On July 25, The Fantastic Four: First Steps” concluded a summer of other major blockbuster successes, grossing $117,644,828 domestically on opening weekend. With three other attempts at bringing the iconic characters and stories to the big screen, none quite fully captured the comics charm and narrative, and many wondered how this movie could succeed where the others have fell short. The super family has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has set in motion a hero film revival, like they did in 1961 with their debut comic book issue. Despite the decline in quality in the previous years, many believe that this movie ushers in the return of original Marvel movies like Iron Man and Captain America. But does it truly earn that much credit?
Fantastic Four had a stunning score composed by Michael Giacchino, who also did work for other successes like 2022’s “The Batman”. The score mixed retro synth sounds with complex orchestral backing, which brought the listeners into the world of the movie. Perfectly complementing this, the sets and color palette of the movie reflected a ’60s feel that almost turned it into a period piece. The costumes for the heroic family were incredible, despite their simplicity. This plain aspect has been surprisingly lacking in recent marvel movies. With a rise of over-designed suits and complicated helmets, the clean suits of the “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is visual evidence that this movie has its roots in the original comic books.
Thematically, this film covers ground that surprised me. For one, there were strong messages of family and how to persevere together despite differences. Seeing all the family members interact with each other in different settings really presented a well-rounded look at the cast of characters. Specifically, the relationship between Joseph Quinn’s Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bacharach’s The Thing offered a classic look at their dynamic which was missing in the earlier adaptations. Their moments of collaboration were heartfelt, and their moments of friction were real and brother-like. Another theme that was at the heart of the movie was one of motherhood, carried out by Vanessa Kirby’s Invisible Woman. Her performance was outstanding and really captured the lengths that a mom would go for her child. With the looming cosmic demise of earth, a pregnant Sue Storm, alongside the family, has to choose between the life of her child or the fate of the planet. This fresh narrative, as well as the coinciding scenes of tension, offer raw moments that showcase her loving and protective nature.
Some things that I take issue with in this movie is the continual use of humor to cut the tension in major action scenes. Despite the clever dialogue written for The Human Torch and the Thing, there were still instances where scenes lost their gravitas at the expense of a joke or two. Another critique I hold for the movie is that it was slightly rushed. I loved watching the scenes with Ben Grimm and his life outside of the family and was left wanting more of it. I enjoyed the action sequences and the exceptional use of CGI for Galactus. However, many people— including myself— were confused by the lack of CGI used for the powers of Pedro Paschal’s Mr. Fantastic.
Despite these minor faults, “Fantastic Four: First Steps” was an excellent movie with great family values. For anyone hesitant to watch Marvel movies after “Avengers: Endgame”, this is a great place to start. Being a standalone movie with little connections to “the bigger storyline” and its upcoming release to streaming, this movie is accessible to everyone. With an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.3/10 on IMDB, I don’t think I am the only one who wants to see more of these superheroes.
Photo Courtesy of Jhonathan Cooper in Pexels
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