A New Era for the Fantastic Four
It’s been a long time since a Marvel movie has captured the essence of its characters as vividly as The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This film is a nostalgic yet fresh take on the "First Family" of Marvel, blending a family soap opera with a thrilling adventure. In many ways, no other entry in the MCU has felt as detailed or inspired, let alone shown as much adoration for Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original comic book material. It seems like the thirty-seventh time really is the charm.
Set in a separate universe from the more grounded stories of the MCU — from the original Iron Man to the recent Thunderbolts — First Steps plunges viewers into the ongoing adventures of Marvel's iconic "First Family." The film quickly establishes their personal dynamics and keeps these relationships central throughout its fast-paced moments and sudden tonal shifts. This approach ensures that even with the signature slapdash CGI of Marvel Studios, the heart of the story remains strong and genuine.
First Steps functions both as an adaptation of a notoriously hard-to-translate roster (it's the fourth go-around for these characters since 1994), while also standing on its own merits. While the plot is straightforward and unfolds with sincerity, the film is filled with raucous humor and whizbang action moments reminiscent of classic sci-fi serials. Its sense of scale is not just about danger and destruction but also about palpable emotional stakes, making it one of the most inspired four-quadrant Hollywood blockbusters since — quite fittingly for a Disney-owned film — Pixar's The Incredibles.
What is The Fantastic Four: First Steps About?
The film opens with a novel title card pulled from the 1960s, welcoming viewers into the home of Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal). Instead of the usual first-act fireworks, the film starts with a surprisingly domestic scene. Sue has just taken a pregnancy test and is waiting to share the news. Meanwhile, Reed is obsessively focused on a task, as he often does in the comics. But this isn't a spaceship; it's a regular Earthly house where Reed is working on something mundane: searching every drawer for an everyday item.
On paper, this might seem unremarkable, but in performance and character blocking, it perfectly captures the dynamic between Reed and Sue. Their relationship, filled with both fear and excitement, becomes the foundation for the heightened drama throughout First Steps. The prospect of having a baby brings out both their hopes and fears, with Sue elated and Reed prepared to infant-proof the world if needed.
As they share the news with Sue's immature brother, Johnny (Joseph Quinn), and their best friend, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), a passionate family portrait emerges. Each member prepares to add another to the pack, creating a mix of trepidation and bickering. Apart from Ben's appearance, an unfamiliar viewer might not immediately realize there's anything unusual about the family. Eventually, Sue wields invisibility and force fields, Johnny spontaneously combusts, and Reed stretches like taffy, revealing their extraordinary powers.
A Character-Driven Adventure
The film takes a character-first approach, reducing the family's well-worn origin story — being hit by cosmic rays during a space mission — to an energetic montage. It includes highlights from their first few years as crimefighters, with retro-futuristic designs and the family's robot helper H.E.R.B.I.E. giving the movie a feel similar to The Jetsons. Flying cars in the distance and sleek, curved public screens add to the futuristic vibe, with a TV host (Mark Gatiss) providing context for the audience.
Amidst the congenial hubbub and brotherly banter, danger arises. Mysterious space transmissions lead to the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), who announces the impending apocalypse by her master, Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Faced with this intergalactic threat, the team returns to outer space to track down the ancient villain — a skyscraper-sized, biomechanical demigod driven only by hunger. However, their plan to negotiate goes awry when Galactus senses something special about Sue's unborn son and demands the boy in exchange for Earth's survival.
This sets up the central philosophical dilemma of First Steps, forcing the family to confront their roles as humanity's saviors. The film draws inspiration from the 1960s "Silver Age" of comics, echoing the optimism of the Space Race and the era's utopian ideals. The film's era-appropriate designs are eye-popping, with hints of grainy, archival footage capturing the team's fateful venture past the stratosphere — they are this world’s first astronauts, hence the title.
A Throwback to Classic Adventures
First Steps is a throwback not only to Marvel's mid-century décor and retro superheroes but also to an old-fashioned sense of adventure. Told through broad emotional strokes and accompanied by composer Michael Giacchino's bubbly, operatic score, the film blends nostalgia with futuristic elements. The gravity of a wormhole bends space lasers helter-skelter, and the time dilation of a neutron star becomes a key part of an escape plan. Amid all this cosmic chaos, the film centers trust and intimacy, with characters floating in zero gravity sharing vital moments of transformation.
In a cinematic universe dominated by grounded villains with politically muddled motives, Ralph Ineson's Galactus stands out as a truly Kirby-esque horror. A being whose objective is to consume in order to survive, he's elemental and a force of nature with no conscience. On the flip side, the morally earnest Fantastic Four strive to foster global cooperation, echoing the spirit of Ridley Scott's The Martian.
A Stellar Cast and Strong Dynamics
The cast of First Steps is exceptional, with each interaction between the Fantastic Four members telling you everything you need to know about their history. The film doesn't simply coast on comic-inspired details but builds its plot through each character's response to danger. Johnny's hotshot eagerness, Ben's steadfast balance of kindness and no-nonsense enthusiasm, Reed's pedantic consideration of every possible solution, and Sue's fierce love, externalized as protective energy shields, all contribute to the story's richness.
Sue, known as the Invisible Woman, is given a prominent role, with Vanessa Kirby exuding vigilance and radiance. Her vulnerable moment, where she appeals to people's better angels, is a rare and powerful scene in superhero films. Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben provides quiet understanding, finding the measured humanity within the character through his voice performance. Joseph Quinn's Johnny, trying to live up to the examples set by his elders, adds depth to the story.
But the movie's biggest strength is Reed, played by Pedro Pascal. He shapes Mr. Fantastic with obsessive cautiousness and a drive for logical altruism. His probabilistic logic involves considering the most inhumane options, which makes him a walking paradox. The Reed-Sue dynamic is particularly compelling, counterbalancing the film's sense of worldwide camaraderie with interpersonal domestic drama.
A Balance of Nostalgia and Spectacle
When First Steps inevitably reaches its noisy climax, occasionally losing its geographical compass, what remains firmly affixed is its character-centric core and sense of wide-eyed adventure. The Fantastic Four will eventually end up in a more drab version of their reality when they cross paths with the larger MCU, but for now, their self-contained relaunch is a rare miracle of superhero cinema. The film strikes a balance between fidelity to enduring characters and the demands of big-screen spectacle for new audiences.
In a word, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is fantastic. It opens in theaters July 24.
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