After the critical success of Thunderbolts*, Marvel seemed to have regained its spark. With a fresh set of creatives and a new edge to their B-class characters, the attempt to reform an Avengers-like team is dire. Phases four and five lacked direction and were created to gain the audience's approval of these unique characters. Unfortunately for Marvel, they haven’t had the opportunity to stand out until now.
With The Fantastic Four: First Steps, director Matt Shakman went back to basics in creating a character-driven story with Marvel’s first family. The Fantastic Four have always been misunderstood in live-action, and Shakman finally got it right.
The 828 universe is set in a futuristic Jetson-esque New York. Audiences meet the Fantastic Four years after they were blessed with their powers. The introduction to the team was organic and through the lens of how the media perceives these heroes in their universe. The highlight reel with the news segment gave their origin story some weight and quickly established the characteristics of each member.
Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) all felt like perfect puzzle pieces coming together. Shakman treated the Fantastic Four as space explorers above anything else, and that’s why this worked well. We see the genius behind all four of them and how they utilize their intelligence in different ways.
Reed is more calculated and loses sight of humanity, whereas Susan grounds his mathematical perspective through her moral values. Thus making Susan Storm the heart of the Fantastic Four, with someone who has empathy for others around her.
Susan and Reed have been a beloved couple in the comics for years. And to see their relationship finally explored correctly on screen was perfection. Kirby and Pascal had an excellent natural chemistry that made it seem they’d been together for a while.
When Sue finds out she’s pregnant at the beginning of the film, Reed begins to spiral because he doesn’t know if he’s capable of being a good father, while Susan is more confident in her nurturing ability as a mother. The two of them know each other well, and the tension between them rises as her due date gets closer. The underlying theme of parenthood and the upcoming changes to their intimate family was effective when combined on a large scale in battling Galactus.
Shakman placing Reed and Sue’s child, Franklin, at the center of the conflict made the four characters truly feel like a family more than any other iteration. Even though Ben and Johnny have always been perceived as secondary characters within the four and are less intelligent than Reed and Sue, Shakman gave them their time to shine as well. They became the fun uncles to Franklin, but also showed their strengths as the heroes they are.
In two of the strongest scenes, Ben’s intuitive nature when trying to escape a Black Hole showcases the different way he analyzes the situation at hand, and Johnny’s intrigue with space exploration helps them understand Shalla-Bal’s (Julia Garner) connection to Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Seeing the four of them work to their strengths, all having their moments to shine throughout, made for one of the best character-driven comic book films in years.
Like all great Marvel films, The Fantastic Four: First Steps does not feel inherently formulaic. It’s unique to the 828 universe and feels self-contained. There is no thread connecting them to Earth-616, and all the characters in the Marvel universe continue to address them. Earth 828 respects the team and treats them as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes because of their story and otherworldly powers.
Their world feels lived-in and fully realized through the production design, costume design and original score by Michael Giacchino. Much like Shakman’s work on Wandavision, the world he crafted works with the characters within the universe and also pays homage to the original comics written by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.
The characters first appeared in Timely in 1961, so the combination of a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic with a 60s feel made for a unique result in the end. It feels like Marvel has chosen a fresh new direction, and they are not relying on a formula they’ve exhausted. Shakman’s vision to combine different aspects from the comics and modernize the team was a refreshing take that will make audiences fall in love with them.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a fresh introduction to Marvel’s first family that uniquely captures the strength of family and the power of unity. It’s a retro-futuristic space adventure that perfectly delivers the Fantastic Four to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at their full power. Vanessa Kirby’s performance as Susan Storm is incredible, and she is a force of nature in the final battle.
Each character is well-rounded, but all work in favour of Susan Storm and how she treats them. Johnny, Ben and Reed all look to her as the voice of reason, and that’s why their dynamic works. This version of the team feels more special than any other, and thankfully, they will be the focal point in the MCU moving forward. For the first time, there’s a confidence in a project and the director’s vision for the characters that seems promising.
4.5/5
Review by: Amanda Guarragi
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