Time: 114 Minutes
Age Rating: PG – Violence & coarse language
Cast:
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/ Mister Fantastic
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/ Invisible Woman
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/ The Thing
Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/ Human Torch
Julia Garner asShalla-Bal/ Silver Surfer
Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols
Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert
Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman
Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/ Mole Man
Ralph Ineson as Galactus
Director: Matt Shakman

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the latest attempt at adapting the Fantastic Four to the big screen, this time at the MCU. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out (especially considering the previous attempts didn’t really work out), but it had a good cast and I was curious about it. First Steps was actually far better than I was expecting it to be.

One of the notable things in First Steps is that it is very much set in its own separate universe and that worked to great effect. The only signs of it being connected to a wider MCU are seen in its mid-credits scene. Otherwise, you could go into this movie completely without seeing the other Marvel films with no problems. The plot itself is fairly standard and safe, but it works pretty well. One thing to note is that the movie has been cut down quite a bit. There’s a lot of footage in the trailers that is absent here, and it does somewhat come across in the final cut of the movie. The pacing was a bit over the place, the first act is very fast as it quickly establishes the Fantastic Four, while the pacing in the second half is far more steady. It really could’ve been 10-20 minutes longer and made the movie even better, even if I appreciated how efficient it was. The choice seemed to be driven by a desire to keep the movie under 2 hours, which was certainly misguided. Despite all that, I still liked it and it had me entertained throughout. It’s a very earnest movie with a warm tone, and is comic booky without being ironic or self conscious about it. The humour is a little hit or miss at times, but it feels natural to the overall tone of the movie and characters, and most of all doesn’t undercut the emotional weight of dramatic scenes (which I will always shout out in a comic book movie, especially within the MCU). The family drama and the dynamic between its 4 central characters is ultimately what made the movie and its emotional beats work so effectively despite the plot being so familiar for a comic book movie. Even with the typical superhero third act, it had enough emotional stakes that it wasn’t so much of a problem for me.

The cast of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are amazing as the Fantastic Four. They really convey their distinct characters and the family dynamic with the incredible chemistry they share with each other. All of them are great, Pascal and Quinn are surprisingly perfect as Reed Richards and Johnny Storm, but Kirby as Sue Storm was the standout for me. Of the four, Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing had the least amount to do. He was still in the movie a good amount, but by the end, it felt that a number of his scenes were cut out. Julia Garner was also really good as the Silver Surfer, and Ralph Ineson gives massive cosmic antagonist Galactus an incredible presence with his voice alone.

Matt Shakman directs this really well. It is visually good for the most part, really striking with a retro futurism aesthetic, and I really liked its alternate period setting. Most of the effects are good, though occasionally it can be a little dodgy and has some noticeable green screen, mostly in the third act. The motion capture for The Thing, Silver Surfer and Galactus are great, and I particularly loved how Galactus’s scale was conveyed here. I was satisfied by the representation of everyone’s super powers, I was especially impressed how they made Mr Fantastic’s stretch abilities actually look good in live action. There are many really good sequences, a particular section in space was probably the highlight of the movie for me. Finally, Michael Giacchino’s score is great and perfect for this movie, by far the best music he’s composed for a film in this franchise.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is heartfelt, charming, refreshingly self contained and highly enjoyable, with striking and stylish visuals and an amazing cast. I have no idea how the next Avengers movies will be treating these characters, but in any case, I’m looking forward to seeing them again in their own solo movies.