The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) race into action in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe unquestionably peaked in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame. That was the epic conclusion to a massive arc spanning 21 previous movies and dozens of heroes. It was a perfect end for the franchise. Alas, that is not how either comic books or movies work, so the show must go on, to increasingly diminishing results, critically and commercially. The studio was aimless, churning out projects, a few pretty good, most forgettable, with a weak overarching narrative that had no momentum. Then, they switched gears, leaning on one project in particular to relaunch the MCU to its former glory. That is their latest release, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, reintroducing the world to Marvel’s first family in their official MCU debut.

The outcome is, frankly, just another entry. It doesn’t require doing homework to understand it, nor does it waste time preparing viewers for whatever comes next, so that’s refreshing, at least. Otherwise, it has all the usual elements: a team of like-minded heroes with mismatched personalities must fight off a monstrous villain while dealing with internal struggles, leading to forced humor and CGI fights. Actually, there isn’t a lot of action this time, really just the extended climactic battle. The rest is a lot of talk about family and working as a team. The villain is definitely not a strong point, seeing as how he’s a giant beast bent on destruction. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (104 minutes, plus mid/post credit scenes) isn’t a bad movie; it is well-made, with a decent pace and excellent production design. It is merely a perfunctory one.

Watching it, I couldn’t help but wonder if there is a single reason they keep making these besides the obvious financial one. They cost a lot and still bring in enough to make them worthwhile. People see it as theatrical comfort food. Audiences know what they are getting because they have basically already seen it. It is a version of the same thing every time. They employ skilled people, so the craft is certainly there. However, the creative cupboard is empty.

Julia Garner as Silver Surfer

Reed Richards, his wife, Sue Storm, her brother, Johnny Storm, and their friend, Ben Grimm, are celebrities, protecting the Earth using powers they got during space travel. When a herald sent by a mysterious enemy arrives to announce the impending annihilation of the planet, the Fantastic Four, including a very pregnant Sue, must travel back into space to put a stop to the threat.

The cast is good. Pedro Pascal (as Reed), Vanessa Kirby (as Sue), Joseph Quinn (as Johnny) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (as Ben) are all talented actors. Though it is hard to stand out in placeholder roles that show up in every MCU movie. None of these characters are individuals; they are carefully formed to fit the MCU mold. The only character with any intrigue is the herald, the Silver Surfer, played by the wonderful Julie Garner. She chooses planets for big bad Galactus to devour, always delivering a warning first. Johnny immediately suspects that she is not evil, so why would she do this? Unfortunately, the Surfer disappears for long stretches and her role in the climax is tremendously obvious. As you would expect, First Steps takes no risks and provides only the most formulaic of thrills.

Now to the production design. Damn, it’s impressive. The clothes and sets are great 60s recreations. The colors and even the graphics used on the news mark this as a convincing period piece. There is such attention to detail here that is offset nicely by the spectacle. The most awesome sight, more so than the superpowers in action, spaceships and flying people, is the Silver Surfer herself. It is actually breathtaking the care that went into this design, especially the use of reflections coming off of her body. It is quite incredible. The story is the latest factory product, yet the crew did a heck of a job making it watchable.

3 out of 5

Cast:

Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards

Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm

Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm

Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm

Julia Garner as Silver Surfer

Ralph Ineson as Galactus

Directed by Matt Shakman

Screenplay by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer