Why ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is The Best Marvel Movie In Years

It’s pretty appropriate that fourth time was the charm for the Fantastic Four, Marvel’s first major superhero team, to get a solid live-action film adaptation. Following an unreleased 90s flick, two okay-ish 2000s films and the woefully dour 2015 reboot, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a great film from top-to-bottom.

Free from the bounds of continuity by being set in an alternate timeline to the main MCU (for now, although a sense of Doom hangs over the film), First Steps is able to achieve what Superman did earlier this month by being a genuinely fun, hopeful superhero movie not afraid to embrace its comic book roots. With… well, fantastic performances from its four leads and a genuinely distinct sense of style, Matt Shakman’s interpretation of Marvel’s First Family is a genuine delight.

Like so many superhero films of late, The Fantastic Four: First Steps eschews the traditional ‘origin story’ formula that we’ve grown tired of in favour of throwing us right into the action. We’re on Earth-828, a retrofuturist alternate reality where the super-powered quartet have been operating as heroes for the past four years.

Their status quo is broken up by the news that super-stretchy genius Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and the Invisible Woman, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) are having a baby, much to the delight of her hotheaded Human Torch of a brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and their rocky buddy Ben Grimm, otherwise known as The Thing (Ebon-Moss Bachrach).

But as the baby is set to arrive, so too does the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), the herald of the world-eater Galactus (Ralph Ineson) who is willing to spare Earth if the four pay an unthinkable price. Thus, the Fantastic Four are faced with an impossible dilemma as they try to save both their planet and family from annihilation.

A fantastic throwback to the 60s

What I adored most about The Fantastic Four: First Steps was how much it looked and felt like a comic from the 60s. Though the original Stan Lee and Jack Kirby run on the FF is a bit old-hat by modern standards, it has undeniable charm stemming from its space race-era storytelling.

First Steps is obviously trying to replicate this tone with its aesthetic and storyline, and also does this with key changes to the characters from contemporary comics. The retrofuturist is pretty bonkers, but honestly looks great. It’s clear that this film used a lot of practical sets, and it really bolsters the quality of the storytelling alongside a delightful Michael Giacchino score.

Going for that 60s tone means that the film could be seen as ‘silly’ or ‘hokey’, but I disagree with that assessment. Unlike so many of the recent movies coming out the Marvel machine, The Fantastic Four: First Steps feels genuinely unafraid to embrace its comic book lineage. Characters that are admittedly a little goofy like the Silver Surfer and Galactus are given serious narrative weight, and the film never attempts to undermine its fantastical elements.

The sincerity on display is also exactly why the dynamic between the four main characters works so well. I was admittedly sceptical of how Pedro Pascal would play Reed Richards, but I think he was actually excellent in his constantly stressed depiction of the borderline mad genius.

Meanwhile, Vanessa Kirby is probably the best performance in the film. Sue Storm has often been sidelined by the men around her in previous adaptations, but here she’s anything but see-through. In many ways, it’s her movie; a welcome change from past adaptations of Sue.

Finally, a genuinely great Fantastic Four movie

Joseph Quinn is also great fun as the Human Torch/Johnny Storm, and has a lot more depth than other adaptations have aimed for. He’s actually pretty crucial to the story, while being a character that’s genuinely funny; especially when paired with Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s The Thing, who is omega charming but criminally underutilised throughout.

Galactus and the Silver Surfer definitely could have used some more development throughout too, despite how good Ralph Ineson and Julia Garner are in their respective roles. Some of the more heavily computer generated elements of the film could’ve definitely used a little more time in the oven too, like the Human Torch’s flame effect and a huge serving of CGI baby.

But what matters most is that Shakman and the film’s writers nailed the dynamic that the four should have. There’s a particularly great sequence in the first act where the FF go to space to confront Galactus, and have to escape using a black hole while Sue is in labour. It’s a sequence that perfectly encapsulates what makes these characters unique: the marriage of sci-fi adventure and character-based storytelling.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a genuinely charming standalone superhero flick full of heart, humour and adventure that harkens back to the early days of Marvel Comics. Paired with Superman, it’s looking like sincerity is back on the menu for the comic book movie genre… I just hope it’s here to stay.

★★★★

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in cinemas now.