‘'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' review: A breath of fresh air for superhero fans

Tom's Guide

a day ago

As a longtime comic-book reader, I've gotten used to the fact that most modern superhero movies don't look much like their source material. Starting with the all-black leather costumes in the '00s X-Men movies, superheroes on the big screen have usually opted for muted colors and streamlined design when it comes to their outfits, environments and even powers.
That's why this summer has been so refreshing for viewers like me, first with James Gunn's 'Superman' and now with Matt Shakman's 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' both of which enthusiastically embrace the colorful silliness of the comic books that inspired them.
While 'Superman' marks a fresh start for DC's movie universe, 'First Steps' is yet another installment in the never-ending Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's consciously set apart from other MCU movies, and that leaves it much better off.
Set on a retro-futuristic alternate Earth, 'First Steps' allows the story of the Fantastic Four to play out unencumbered by ongoing storylines or characters from other movies and TV shows, making it the most accessible and straightforward MCU movie in years.
Like 'Superman,' it begins not with the team's familiar origin story, but with Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as established, well-known heroes in their world. Every bit of background information that viewers need to know is delivered in bite-sized bits of exposition via TV broadcasts and news headlines.
Although it's taken a long time for them to enter the MCU, the Fantastic Four marked the beginning of Marvel's comic-book Silver Age in 1961, and 'First Steps' emulates that era, resembling a 1960s sci-fi movie. The technology is more advanced than what existed in 1961, but with a throwback design sense that looks nothing like actual modern technology.
The team even gets its own kitschy robot named H.E.R.B.I.E., a variation on a character first introduced in the 1970s Fantastic Four animated TV series. It's the kind of stylized aesthetic that's common in comic books but less likely to be presented in a modern blockbuster movie, and it instantly sets 'First Steps' apart from the rest of the MCU.
What also sets 'First Steps' apart is that the Fantastic Four are the only superheroes in their world, and they seem universally beloved. Following the outer-space accident that gave them their superpowers, they've taken on numerous threats, which the movie lays out quickly and clearly in an initial montage.
There's enough material there for several movies, but Shakman allows it to exist as backstory, to establish how experienced and accomplished the Fantastic Four have become in the four years they've been active.
'First Steps' becomes slightly less distinctive as its main threat comes into play, and the characters travel back into space to confront the giant, planet-devouring entity known as Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Those CGI-heavy scenes resemble similar set pieces in other Marvel movies, although the team's spaceship retains its vintage look. As is often the case in the MCU, the villain proves to be the weak link, both visually and narratively.
Galactus is still a meaningful enough threat for the stakes to be apparent, and what's more important is how the characters react. Married couple Reed and Sue are expecting their first child, and their protectiveness as prospective parents drives their decision-making.
In the largely forgettable pre-MCU Fantastic Four movies, the team's family dynamic was often missing, but here the main characters feel like a genuine family unit, living together in their vast but cozy New York City headquarters and sitting down to Sunday dinner each week. Pascal and Kirby embody the movie's core relationship, and Kirby, in particular, brings range and complexity to Sue, who is a devoted mother but also an eager scientific explorer.
That makes it easy for the audience to invest in the climactic showdown between Galactus and the Fantastic Four, with the fate of the world — but also Reed and Sue's baby — at stake. Shakman makes significant improvements on the dodgy special effects of past Fantastic Four movies, and Johnny (as the flame-based Human Torch) and Ben (as the rock-covered Thing) look much more convincing and substantial.
It helps that so much of the space-age sets and costumes have the same weight and presence, although it renders Galactus' CGI clunkiness that much more obvious. The actors make up for the shortcomings, whether they're interacting directly with each other or reacting to phenomena that were obviously added in later.
As Galactus' herald, the Silver Surfer, Julia Garner adds her own emotional depth to a character who is primarily regal and aloof.
The performances and the visuals add up to a fun, fast-paced sci-fi adventure that never slows down, but also never feels rushed. The humor arises from authentic connections between the characters, rather than from strained quips, which makes 'First Steps' more earnest than most recent MCU movies.
It's old-fashioned in an appealing, honest way, delivering a simple, engaging superhero story without franchise baggage.
The requisite post-credits tease indicates a larger future for the characters (who are already set to appear in next year's 'Avengers: Doomsday'), but 'First Steps' stands on its own, with the kind of grand yet intimate adventure that superheroes embark on all the time in comic books, but all too rarely on the big screen.