Fantastic Four: First Steps – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Matt Shakman
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Ralph Ineson

In cinemas July 24

Can Pedro Pascal and a baby save the MCU and the world? That seems to be Marvel’s plan after their juggernaut superhero franchise slowed down somewhat following disappointing recent releases.

I’m sure the sight of the internet’s favourite daddy cradling a tiny tot will cause many women’s ovaries to jump for joy. But it takes more than that to make a hit movie, and Fantastic Four is one of those adaptations Marvel has never really been able to crack despite numerous attempts. One effort didn’t even get a release; it was deemed so inadequate.

Wisely, they decide to skip the origin story, which has been the focus of most previous efforts. It features as part of a short TV broadcast but isn’t the focus of the story. By the time we meet the quartet, they are already fantastic, and Reed Richards (Pascal) and Sue Storm (Kirby) are expecting the aforementioned baby. Rather than present day, this is set in a retro futuristic version of the 1960s, which is more in keeping with their early comic book appearances.

Thanks to their superpowers and protection, the world is a safe and harmonious place. That is, until Julia Garner’s gender swapped Silver Surfer arrives to inform them that an entity called Galactus (Ineson) plans to consume their planet. She conveniently makes this announcement on the foursome’s doorstep rather than anywhere else in the world, even though this is a global issue. When Galactus offers them a deal to save the Earth at a terrible personal cost, the clock is ticking as they try to figure out an alternative way to bring him down.

There is a lot that’s good with this. As a fan of kitsch and classic sitcoms, I loved the retro settings. It also felt more authentic to the characters than recent iterations. There is also a lot of humour – something which has been sorely lacking in Marvel movies for some time. Also, the effects are convincing and not overused, as the emphasis is on the characters.

However, it is the casting that has mainly caused previous efforts to fall flat and to be fair to Marvel, they have really upped the ante here, bringing in actors who already have their own cult followings from previous work. The problem with roles like this is that all four actors have to have chemistry and embody the part.

They definitely tick the chemistry box, but as for the characterisation…Quinn makes for a charming Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, but he is lacking in the cheeky humour that made Chris Evans’ version so endearing in 2005’s Fantastic Four. He was one of the best things about that film.

Kirby is fantastic as The Invisible Woman, Sue Stor,m bringing an underlying strength to the character that has been lacking in previous incarnations.

The Bear star Moss-Bachrach manages to break through the stone façade of The Thing and bring emotional depth to the character despite the restrictions of motion capture.

Meanwhile, Pascal does a decent turn as Reed Richards, Mr Fantastic – sadly, it just never fully lands. He seems to have raised his voice a register – perhaps he was worried about comparisons to his other famous role as the Mandalorian – but this only serves to ensure he appears even less stoic than the character merits. Pascal is a fine actor, but he doesn’t seem to embody the Reed that comic book fans have grown up with. I found myself wishing they had given John Krasinski, who played the role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022, a decent shot at the part.

There are plans to take this current lineup beyond this movie – it has already been announced they will be appearing in Doctor Doom – and it will be interesting to see how the characters evolve. In the meantime, this is an entertaining fever dream that works as a decent popcorn movie, and while it might not set the Marvel universe on fire, it will definitely ignite its pilot light.