The Fantastic Four: First Steps review – A fresh start for the MCU
I quite enjoyed the Fantastic Four and its sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, back in the day, but they haven’t aged particularly well. And the less we say about the 2015 reboot attempt, the better. The fourth film version, First Steps, is definitely the best of the bunch – but the bar isn’t exactly high.
The film is set four years after Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), his wife Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), her brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and their friend Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) went to space and returned with superpowers. Now accepted superheroes in a ’60s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, the foursome must come up with a solution when the gigantic cosmic being Galactus (Ralph Ineson) delivers an ultimatum: Make a personal sacrifice, otherwise he’ll consume Earth.
I really wish I could come out of a Marvel film – or at blockbuster at least – and declare it perfect. I want to be won over by something and love it completely. But The Fantastic Four didn’t give me that. It’s certainly an improvement on previous iterations. Director Matt Shakman was right to skip the well-told origin story and bring us a Marvel film that exists on its own and doesn’t require homework. But, sadly, I wasn’t super excited by the story.
The film’s biggest strength is the ’60s retro futuristic design, from the extraordinarily detailed sets and inventions to the stylish costumes, on-screen graphics and more. They really commit to an aesthetic that feels so fresh and different from the norm. There are many other positives in here, from the wonderful character dynamics within this dysfunctional family, the spot-on casting, the adorable sidekick H.E.R.B.I.E. (voiced by Matthew Wood) and the grounded themes of family and motherhood.
But, as is often the case, the film is let down by its villains, Galactus and Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Silver Surfer has always been a bit silly and impossible to take seriously, and it doesn’t help that the CGI isn’t quite right, particularly around her mouth. Galactus is more genuinely menacing – his ginormous size helps in this regard – and his design is faithful to the comics, but I’m fed up with monsters wreaking cities in the final act.
I’ve reached the stage where I prefer all the non-superhero stuff to the big CGI spectacle. It was a pleasure to watch them hanging out and being a family at home, whereas the ‘saving the world’ business was less interesting. I particularly enjoyed watching how Sue Storm carried on being a superhero despite her pregnancy, the concern over their son’s potential powers, and how being a mother made her more powerful. It’s not every day you see a pregnant superhero in a mainstream movie!
It’s not perfect – or as funny as we’re used to with Marvel – but Fantastic Four signals a promising fresh start for the MCU.
In cinemas from Thursday 24th July and on Disney from 5th November
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