PREMISE
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, the Silver Surfer.
THE GOOD STUFF
THE STORMS– The first two Fantastic Four films that 20th Century Fox did seemed to be centered around Reed Richards, Victor Von Doom, and to a lesser extent…The Thing. They were given the most to do in those movies by a mile, and they were given dimensions to their characters. The Storm siblings, however, were not given this flexibility and were both played with one note respectfully. At this point, it’s unique to see a Fantastic Four film where both Reed Richards and The Thing take a backseat to the Storm siblings in terms of their importance to the overall story.Â
Joseph Quinn portrays Johnny Storm not as a one-note cocky playboy, but as a man who is valiantly noble and has more to contribute to the team than being commanded to chase something or set something on fire. Sue Storm is the most grounded character in the entire movie. No, she’s not the leader of the group, as it’s been said many times, she’s just the character with the most important role in the story that’s being told. I’m surprised that people don’t know the difference.
The aesthetic – Among all the CGI-concocted outer space type fantasy worlds that have appeared throughout the MCU, this one stands out as the best. At times, it feels like Kennedy-era 1960s New York, and other times, it flat-out feels like THE JETSONS. And I say that as endearingly as I possibly can. When the setting shifts to the Galactus side, it introduces a lot more space elements typical of the MCU, but it’s a nice contrast between the two environments.
GALACTUS– There is a way to portray a large-scale entity like Galactus on screen, and yet it still looks… boring, for lack of a better word. That’s kind of done a lot (i.e., ETERNALS). Galactus is a being who consumes planets and can change his shape at will. If done correctly, his presence on screen should be able to trigger one’s megalophobia as it did mine. Galactus looks just impossible to deal with, and that’s precisely how it should be.
THE BAD STUFF
After seeing this, I need to acknowledge two things: the first two 20th-century Fox movies did just a little bit more effectively than what’s been done here. The first thing is….
THE THING– Mind you, The Thing is not bad in this movie, nor is his portrayal by Eden Moss-Bachrach. Everything is fine on that front. However, he doesn’t have a lot to do here. What’s his arc? Everybody else has one. Richards and Sue Storm are the parents of the multiverse’s version of The Infinity Gauntlet. The Silver Surfer and Johnny Storm are also given aspects of the story that are centered directly on them.
Benjamin Grimm does not have these things. He’s here to tell these jokes, and that’s about it. In the former movies, he’s always had to deal with how society treats him because of his looks, and he’s always had a love interest in some way. He does here, but she only shows up for two short scenes, which are a waste of time. The Thing is here for the jokes. One of the physically strongest characters in all the Marvel Universe is just comic relief here.
The second thing that the 20th Century Fox movies executed better than this film does is…
THE SILVER SURFER– In my review for Superman, I couldn’t help but state that my main problem with these damn Superman movies is that the character arc is similar in so many ways in every cinematic portrayal that it’s stale. And I know that there are only two Fantastic Four films that feature the Silver Surfer but the stories are so similar I have to ask if there’s any other way to show this beloved character on screen than to have him (or her) be the lap dog of Galactus.
Do I know how the story of this particular character can fit into the mcu? No. But this is damn near the same story arc. It adds nothing new to this character that we haven’t seen. There is a nice chasing sequence between the Surfer and the Fantastic Four ship, but outside of that, it’s very… bland overall.
THE UGLY STUFF
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Is this a spectacular movie? No. But it’s not a movie with a lot of flaws. I think the overall sentiment about Marvel is that when a film like this happens, it’s supposed to shake up the world. And honestly, I think those days are few and far between. I know the MCU has grown a relatively large share of detractors since this whole multiverse saga began, and that’s justifiable. But if we’re being honest, mediocrity is only based on your expectations.
The real disappointing slip-ups (the marvels, eternals, Ant-Man and the wasp: quantumania) have been few and far between. The excellent stuff (black panther: wakanda forever, guardians of the Galaxy vol 3, Spider-Man: no way home) have been equally as rare. The rest of the field, since the end of the Infinity Saga, has been dealing in various shades of gray. Films that aren’t terrible, but don’t rock your socks off. THE Fantastic four: first steps is the very best of those films that are in those various shades of gray. It’s worth your time, it’s a good night out at the movies, and it’s the most objectively good Marvel film that’s been released this year.Â
THE FANTASTIC 4: FIRST STEPS is in theaters now
