After a not-so-great start to the year, the MCU has been regaining some momentum over the past few months. Thunderbolts* and Ironheart have reignited my interest in the MCU, and I’ve found myself becoming increasingly re-invested in this cinematic universe. It’s a nice feeling to have at the end of Phase 5 of the MCU to be excited for what’s next, which brings us to the start of Phase 6 with The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Directed by Matt Shakman, this film is the induction of Marvel’s first family into the MCU and a reintroduction to the general audience after the mid-2000s films (we don’t talk about the 2015 one). Has Marvel kept the momentum going and ended their theatrical year strong, or has Phase 6 started off with a whimper? Time to find out.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in the 1960s on Earth-828, a separate universe from the mainline MCU. Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm were once astronauts, daring to explore the cosmos. But after exposure to cosmic rays, they gained superpowers and their lives were forever changed. The Fantastic Four have been operating for four years (I see what they did there), and in that time, they’ve become known as the Earth’s protectors. However, Sue reveals that they’re about to embark on their greatest challenge yet: parenthood. And she’s going to need to the whole team to pitch in!
But their happiness doesn’t last long as the Silver Surfer arrives and declares Earth marked for death ,soon to be consumed by Galactus. Not wanting to have their home destroyed, the Fantastic Four put their minds together to try to stop this otherworldly threat.
The story in this film is relatively safe by MCU standards, but still pretty good. I enjoyed the family dynamic between the main characters, and the family messages are executed rather well. I also enjoyed having this film set on a different Earth instead of the main MCU universe, as it explains why these heroes haven’t shown up before, while giving the film its own visual style. I also really enjoyed Galactus and Silver Surfer’s roles in the story, as they felt intimidating whenever they were on screen.
However, I do have two big issues with the story that did hurt my enjoyment immensely. The first is that this film was obviously cut to be under two hours. I felt this most with Ben’s character, as it felt like a lot of his story beats were left on the cutting room floor, leaving us with only the bare essentials for his arc.
The other big issue is the entire second act, as it felt choppy, rushed, and all around too fast for its own good. Problems are brought up and then solved in the next scene multiple times, and it had me wondering if I just wasn’t paying enough attention and was missing things. It’s unfortunate because the film has a really strong first act and a pretty good finale. It’s just that middle chunk that greatly let it down.
Leading up to the film’s release, I was extremely curious about how this cast would do. I knew that each of them had impressive resumes, but I was still sceptical. I’m delighted to say then that this is the definitive casting for these characters, as everyone knocked it out of the park. Pedro Pascal delivers a phenomenal performance as Reed Richards, showcasing how the world’s smartest man approaches a problem he can’t solve. Vanessa Kirby was excellent as Sue Storm, with a couple of moments that may go down as some of the best in the MCU. Her relationship with Reed and their conversations were some of the best in the film, and I can’t wait to see more of them.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm was great, and he brought more comedy than I thought he would. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t get as much time to shine as the rest of the team, but I hope that changes in future appearances. Joseph Quinn as Jonny Storm was my biggest surprise, as I didn’t really know what to expect. Like many of you, I grew up with Chris Evans’ portrayal of the character, who was a bit of a smart ass and not really all that bright. But Joseph’s take on the Human Torch gave me a new perspective on Johnny outside of the jokes and one-liners. I desperately hope that he maintains this vibe going into Avengers: Doomsday and doesn’t become a running gag.
It’s not a superhero film without antagonists, and Galactus and the Silver Surfer might be some of the best MCU villains since Thanos. I was already a huge fan of Ralph Ineson, having loved his performances in Chernobyl and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. His deep, raspy voice is instantly recognisable and fits perfectly with Galactus. The added base definitely helped make every word spoken feel like it could kill.
Julia Garner was fantastic as the Silver Surfer/Shalla-Bal, and she was probably in my top three characters of the film. She just exuded this foreboding presence with a hint of humanity remaining under that silver exterior. She was also just plain old cool as fuck, with her having some of the most visually stunning moments in any MCU film. I really hope this isn’t the last we see of these two, because I hunger for more.
A common criticism that the MCU has faced in recent years is that everything looks the same shade of grey. While the muted tones may work for some films, it has led to a lot of them blending together in my mind. That is not the case with this film, as the shift to a different Earth has led to a beautifully distinct world. The retro-futuristic aesthetic does wonders at making this film stand out from the rest of the MCU. It reminded me of early 2000s superhero films, which was a nice throwback.
However, Earth isn’t the best-looking part, because that would be the space sequences in the first hour, which are some of the best-looking set-pieces this year. The Silver Surfer chase scenes were dope as shit and are some of the main reasons I want to see her in future films because they were just that amazing. There were a few visual hiccups, though. The first was some dodgy green screen in two scenes that are jarring compared to the rest of the film. And the second is anything to do with the baby, cause it just looked bad (and comical at times).
The score by Michael Giacchino was also fantastic, with it having one of the few main MCU themes that I can actually remember after the film ended (Thunderbolts* is also on that list). It fit the vibe perfectly, and I can see the main Fantastic Four theme being used for years to come. My personal favourite, though, is the music whenever Galactus and Silver Surfer were on screen (are you getting the picture that I liked them yet?); the vibes are just immaculate.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps was a good introduction of the Fantastic Four into the MCU. I really enjoyed the characters and, for the most part, the visuals. While I thought the plot was good, the second act really drags it down and puts a dampener on what could’ve been an excellent story. It’s definitely by no means bad, but I don’t think it quite reached its full potential.
Have you seen The Fantastic Four: The First Steps? What did you think? Who was your favourite character? Let us know in the comments where we can all talk about that one Silver Surfer chase scene again.
