"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Film Review

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Rating: 4.5/5

By: Nathaniel Simpson

    The MCU really needed a hit. After many movies of them trying to find their footing after Avengers: Endgame and failing unfortunately numerous times, they really needed a film to put them back on top and show that there is a lot to be excited for for this upcoming Avengers film. We have some good films in the filmography such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Thunderbolts*, but they haven't really earned the favor back from longtime fans of the series. However, by bringing in Marvel's first family, the Fantastic Four, into the mix, was hopefully going to change the game for the franchise. Thankfully, this incredibly talented cast of actors and director Matt Shakman craft such a fun and unique film for the series, giving such a breath of fresh air that the MCU so desperately needed. 

    There have been two previous iterations of this iconic superhero family, one in 2005 and one in 2015. They took different approaches to the story, but both told about how this group of astronauts went into space and gained powers after a freak accident while they were up there. The two movies then explored them grappling with these new powers and how it affected their everyday lives. However, here, in the fashion of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, First Steps opens with the Fantastic Four being established in this world for four years now, being praised as the heroes of this world. 

    Set on Earth-828 in the 1960s, Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) make up the most powerful family in the world. They are now able to settle down in New York, with Reed and Sue now about to become parents and Johnny and Ben exploring their own ideas and hobbies. However, what they don't expect is for a silver alien to come in on a surf board (Julia Garner) and herald a planet-eating being named Galactus (Ralph Inneson) to mark their planet for death and is going to consume their Earth. They now must find a way to protect their planet and the millions of people they love. 

    To start, this movie feels incredibly different to most of the MCU movies nowadays. This honestly seems like a return to form in a way for the franchise, ditching the known, easy-to-watch format of these films and really delivering a more nuanced superhero flick that deals a lot with character development and issues that these characters face. While it still does feel like a superhero movie at times, this is definitely a different route that Marvel decided to take for this film, and it works brilliantly. They created this whole different universe for these characters, and it's wonderful watching Shakman and his cast craft this world and these characters. The plot does take a little bit of time to really start running with what they are doing, but once they set the story, the movie grabs your attention and never lets you go. 

    I really love this world they created. This is a Neo-futuristic world, one that is in the past but perhaps has better technology and more advanced innovations than we have today. The setting is beautifully crafted and the cinematography from Jess Hall and direction from Shakman really brings the audience into the picture and makes this setting seem so natural and fun to be in. Out of all the Marvel films, I think this is easily one of the best settings we have seen; I honestly had so much fun with everything Shakman created. 

    The cast here is perfect. All four actors perfectly embody these iconic characters, and really craft them to make them their own. Pascal perfectly takes the character of Reed and adds such a charm to him that is also more reserved and mature, showing a different and unique side of Reed. The same can be said for Sue, as we see her as more of a mother figure that also has authority over the world due to her political affiliations. In other films, we see Ben grapple with his new appearance and his change in lifestyle after receiving his powers, but they craft his character here to be appreciative and come to terms with what happened to him. Moss-Bachrach really delivers this performance with such gentleness and calmness that gives us another side to The Thing that we have never seen before. One complaint I have is I wish we got more character development and screen time for him as I feel like he was left on the back burner for a lot of this film. Then finally, we have Johnny, who I think has the best character development here. They show him more of a smart man who genuinely has the drive to get what he wants, and Quinn really allows this character to be seen as that more than a ladies man. All of the actors here really give unique performances for these characters, and they're all perhaps the best portrayals we have seen on screen for the Fantastic Four.

    People have been asking if the MCU is back after this film, and honestly, I would say they are. The MCU is set up quite well with the Fantastic Four now, and Shakman gives this franchise this sort of film and characters that they truly needed to go forward. This is such a fun and exciting film, one that will make any Marvel fan so giddy with excitement about what they are doing with these characters. I'm just really hoping the MCU can keep this momentum going forward and give them an explosive story for Doomsday.