Movie Review – The Fantastic Four: First Steps

We’ve previously had three Fantastic Four movies, four if you count that cheap one from Roger Corman.

What we’re still waiting to say is, “That Fantastic Four movie was really good!”

Honestly, I’d settle for, “That Fantastic Four movie was perfectly tolerable.”

We’re still not yet there, and that’s despite the fact that Killmonger himself, Michael B. Jordan, co-starred in one.

Yeah, it’s been rough. So, I understand your skepticism when Marvel announces another Fantastic Four film.

And here we are. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps now in theaters, I know what you’re wondering.

Can we finally say something about a Fantastic Four film that doesn’t sound like a backhanded compliment?

YES! I know. I’m surprised, too, but here is my shockingly positive review of the MCU’s first Fantastic Four movie!

A Confession

Before I start the review, I should warn you about something.

Last time I was at mom’s, she pulled the dreaded, “Take some of your old stuff outta the garage.”

So, I came back with several boxes of stuff I hadn’t thought about, much less needed, since my childhood.

While I was cleaning out the garage the other day, I noticed one of the items and laughed.

Apparently, I had the Fantastic Four board game as a kid, which tracks.

I was more of a reader of conventional books than comic books…with one glaring exception.

I looooved the Fantastic Four, and that fact probably influences my opinions regarding the new film.

Good People Better Ideas

However, I can honestly say that I was always pretty blunt about the ill-fated Fantastic Four films.

Tim Story is a director I like, and he remembered to inject plenty of fun into those two films.

Conversely, I dunno what Josh Trank was doing with the 2015 Fantastic Four release.

Since he has barely worked since then, I don’t think anybody else knew, either.

As for the new director, Matt Shakman helmed every episode of WandaVision, which I love.

So, he’s pretty good, even if we acknowledge that Jac Schaeffer was the driving force there.

That’s why I was cautiously optimistic about this film despite spending multiple years chronicling the casting woes on MarvelBlog.

Marvel took a looong time finding the right people, but it definitely settled on the proper quartet.

As the First Family of Marvel, Reed and Sue Richards and their cohorts, Johnny and Ben, matter greatly.

And that’s something you should understand about the new film. We don’t have many ancillary characters here.

Marvel locked in on establishing who these people are, virtually to the exclusion of everyone else.

I would argue that one other character is fully developed, and the rest…show up at random times.

Hey, if they were important, they’d be in the title, right? So, this is 100 percent the story of the Fantastic Four.

Notably, Marvel has chosen not to do an origin story for a change, thank God.

We get a different kind of intro this time as an ABC television host provides multiple years of backstory.

This segment works out like the superhero version of a charming Renee Zellweger movie called Down to Love.

I’m always down for anything that pays tribute to the ridiculous Doris Day style of the 1960s.

No Wasted Motion

One of the calling cards of that style of cinema is kineticism. And The Fantastic Four honors this style of cinema.

Once the movie starts, it never lets up, a testament to a fun story that continually propels the action forward.

You’ll meet the characters, you’ll (vaguely) learn how each of them fits into a superhero archetype, and then it’s on.

The Silver Surfer arrives, she says her TikTok meme, and everybody knows that Galactus is coming.

Since the choices are A) allow Galactus to devour the world or B) stop him, that’s the rest of the plot.

This film isn’t complicated, and I suspect that’s the sole reason why it’s currently “only” 88 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Other than a thin plot and a lack of tertiary characters, there’s little else to criticize here.

Marvel nailed the casting, with Pedro Pascal sinking into this role so fully you’ll forget he’s also The Mandalorian.

Similarly, people probably know Vanessa Kirby from one of The Crown, the Mission: Impossible franchise, or Hobbs & Shaw.

As the matriarch of The Fantastic Four, she provides the backbone of the film.

Meanwhile, The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach is perfect as Ben Grimm aka The Thing.

But he is NOT the best part of the cast, as here’s where Marvel lucked out.

When Kevin Feige and co. started casting for this film, Joseph Quinn was an unknown.

Then, he showed up and showed out Eddie Munson on Stranger Things, and the rest is history.

Quinn is going to be a superstar in this business, and this film puts him squarely on the path.

He’s spectacular here and outshines Chris Evans and Jordan, both of whom are Marvel icons who previously portrayed Johnny Storm.

Galactus Done Right

Have you ever seen Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer? I’m asking for a reason.

In that 2007 film, the villains were Galactus and the Silver Surfer. And that’s true in First Steps as well.

However, this film clearly has a chip on its shoulder about the previous use of those characters.

In particular, Shakman makes sure to demonstrate the novelty and coolness quotient of the Silver Surfer.

This character’s special effects were laughably awful in 2007, but they’re breathtaking here.

Similarly, Marvel chooses to show Galactus in his human-esque form rather than as a storm cloud.

I’m a fan of this decision, as Galactus is more imposing when shown with a proper sense of scale.

At one point, the 28-foot-tall villain marches across New York City, and it’s visually stunning.

To a larger point, the First Family reacts to the threat of an extinction-level event as they should.

This fact gets underplayed far too often in comic book movies…but not here.

Because there’s a new addition to The Fantastic Four, they have two reasons to fight.

They want to save the planet AND Sue and Reed’s new child. Interestingly, the film turns it into an either/or scenario.

So, that’s a warning I should give you about the film. A small child is in danger at various points.

If the thought of an imperiled infant upsets you, The Fantastic Four may not be for you.

However, if you’re craving a pure summer popcorn flick, I liked this one more than Deadpool & Wolverine.

This is the MCU done right, and it gets a solid A from me. Highly recommended. Oh, and “That Fantastic Four movie was really good!”

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