The Fantastic Four: First Steps is fun, visually splendid, and a tad emotionally aloof

 

It's a 21st-century year ending in the number five, so you know what that means. It's time for a new reboot of the Fantastic Four. This time, Marvel's First Family are directed by WandaVision helmer Matt Shakman and don't waste time with an origin story. Taking place in an alternate dimension in 1964, screenwriters Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer begin The Fantastic Four: First Steps in media res with Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) discovering she's pregnant.

 Upon telling the news to husband Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), she reassures him, even with a kid on the way, "nothing's going to change."

How ironic she'd say that since the Fantastic Four are more aware than anyone how inevitable change is. This quartet of souls, which also includes Johnny Storm/The Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), went on a routine trip to outer space and came back with superpowers, after all. You can’t beat back change, no matter how many lives oy save or fires you extinguish.

Further upheaval emerges when the cosmic entity Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) descends into Times Square and tells the Earth’s population that the planet will soon be devoured by her superior: Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Now, the Fantastic Four must save our world while juggling an expanding family.

The last three 21^st century Fantastic Four movies were clearly trepidatious on the unabashedly goofy exploits these characters get into in the comics. That’s why Rise of the Silver Surfer turned Galactus into a cloud, 2015’s Fantastic Four drained all the color from their world, and Doctor Doom was never handled well across all these productions. First Steps, meanwhile, ditches any self-conciousness or Joss Whedon-style quips to lend gravity to these unabashedly ludicrous crime-fighters. These superheroes don’t just suddenly resemble their comic incarnations but are realized with a sense of reverence.

Unfortunately, this also inspires a drier aesthetic that sometimes kept me at arm’s length. In trying to realize The Fantastic Four “properly”, the script is often too buttoned-up for its own good. Extended scenes focus on rehashing Archimedes quotes rather than finding more visually or emotionally exhilarating ways of communicating information. Plus, despite First Steps wanting to be a character-driven piece, awkward filmmaking issues (namely in the editing and pacing) undercut those ambitions.

Grimm’s two nighttime voyages to his childhood home of Yancy Street are especially plagued with distracting continuity issues and clumsy ADR. It’s hard to understand his interior world through such peculiar visual shortcomings. A slower pacing and emphasis on dialogue isn’t enough to lend immediate weight to your movie if we never get closer to the characters or themes.

Thankfully, First Steps is a sumptuous treat in its outfits and sets, which helps keep the endeavor afloat during its choppiest, exposition-skewing sequences. Production designer Kasra Farahani and costume designer Alexndra Byrne’s exquisite work unabashedly leans into a retro-futuristic aesthetic littered with colors. Domiciles like the Fantastic Four’s living room inspire you to crane your neck to catch all the neat details and intricacies in every corner. In a summer where F1, Ballarina, and Jurassic World Rebirth filled movie theater screens with such drab backdrops, First Steps dares to embrace tactile, imaginative scenery.

Similarly commendable is Shakman’s willingness to go whole-hog on cosmic mayhem. There’s a mid-movie chase sequence in the cosmos involving the Silver Surfer that’s like if Interstellar and Baby Driver fused together. Watching this thrilling set piece, it’s hard to remember a time back in 2010 when internet commentors understandably wondered if Thor could ever work in a movie. Galactus, meanwhile, appears on-screen in bright sunlight adorned in a glistening, purple outfit that’s incredibly appealing to the eye.

Juxtaposing that delightfully maximalist material with distinctly 60s elements, such as recording mysterious alien languages on vinyl records, creates irresistibly enjoyable dissonance. Just as entertaining is watching Vanessa Kirby absolutely crush it as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman. Her immense performing chops from The World to Come are superbly utilized as Storm implores a crowd to express compassion towards her baby. Shakman and the writers exude great confidence in not capping the sequence with either a joke or big action beat. They just let the raw emotions and plea for empathy simmer. Plus, who needs a quip or explosion when the famously visceral talents of Kirby are on hand?

Meanwhile, Ebon Moss-Bacharach and Ralph Ineson leave no crumbs as the most heightened First Steps characters. The former performer especially nailed the lived-in gruffness that’s always made The Thing such a great character. Ineson, meanwhile, channels the towering sense of authority that’s always served him well in projects like The VVitch or The Green Knight. Galactus could’ve just been another CG comic book movie finale baddie. Thankfully, with Ineson around, there’s a palpable danger and commanding aura to this larger-than-life being.

The greatest actor in the feature, though, is Paul Walter Hauser in a brief appearance as Fantastic Four foe Harvey Elder/The Mole Man. In his one big third-act scene, Hauser shows up talking in a slightly higher-pitched voice while his cadence lends dramatic emphasis on every word he says. He doesn’t just apologize to Sue Storm, he’ll say things like “Sorry Sue…(brief dramatic pause) END of days, you know.”

This audacious approach is an absolute riot, especially since it’s so different from this tremendously talented actors prior performances in movies like I, Tonya and BlacKkKlansman. Unfortunately, it also made me wish more of the First Steps cast had gone in that direction. If everyone’s performances (save for Ineson, Moss-Bachrach, and Kirby) had been modulated in this direction, First Steps could’ve leapfrogged from being a fun summertime viewing to something truly special.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is still an enjoyable watch, though, especially in its little displays of characterization. Anytime Johnny and Ben act like adolescent brothers with their bickering, I was grinning from ear-to-ear. Ditto any of the instances where Johnny’s scratching helpful robot servant H.E.R.B.I.E.’s. head. Best of all, First Steps, unlike other superhero movies such as Eternals (which I do have a soft spot for otherwise), doesn’t abandon its better qualities for a noisy CG-laden finale.

Instead, the climactic showdown with Galactus is a natural extension of pre-established character beats, not to mention a lot of fun to watch. Hinging this duel around Sue Storm is also an inspired decision lending emotional grounding to a very heightened skirmish. As a whole feature, First Steps needed more That Thing You Do! energy and less buttoned-up Interstellar vibes. Thankfully, its emotional moments hit more often than not and its sense of showmanship (especially in the stories second-half) is strong. Contrary to what Sue Storm says, change is indeed inevitable. That reality ensures this latest Fantastic Four reboot significantly improves on its predecessors, even if it’s summer 2025’s weakest superhero feature.