The Fantastic Four: First Steps [Launch]
The Fantastic Four is one of Marvel’s most important and influential books. In 1961, they revitalized the comic book industry and put Marvel and its method on the map again for the first time since World War II, and paved the way for iconic characters to follow, like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Incredible Hulk. It's baffling, then, to remember that prior to this, there had never been a truly great adaptation of the characters on the big screen. Following an unreleased film in the 90s, two over-the-top and unfunny Hot Shots-esque parody movies that many nevertheless look back fondly on, and a dark and gritty, highly liberty-taking reboot I genuinely consider to be one of the worst films ever made, The Fantastic Four on film had literally nowhere to go but up.
Thankfully, Marvel Studios’ reintroduction of the characters into their cinematic multiverse is as close to a slam dunk as fans could have asked for, despite some small slip ups that prevented the film they did it in from being truly amazing.
The two strongest elements of First Steps are its familial aspects and its retrofuturistic style. The Jetsons/Tomorrowland-inspired setting, with its vibrant colors, flying cars and sleek buildings are an instant way to make the audience care about this new Marvel universe and set it apart from its competition, as well as just being fun to look at. The 60s setting is a perfect match for a film about characters introduced in that era, as well as the clear Space Race and astronaut inspirations. It’s a beautiful world with a spectacular Baxter Building and an adorable robot friend (HERBIE is great, and I love the little head scratches Johnny gives him) that I desperately want to see more of before it is inevitably destroyed in the oncoming reboot/Avengers extravaganza.
The idea of the Fantastic Four being a closely-connected and literal family is the group’s undisputed most vital aspect, and thankfully the new cast here knocks its execution out of the park. Johnny and Ben’s relationship is the most brotherly and genuine we’ve seen yet, and I also love how Johnny teases and interacts with Reed. Reed also has a speech in the middle during his argument with Sue where he discusses how his mind is cursed and he doesn’t dream or feel, which is jaw-droppingly accurate and character-incapsulating. The performances were great, with none of the four running circles around the others; rather, each being a solid turn-in that works best in tandem with the others. Each and every member could be seen as the heart and soul of the team, unlike the last iteration, in which none of them were.
Director Matt Shakman placed a heavy emphasis on practical effects, and even went so far as to say he wanted it to look like this film was made in the 60s. I don’t think that comes across at all, but even so, the film looks good regardless. The miniature usage, like for the intimidating and daunting Galactus, and the tight set design and little details all throughout the world are incredible and clearly time-consuming for the dedicated cast and crew. But the Silver Surfer looks great with her computer-generated effects as well, with a sleek, smooth and very detailed humanistic design. The main CGI thing I didn’t love was the Thing’s mouth specifically, with his weird teeth, which is probably why they gave him a beard in the final act- but I realize this is just nitpicking.
One last huge plus I wanted to discuss was First Steps’ strongest and most unforgettable moment- the birth of Franklin and the simultaneous escape from the Silver Surfer. It’s tense, gripping, thoughtful, and oddly beautiful in a way we haven’t seen from Marvel Studios in a long time. The beauty and intensity of sudden childbirth mixed with a heartracing interstellar escape, complete with a clever ending trap for the Silver Surfer near the black hole and a touching silent moment afterwards led to a breathtaking and artistic few minutes and the clear standout of the film.
As mentioned before, First Steps’ role of leading directly into Avengers: Doomsday doesn’t signal much confidence in the integrity of the newly introduced world. The Secret Wars event deals with “incursions”, pocket dimensions, Battleworld, and multiverse shenanigans, which makes me believe the film’s newly introduced Earth won’t last long, which is a huge bummer. This wouldn’t be a fault of today’s topic, though, if it had itself done a more satisfying job of worldbuilding and showcasing all of its elements working in tandem together. As much as Earth 828 feels lived-in and connected to the Fantastic Four, we don’t see too much of the ordinary people on the ground level. Even the Baxter Building feels empty, as there are only four people in it at any given time. There are several moments, like the mention of a Galactus cult, and an angry mob storming the grounds of the Four’s HQ, that would have been interesting to explore in more detail, similar to some Reed Richards backstory and subplots that seem to have been dropped as well. It’s just a shame that this project didn’t reach its full worldbuilding potential before the inevitable reboot.
This seems to have been a result of reshoots and cut content, though, since there are a plethora of evident and obvious holes left by deleted scenes; axed for the sake of time and pacing at the expense of vast worldbuilding content. An example includes John Malkovich, who filmed scenes as the Red Ghost that were left completely on the cutting room floor, stripping the actor out of the movie. An extended edition, despite being a first for Marvel’s studio, might really make the film shine and give fans a more complete experience.
There are a couple other very minor criticisms I had that would only improve the film slightly, if at all. Vanessa Kirby’s accent is absolutely terrible, and totally needed work. The film's title didn't make much sense, as, while it's clearly an ode to astronaut movies like The Right Stuff (“first steps” on the moon), Franklin doesn't even take his “first steps” in the movie. Reed’s stretchy powers are showcased in a generic and uninteresting way, and I wished they delved into some more unique, wacky applications of his powers from the comics. But by and large, the film doesn't need much more than a couple tweaks, and possibly the aforementioned extended edition, to truly work perfectly.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a cute, fun little adventure about family with oodles of style and charm and still yet emotion and gravitas, particularly towards the middle. It's the first true adaptation of Marvel’s iconic first family, and, like Superman, is unafraid of its comic book origins. I'm really digging this new wave of superhero movies that are colorful, stylish, comic accurate, and embracing of the pages that made these characters so beloved so long ago.
Also, the joke of swapping out HERBIE’s face/tape deck for a new cartridge labeled ‘Space’ made me burst out laughing. So adorable.
