel was able to complete the Infinity Saga’s thrilling run of twenty-three movies without any involvement from two of their most prominent and popular groups of characters: the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Whilst this wasn’t intentional – 20th Century Fox owned the rights to both until 2019 – it may have ultimately worked in Marvel’s favour. As now, being able to introduce these classic characters – we’ve already seen a few X-Men – just as interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is at its lowest, presents them with the perfect opportunity to get fans back onside. And with the arrival of Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it certainly feels that there’s something worth being excited about again.

Set in 1964 on Earth-828, Shakman’s film introduces audiences into a world that’s already familiar with the Fantastic Four, taking place four years after the space expedition that gave them their superpowers. But four is soon to become five, as couple Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) announce their pregnancy. However, before Sue gives birth their world is visited by the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) who delivers a devastating message that Earth has become the latest target for Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a cosmic being that feeds off entire planets. Desperate to defend their world, the Fantastic Four return to space with plans to defeat Galactus and save Earth.

Setting this superhero adventure aside from the main MCU timeline is the film’s first stroke of genius, as The Fantastic Four: First Steps and all its wonderful retro-futurism feels so fresh. The quaint yet detailed production design bursts with colours and textures that offer an entirely different aesthetic to anything audiences have seen in the MCU before. These attractive visuals are further complimented by Michael Giacchino’s nostalgic score that feels both hopeful and wholesome, welcoming some whimsy without ever becoming too silly.

It’s frustrating then, that in moments poor CGI and green screen obscure this otherwise charming period picture. The mixture of practical and special effects used for baby Franklin are the most jarring. It’s hard to believe that when in the arms of the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), it’s the mutated rock being that looks more realistic than the newborn baby. Nonetheless, with such a lovable family dynamic created by the central cast it’s easy to forgive these minor blemishes.

As despite the lack of a more detailed origin story – there’s a brief summation in an opening montage – this cast charm in a way that will have audiences feeling immediately comfortable in their company. Pedro Pascal excels as the brainy leader of the team, stripping away his natural allure to present a more regimented Reed Richards. Whereas Vanessa Kirby embraces her emotions as Sue Storm, and becomes all the more powerful for it. As her onscreen brother, Joseph Quinn makes Johnny Storm as fun as audiences will expect, but affords him an added streak of intelligence in perhaps the most well-rounded portrayal of the character yet. While Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm provides the might needed to hold everything together, grounding this group in a genuine care for one and other. Each play their part, well, fantastically, and with a group as strong as this, Marvel may well have found their footing once more.

Yet, rather ironically and conversely to what its primitive title might suggest, The Fantastic Four: First Steps absolutely breezes through its runtime. There’s not even a hint of hesitation in the film’s screenplay, which confidently establishes and develops its characters while simultaneously executing a thrilling superhero story on an intergalactic scale. Clocking in just shy of the two hour mark, there was definitely scope to spend a little longer with these characters and in this intriguing world, but its smart edit keeps things moving at an effortless pace, culminating in a gripping third act. Taking the script’s thoughtful musings on parenthood, family and unconditional love that it often consults throughout the film, it channels these ideas into a primal and impassioned spectacle that becomes Marvel’s most stirring combination of action and storytelling for quite some time.

A superhero film that feels standalone is a rare feat these days, and while of course it also acts as one of the “first steps” towards another inevitable comic-book crossover, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is entirely worthwhile in its own right too. It harkens back to when Marvel knew what they were doing, taking one small step back in time, but also one giant leap back in the right direction.

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Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

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