Movie Review: FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
The first family of Marvel is here! Fantastic Four: First Steps is helmed by WandaVision director Matt Shakman and features Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing), and Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch). Set on an alternative Earth 828, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) forewarns that they are next to be devoured by the planet-eating cosmic entity Galactus (Ralph Ineson).
First Steps has the burden of setting up a very heavy phase five that ends in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. But the film begins in a personal way – with a husband and wife that are about to embark on a familiar, relatable journey – parenthood. This opening sets the tone for a film that alternates between small family moments, and gigantic, world-ending conflict.
Each character’s super powers do not take away the human element the actor brings to their performance. Ebon Moss-Bachrach has the most difficult task in giving his rock-monster Thing more humanity in just his probing stare (just wait until the scene where he’s the first to figure out Sue Storm is pregnant).
The Fantastic Four theme, composed beautifully by Michael Giacchino, is peppered throughout the film with different instrumentation and tempo for different situations. Heroic horns during a press round-up video of the Fantastic Four kicking ass and saving the city, soft celeste in tender moments featuring Sue and Reed’s baby. We first heard the debut of this theme at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event documented here.
Giacchino’s theme and the score marry perfectly with the stylish 1960’s retro imagery to create a great backdrop for Marvel’s First Family. These posters sum up that retro feel perfectly:
It never ceases to get a big laugh when these films get self-referential. Just like kids want to emulate real-life heroes such as sports figures or even astronauts, kids in this world want to be the Fantastic Four. Seeing children dress as The Thing for Halloween brought me back to my trick or treating days (Sorry Ben Grimm, I chose to go out as the Hulk over you. I’m regretting that decision now). And, much to the chagrin of Grimm this alternate universe even has a cartoon series based on the FF. It’s in this series that The Thing utters the phrase “It’s clobberin’ time!”, a phrase Ben Grimm never says and gets annoyed when citizens, and Johnny Storm, prod him to say it.
A big rousing applause for Julia Garner who can do no wrong (see The Americans, Ozark, Inventing Anna). She takes over the role from legendary performance artist Doug Jones who played the cosmic herald in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). Honestly, I had my doubts about her casting since I’ve always known Silver Surfer to be male. I can now say she is one of my favorite MCU performers! She brings such dimension to what is basically Galactus’s servant who made a deal with the cosmic giant to spare her planet. Now she has to find worlds for him to devour, and the one she finds this time around – Earth! I’m just counting the days until Disney+ announces a Silver Surfer series.
While Fantastic Four doesn’t give us the greatest of the 37 MCU outings, it does give us tender family moments, a fantastic (sorry I went there) score, and Garner’s Silver Surfer. And a casual viewer doesn’t have to worry about having prior Marvel knowledge since it doesn’t rely on having seen past films or series. The plot is laid out so any viewer can follow along easily. Montages and flashbacks quickly tell the viewer what they need to know without burdening them with long drawn-out origin backstory.
TIP: Ask for a closed captioning device in your theater, so you can watch the film with captions. Silver Surfer, The Thing, and especially Galactus have heavy reverb, making them hard to understand at times. Take the guesswork out and get captions!
Fantastic Four: First Steps lands in U.S. theaters July 25, 2025. This movie is definitely worth a theater experience. Will you see the film? Let us know what you thought @skywalkingpod.
