Fantastic Four: First Steps Review
For years, hardcore fans of Marvel’s cinematic universe have clamored for a faithful filmic adaptation of the ‘Fantastic Four’. Non-Marvel attempts at bringing the group to the screen veer from the well-intentioned 1994 effort to the lackluster body horror of Josh Trank’s 2015 Fan4stic. None sufficed, and yet there were those who held out hope Marvel Studios would someday do right by the super-team.
Well, it’s 2025, and that day finally came. And the result?
Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in a perpetual 1960s-land, an airbrushed postcard of a mythic New York City complete with towering skyscrapers, cheerful brownstones, men in fedoras, and wide-eyed women wearing period fashions. Amid this backdrop super-genius Reed (Pedro Pescal) leads a family of astronauts: best friend Ben (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), supportive wife Sue (Vanessa Kirby), and her cocky younger brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn, having the best time of anyone here).
A brief flashback device gives their origin - the four went up to space in a rocket, got bombarded by radiation, and then returned to Earth possessing super powers. As a result, the team have become international heroes. After four years of celebrity, Reed and Sue experience a miracle they’ve tried unsuccessfully for some time - conceiving a child. But this happy event comes right before the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), herald of a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) who intends to literally consume their planet.
How will the four confront this ultimate menace?
The film is well-paced with few action sequences. Those on display, however, capture the cosmic majesty of legendary artist Jack “King” Kirby, considered by some the driving force of the original series. Whereas in the past Marvel Studios claimed Kirby’s influence (studio boss Kevin Feige said as much about 2021’s Eternals), in the case of First Steps the King’s presence infuses every space ship, flying car, and high-tech gadget. We believe the Silver Surfer soars the space-ways; we gaze in awe at the sheer scale and matchless power of Galactus.
Where First Steps really stands out is its portrayal of the First Family as an actual family. In this area, Vanessa Kirby (no relation to Jack) takes center stage as a mother willing to stand in the face of world opinion to protect her child. But tension also arises between Sue and Reed, the world-renowned big brain struggling with a solution to stop the space god; Pescal does some of his best acting here.
In a final analysis, First Steps offers a fresh take on a Marvel franchise that’s needed a win for some time. Creatively at least, they’ve got it; hopefully for the company, the box office receipts will follow suit.
