The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a Fittingly Fantastic Film
Written by Parker Ashley
Edited by J. Nagle
The reboot of The Fantastic Four by Marvel Studios did not disappoint. The Fantastic Four: First Steps follows the team not only facing off against Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), but the challenge of preparing for a new member of the family. It may not be a perfect film, but it sure as hell is a good ride. So buckle up and listen to my thoughts on The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Abandon all hope ye who enter here: There will be spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen the film yet and plan to, then don’t read ahead.
I’d like to start off with some of the things which I really enjoyed about the film, and there are a lot. I really enjoy the production design; the retro-futuristic aesthetic not only fits the film very well, but looks amazing. Retrofuturism has a soft spot in my heart and this movie pulls it off incredibly. I also really enjoyed the segment where the Fantastic Four are captured by Galactus’ ship. The scenes were really good on their own, but I loved the design of the ship itself. The vast industrial megastructure of Taa II tickles my brain in a way not many environments do. It may be a strange comparison, but a visually immersive environment like this reminded me of that which the game Rain World takes place in. The impossibly large brutalist structure of it, while not being as lively as that which the game portrays, has the same vibe as some of the more industrious parts of its map.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the dynamic between Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and the Silver Surfer. Their interactions and relationship throughout the narrative was really well done in my opinion. Johnny Storm is an amazing character in general throughout the film and Joe Quinn gave a great performance. I don’t think I would enjoyed the movie nearly as much as I did if he didn’t commit to performing the character how he did, and he’s probably my favorite character in the film for that reason.
While this film is fantastic, I do have a few critiques in regards to it. One of my biggest problems with this film is the public’s reaction to Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and Reed Richards’ (Pedro Pascal) decision not to surrender their baby. The outcry itself seems accurate and very well deserved in-universe, but the fact their later reaction amounts to “Oh, she’d move heaven and earth for us? It’s all good.” seems like lazy writing. She’s still putting the entire world at risk for her child, that’s one of the biggest stakes of the narrative. No speech would be able to change people’s minds like that.
Another small problem I personally have is that in both the comics and upon his introduction in the film, Galactus is portrayed as very powerful, having godlike powers and possessing the Power Cosmic. But when he gets to Earth, he just kinda… walks around? He can devour entire worlds, but he just walks around when he gets out of his chair? (Spoiler warning for Annihilation and The Mighty Thor Annual) In the comics, he has been shown to have destroyed three whole star systems and a majority of the gigantic Annihilation Wave in Annihilation. Keep in mind, he was in a weakened state when he did this. On top of that, the clash of power between Galactus, Scrier, and The Other was going to destroy The entire Multiverse, “Time and Space are bent to the breaking point, Reality itself groans like an ancient house about to collapse.” So how the hell did he get defeated by being pushed into a portal? To be fair, that’s just in the comics. Galactus as portrayed in the MCU is a different version compared to that as all MCU characters as, and even in the comics his power scaling is very inconsistent. Still, it feels like he didn’t even fight back when faced with a battle he should have had more than a chance in hell of winning.
Despite my criticisms, The Fantastic Four: The First Steps is an really enjoyable watch and I couldn’t recommend it more. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely add it to your watch list. I give it a solid 8.5 out of 10!
Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters worldwide.