Movie Review: "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is a Rock-Solid Family Drama
New entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the best representation of this family of heroes.
By Angela Davis
CONTRIBUTOR
Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four, has had a rough time with being adapted to the big screen.
The 2000s duology featuring Jessica Alba has its fans due to nostalgia, but they’re overall pretty forgettable. Meanwhile, the 2015 reboot–starring Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan crashed before it could get started because of its overly serious tone.
Now, the heroes are getting a new shot in the ever-popular Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and this new film proves that the third time is the charm.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a reboot starring Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and the Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), announcing they have a baby on the way. It’s a thrilling time for their teammates, the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bahrach), as the team prepares for the new addition to the family. However, they soon must come face-to-face with an enormous threat in the form of the cosmic planet-eating supervillain, Galactus.
What makes First Steps such an appealing watch is how little homework is needed to understand what’s happening. The movie drops viewers right into its world with a brief recap on the team’s origin. It takes place on an alternate retro-futuristic Earth from the main MCU series. No previously released comics, movies, or TV shows are required to understand what’s going on. It’s a simple story that allows anyone to get invested.
The characters in the center of the story also make this film an enjoyable watch. This is by far the most accurate depiction of the Fantastic Four on the silver screen, easily outpacing the 2015 film and toppling the duology from the 2000s. There’s a constant sense of loving chemistry between the four as they work together to solve a problem bigger than themselves.
Every hero gets a chance to shine, especially the Human Torch, who has a fascinating subplot with Galactus’ herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). In fact, we see him as more than just the comic relief, since he has moments that play heavily into Silver Surfer’s backstory, helping us learn why she serves Galactus.
If there’s anything that holds this film back, it’s that it can be a bit slow at times, especially in its opening act. This is a Marvel film that’s not as action-packed as other films in the MCU, like the Avengers movies.
However, the smaller moments between these characters help it stand apart from standard superhero movies because of how much they make audiences care for them. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a film that wears its 60s roots on its sleeve with pride. It’s certainly not the best Marvel has to offer, but it’s undeniably one of its better entries, with great character work and the best-ever representation of the family of heroes.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:
First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.
First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:
And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”