The Fantastic Four: First Steps, 2025.
Directed by Matt Shakman.
Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Matthew Wood, Ada Scott, Maisie Shakman, Alex Hyde-White, Rebecca Staab, Michael Bailey Smith, Jay Underwood, and Mark Weinman.
SYNOPSIS:
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.
Paraphrasing, there is a moment in The Fantastic Four: First Steps where Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) outright states that the public doesn’t care for his mathematical explanations, and that they want to see a spectacle. It’s a line winkingly loaded with self-awareness on Marvel’s behalf that the multiverse plotlines were, well, an outright failure that bled countless appointment viewers (whether it be movies, TV shows, or both oversaturated mediums) with sagas and phases (remember when it was a gigantic event when one of those ended?) yielding diminishing returns one after the other, with the occasional decent entry somewhere in between.
Hell, some of these (mostly the latter TV shows) could practically be skipped entirely, which cuts down on the homework aspect but also gives even less reason to keep up with the overwhelming, seasonal number of projects either in theaters or on Disney+.
Thankfully, Marvel has recently reduced its output significantly and appears to be adopting a quality-over-quantity approach. They have also realized that not everything needs to be a full-length origin story, and that in some cases it might be wise to skip over that, considering it’s not unreasonable to say that the past five or so years have been wasted on projects that will forever be a forgettable blip on the radar in the seemingly never-ending Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And while no one should turn this into a dogmatic fanboy battle between brands, that’s also a choice more befitting of a superhero such as Superman, where nearly everyone knows not only the origin story but also various dynamics, such as the one between him and Lois Lane, as well as several other character details. Although it is worth noting the multiple iterations of the Fantastic Four that delve into this origin story, skipping over it is less effective here, yet still appreciated in favor of a fresh spin.
Put it this way: at one point, Ben Grimm/The Thing (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach covered in CGI rock features) visits a character played by Natasha Lyonne before the big battle, exclaiming he had to see her before it goes down, and all I could muster up in my head was “wait, who are you?” That’s one way of saying this tentpole is rushed and overstuffed, and that a subtitle of 27 steps might have been more appropriate.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps, much like the last several projects of the past five years, also suffers from shoddy visual effects ranging from murky green screen backgrounds, horrifying CGI babies (Marvel and DC seem determined to one-up each other in this department), ghastly elasticity effects on Mister Fantastic (something that will never come across as convincing, but is used sparingly here without drawing too much distractive attention), and a towering, Titan-like villain who comes across as weightless and stiff, even when bumbling through the retro futuristic 1960’s Jetsons-reminiscent city and knocking over buildings in the process.
Despite Ralph Ineson lending an admittedly menacing voice, it must be said that Galactus looks stupid. What makes even less sense is that when vehicles are hurled into his body, causing explosions and setting him on fire, the effects are convincing. At this point, it’s a given that Marvel CGI is always going to be inconsistent, and one will have to take the good with the bad.
Thankfully, the film doesn’t spend too much time in space (even though these superheroes are astronauts who have been cosmically genetically altered, after all) or utilizing janky CGI backgrounds; instead, it often takes place within WandaVision showrunner Matt Shakman’s wheelhouse, set in an alternate 1960s aesthetic with futuristic touches.
The downside is that Shakman is working from a screenplay by an overcrowded committee (Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer) that’s incorporating so much and not only limited to the titular superheroes, but also montages and brief explorations of how they have been protecting the city and easily thwarted, comedic relief villains such as Paul Walter Hauser’s amusing Mole Man. Even two members of the team, Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and the previously mentioned Ben Grimm, feel less like characters and more like vessels for jokes. However, it’s also refreshing that the attempts at humor are contained to reasonable situations rather than the usual nonstop quips during danger.
Part of that is due to the film’s genuine interest in telling a character-driven story, focusing on Reed Richards and Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), who have finally conceived a baby after numerous attempts, and are preparing to raise that child while protecting the world. They don’t know if the child will also be cosmically gifted, but Galactus, who feeds on entire planets scouted out by his enforcer, Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer (Julia Garner, delivering an expressive motion capture performance), will only leave Earth alone in exchange for the baby. Therefore, there’s a good chance that the child will be somehow special.
Arguably the hardest-working man in Hollywood, Pedro Pascal delivers a calculated yet emotional performance, even when acting alongside green screens and CGI. Playing not only the role of a superhero but also that of an exceptionally gifted physician, he sometimes expresses a cold mentality, placing his mind in worst-case scenarios as part of protecting the world, much to the disapproval of Sue Storm. His skills also come into play refreshingly in regard to the action, as it’s not about defeating Galactus, but rather eliminating him through science and math. The filmmakers treat the villain as a problem to be solved through means other than violence, even if that inevitably becomes part of the equation. Meanwhile, Vanessa Kirby is in protective mother mode, shielding the child from a world that would rather she give him up to ensure the planet’s safety, also receiving ample opportunity to showcase her powers.
Their co-stars are delivering serviceable performances given the more one-dimensional jokey roles they are playing, which is in no way a knock against them. However, Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby are allowed to give sincere, heartfelt turns, in turn elevating The Fantastic Four: First Steps beyond some of its cornier and emptier trappings. In doing so, Marvel has found a viable anchor for the entire MCU moving forward; now that’s a huge next step.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
