The Fantastic Four have had a rough time on the big screen, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally gets Marvel’s First Family right as they arrive in the MCU.
Set on an alternate, retro-futurist Earth-828, the Fantastic Four are the first and only superheroes defending the world from various threats. Four years into their tenure as Earth’s defenders and leaders, Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Susan Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) face their greatest threat when the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) proclaims that the Earth will be devoured by Galactus (Ralph Ineson). The movie benefits from skipping over the Four’s origins, while still giving enough background for absolute newbies, and featuring a Fantastic Four team that is a master of their powers and the cohesive family unit of the comics, so you can get right to cool and interesting displays of their powers and fun character interactions. There are numerous great nods to, especially, the Jack Kirby era of Fantastic Four, such as the opening montage showcasing some of the Four’s past escapades against villains like the Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser). The movie also does a great job balancing the character interactions and drama with the more bonkers cosmic side of the FF as they head into space to face Galactus, who is finally fully realized a comic accurate giant god who devours worlds. The world of First Steps is brilliantly realized with its awesome retro ’60s vibes that take what previous MCU entries like Loki have done and amplify them into an entire universe of killer style and awesome retro tech, probably exemplified most in the FF’s loyal robot HERBIE, who is one of the best parts of the movie.
The cast is exceptional across the board, but Vanessa Kirby is the standout. Sue has not always been given the respect she deserves, as evidenced by the Jessica Alba version being essentially a running joke, where she constantly has to get naked to use her powers. However, Kirby owns the movie and makes Sue powerful not only with her powers, but also with her leadership and maternal instincts. Pedro Pascal is excellent as always and seamlessly blends Reed’s overactive scientific mind with his concern and love for his family. Moss-Bachrach and Quinn deliver on the humorous side, with lots of fun banter between themselves and the rest of the cast. Still, Moss-Bachrach also finds time to showcase how Ben is the heart of the team, with a sweet side plot featuring Natasha Lyonne as his love interest and some of the pathos that comes from him being the only FF member to undergo such a drastic physical transformation. Ralph Ineson’s iconic booming voice is used to great effect as Galactus, but Julia Garner’s Shalla-Ball is somewhat underutilized, and the CG and design used to bring the Silver Surfer to life don’t allow Garner to emote like the rest of the cast.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is easily one of the best MCU entries in recent memory, finally giving the Fantastic Four a movie that celebrates their legacy while introducing them to the larger MCU. It’s unclear how they will fit into future entries, but I look forward to seeing them return.
