The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 11+.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn) must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
STORY: B
The film avoids a common MCU flaw.
Here’s the flaw it avoids: being so focused on laying the groundwork for its future films that they forget to make the film you just paid to see entertaining.
Instead of force feeding us a load of details that won’t pay off for another few films, Phase Six’s exposition arises naturally as we follow its characters through an engaging, stand-alone story.
The most satisfying part of this movie is that it feels like Marvel’s mind is on us rather than their big project.
PEOPLE: B-
Kirby is the soul of this family.
Marvel tends to stuff dozens of characters in their films. Not this time.
I’d wager that for 80% of the film, the only people on screen are some combination of the four family members. It’s a smart move, one that allows the audience to bond with these characters who will undoubtedly play a huge part in Phase Six.
Everyone delivers a fine performance, but it’s Kirby that stands above the others. They’re all wrestling an inner demon. Kirby figures out how to make hers feel like it’s more than just an add-on. She weaves hers into her DNA, allowing it to augment every facet of her performance.
FILM NERD STUFF: A-
Earth 828 is a retro wonderland.
The architecture! The furniture! The record player that looks so much like Grogu’s hover carrier that I can’t help but think some bizarre Marvel-Mandalorian crossover is about to happen!
This production design team solves the nearly impossible puzzle that their job always asks of them. They create a world that feels familiar and similar to ours, yet all at once wholly unique and completely real.
ONE BIG LESSON: C+
We are family.
It’s not just the set design that feels like a throwback. At the film’s midpoint, the Fantastic Four present their plan to save the world. That plan hinges on the world being able to work together for the common good.
I find it hard to imagine us being able to do this right now. I think the choice to drape the story in a 1960s vibe wasn’t made because it looks cool. The aesthetic allows us to look upon the people in that world and actually believe they’re going to choose to work for the common benefit instead of the selfish one.
Maybe the film will serve as a reminder of what we’re able to accomplish when we work together.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Phase Six is officially underway, and it’s off to a good start. The Fantastic Four: First Steps gives us a new crop of characters to follow and enough enticing threads to make us wonder how they'll be woven together. What more can we ask for from an MCU movie?