The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Review

Since the dawn of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there have been a lot of characters that fans wanted to see on the screen. While we have seen some lesser-known characters get their time to shine, Marvel’s first family were left alone for the longest time. But after some right issues went away, they have finally hit the screen. Was the long wait worth it, or are these first steps, a step in the wrong direction?

In terms of story, I won’t dive into it too much, in order to avoid spoilers, but I will say a little. There were a few things that I liked about the characters and the overall story and things I did not like. What I enjoyed were that the characters felt like they were in the comics, Reed is smart but more neurotic than anything for example. All the other characters have their strengths and I won’t dive into them, but I feel like all the characters had moments of growth. With each of the main four, there were times that they felt like a real family, complete with moments of mockery. That also means that the characters also know how others are going to react, which again shows just how much they know and care for each other. The two villains, Silver Surfer and Galactus are not as strong, simply due to how much limited time they have on the screen.

Which brings me to the bad about the story, it is too quick. The opening moments recap the years between when the group went to space and returned, discovered their abilities and such. I like that, their origin story didn’t need to be told again, there are versions in the 2005 film and the 2015 one. Sure, this means that if you either have never seen them, or forgot them, things might be harder to track, but that is minor. The speed for the rest of the story is the problem, from the time that Sue discovers she is pregnant and gives birth, maybe 40 minutes flies by. In that time, there is nothing on the screen to indicate that time is actually progressing. Yes, there are comments about time passing, but those are blink and you miss it moments, visually there is very little that shows the passage of time. The Marvels had a similar problem, by speeding into the big threat, there is no chance for anyone to gain appreciation for characters, good or bad, before events kick off.

The one area of the film that I can’t really complain about is the look, because the retro futuristic vibe is just done so well. I knew from the trailers that there was a look they were going to stick with and at no point did any of it feel out of place. There was a moment early on in the movie when Nation on Wheels, which was composed in the 1960’s for a Disneyland tv ad and then was used in the park in Tomorrowland, which still sports that retro-futuristic vibe. The sets themselves were incredible, even the inside of Galactus’ ship was amazing, from what we could see due to how dark it was. Even the look of the streets, with the cars and signs felt grounded, even when Ben was walking down them.

It is weird to think that within the space of 12 months we have seen the traditional look of the Fantasti-car and the new one, and I honestly liked them both. The car that is used in this movie was great, because it looked like a normal road car, but then would fly when needed. Perhaps what set the look for the film for me was the lab of Reed, it was long and not stacked on many floors like many expected and that felt right to the character. Reed has been known for stretching himself thin, even prior to getting his abilities and a room that lets him do just that feels right. The colours were great at establishing a setting, but it also gave the room a sense of use, rather than just being cold and clinical.

Of course, we can’t talk about a superhero movie without addressing the powers of the heroes. In most Marvel movies, the powers just seem to be forgotten and the hero ends up punching the bad guy and don’t get me wrong they do that here as well. But the Fantastic Four has always been about using all their strength and not just the strength of their powers. I think in the end, we saw maybe only 5 minutes of Reed using his powers, and one of those appearances was just a generic moment, nothing special. This is perhaps the most time we have seen a superhero being less super and I love it. Don’t get me wrong, it is great when Captain America punches folks, but when Tony Stark does it, it feels like they forget who he is. Stark wins his first big battle at the end of the first movie, by using his smarts and that is what we get here, a team that relies on their previous abilities in order to win the day and it feels like the creative team behind the movie get the characters which feels rare these days.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a good movie, it takes some characters that a lot of folks know, but gives them space to be less superhero and more everyday hero. The story is interesting, but it feels like events just power through, in order to get to the final confrontation. This means that for anyone who does not know the characters histories, it will be easy to get lost in the action. For fans, I think this is one of the best adaptations of the comics, not only because of the way the characters are treated, but also the setting. Is this the best Marvel movie of the year, no but it is a pretty fantastic one nonetheless.

The Score

8.0

The Pros

The main cast is fantastic, pun intended and each of them makes their characters feel real

The visual style of the movie is on point and as such it feels like it could have actually happened

The Cons

The story powers through far to quickly, which goes against the lack of visible progression to the flow of time

The bad guys are not really given a lot of screen time, which does make them feel underused