The Fantastic Four: First Steps Review: Marvel’s First Family Finally Gets the Best Cinematic Treatment, Boasting a Scene-Stealing Vanessa Kirby and Spectacular Visuals
Two movies and an ill-fated, gritty reboot later, I’m glad the Marvel’s First Family has finally landed in the ever-growing MCU roster in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Once a project set to be heralded by Jon Watts of the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, before Matt Shakman took over instead. I was initially sceptical of Shakman for handling such a high-profile MCU movie, which reportedly cost over US$200 million. Sure, he was responsible for WandaVision, the first and (personally) still the best Disney+ MCU series ever made so far.
But transitioning from the confines of a television series to a feature-length effort is a whole new ballgame, making me wonder if he can pull it off. Thankfully, Shakman proves to be the right man for the job, thanks to his assured direction as The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens promisingly in the alternate universe of Earth-828 of New York City.
The setting is the retro-futuristic 1960s era, and credits go to Kasra Farahani’s stunning production design for his eclectic mix of period-specific and Space Age aesthetics from the Fantastic Four’s classic blue-and-white costumes to the distinct interior of their building and, of course, the conceptually vintage shiny blue Fantasticar. It was a gorgeous visual feast which gives this movie its unique appeal from the usual present-day setting seen in most MCU movies.
Shakman took a more subtle approach in re-telling the origin story of how Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) along with the latter’s younger brother, Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and their best friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) first got their superpowers from the results of cosmic ray exposure during a botched space mission. It was a nice move since Shakman, working from Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer’s screenplay, prefers to focus on the Fantastic Four already being around for quite some time protecting the citizens from various threats (among them is Paul Walter Hauser’s Harvey Elder a.k.a. the Mole Man).
Then, one night, a mysterious metallic female figure known as Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner) enters Earth through space on a flying surfboard and warns them about the impending doom of Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson), a cosmic entity who lives by devouring chosen planets. And Earth happens to be one of them, causing the Fantastic Four to take action before time runs out.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps sees Shakman prioritising the family dynamics of the tight-knit Fantastic Four, allowing ample room for the four stars and their multi-tasking robot assistant/companion H.E.R.B.I.E. to shine in their respective roles. This, in turn, helps to make us root for their predicaments and how they work together to overcome the odds. Shakman also does a great job raising both emotional and dramatic stakes, with Sue being pregnant long before the Shalla-Bal and Galactus’ end-of-the-world threat takes place. Her pregnancy becomes integral to the plot, and it gives way to one of the most emotionally resonant yet heartfelt arcs ever seen in the MCU.
Vanessa Kirby is pitch-perfect who stealing most of the show as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman while sharing fantastic chemistry with Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic. I have to admit it took me a while to warm up to the latter’s predominantly distant personality and blank stare expression, but his character gradually evolves as the story builds up to a turning point. That turning point in question leads to one of the movie’s most memorable set pieces that takes place in outer space. The good news is that Shakman has a flair for the dynamic action scene, all thrillingly staged with enough suspense, while Michael Giacchino’s lively score elevates it to the next level.
The CGI is mostly top-notch, and the outer-space scene itself is such a cinematic marvel of both technical and directorial prowess that I have a great time enjoying watching The Fantastic Four: First Steps on IMAX. As for the rest of the cast, both Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach deserve equal mention as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing, while Ralph Ineson’s signature deep baritone makes him the perfect voice for Galactus. The antagonist itself is a formidable and towering villain, as he should be, like he’s straight out of the comic-book page to the big screen, unlike the ill-advised ominous cloud-like entity seen in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer back in 2007.
The decision to include a lesser-known Marvel character like Shalla-Bal instead of introducing the more recognisable Silver Surfer a.k.a. Norrin Radd, seems like a risky choice at first. But upon finally seeing Shalla-Bal on the big screen, Julia Garner delivers a better-than-expected, yet sympathetic motion-capture performance.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps may lag in some scenes, but looking at the entire picture, the overall movie is off to a great start in Phase 6 of the MCU. Especially after the so-so efforts of this year’s Captain America: Brave New World and yes, even Thunderbolts* a.k.a. The New Avengers, the otherwise erratic MCU still has what it takes when it falls in the right hands to reinvigorate the franchise back to life. Remember to stick around for two post-credits scenes. particularly the all-important mid-credits stinger!
