Marvel Studios newest feature film, “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” was released July 25. It’s also not the first, second, or even third attempt by a major studio to bring the titular group to life; however, it is arguably the best.
Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the other attempts — those being the 2005 and 2007 movies helmed by Tim Story and the 2015 reboot from “Chronicle” director Josh Trank — though none of them ever shined in the eyes of critics. My hypothesis is that, tonally, these films were molded by the other superhero content hitting theaters at the time, and failed to measure up to their competitors — until now.
With the first pair of movies, the “Fantastic Four”’s competitor was the X-Men series, that had just hit its stride with “X2: X-Men United” in 2003 and would soon see the final film in the original trilogy, “X-Men: The Last Stand” in 2006 between the two “Fantastic Four” movies. These movies are action-packed, but filled with the heart that made both series beloved by comic readers thanks to creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, as characters in both series grapple with being different from “normal” humans in diverse ways.
The main problems that weighed the early-2000s “Fantastic Four” movies down were poor pacing and low stakes. The sequel, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” improves on the latter, but the “X-Men” films are still better at telling origin stories and later expanding on those origins to make their adventures more exciting.
It also didn’t help that “The Incredibles,” ostensibly an animated retelling of their story (i.e. mid-century super-powered family) released just a year before the first film, garnering near-universal acclaim.
Now when it comes to the 2015 “FANT4STIC,” things are instantly grittier and darker than previous retellings and Trank’s previously mentioned background in “Chronicle” makes it apparent that this is where he’s comfortable as a filmmaker. It’s just a shame that this, unfortunately, is not where Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm excel.
There’s nothing wrong with a fresh narrative or visual shift. “The Wolverine” did well in 2013 as more of a noir adventure for the title character and homage to the Samurai genre, and mainline Marvel movies like “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” a year later successfully pulled off the pivot to a darker tone. But, again, the Four are just not made for this kind of vibe and the execution comes off more boring and gloomy than dark and compelling.
Where the 2000s’ attempts failed thematically, and the 2010s’ attempt was a flop when it came to depiction of the characters and the world around them, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” learns from these mistakes and soars even further.
The mid-century setting that echoes the time Lee and Kirby lived through during the original run of comics is gorgeous and meticulously detailed, utilizing a combination of visual and practical effects that included physical models of the Excelsior spacecraft, the Fantasticar and even an animatronic H.E.R.B.I.E. robot.
The acting in “First Steps” is also superb. True heart is brought by Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby’s Reed and Sue, with the latter actor’s performance being the real stand-out. Joseph Quinn does an amazing job of filling Chris Evans’ shoes as a loveable and witty Johnny; impressive, given that Evans earned Stan Lee’s seal of approval way back in ‘07 for bringing to life his personality and “exuberance.”
Julia Garner is dynamic as Shalla-Bal, Earth-828’s Silver Surfer and herald of Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, showing a lot of depth through the change of heart she has which is spurred on by Johnny in the latter half of the movie.
Ineson is a menacing presence, bringing the stakes that were sorely missed in the 2007 iteration of the character, who really was more a cloud of space dust than an evil villain.
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There isn’t quite as much of The Thing’s usual struggle with being perceived as a “monster” as in other comics or movies, but it makes sense as this one specifically takes place four years after the ill-fated spaceflight, so it seems everyone’s gotten used to his rocky exterior since then. On top of that, little details like Ben picking up his black and white cookies edge-to-edge like a claw machine show that he’s had time to adapt too.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach gives an expressive performance built off these subtle moments, lending Ben more of a quiet air of strength and confidence than one might expect.
The music from Michael Giacchino — probably most famous for his score for, surprise surprise, “The Incredibles” — sounds grand and cosmic. Implementing choral elements in much of the score feels like a deliberate choice, as if signifying the constant pressure, but also support from the people of Earth-828 in their planet’s sole protectors.
Furthermore, the role of all of Earth’s people in the solution to their Galactus problem makes it easy to compare “First Steps” to this year’s “Superman”. They’re both colorful, earnest and hopeful, all qualities that are more than welcome to, with luck, finally shake off Hollywood’s tendency to ship sad, sepia-seeped versions of heroes who were never meant for the Zach Snyder treatment.
Elliott Wood is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
