Marvel’s First Family finally arrives, late to the party, with various iterations of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy and even the Eternals having come and gone while we were waiting. And where have Reed Richards and his family been all this time? In an alternate universe, as the sole heroes of Earth-828.
You know the drill; Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) is the smart, stretchy one; wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) is the Invisible Mom; Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) the flaming hothead, and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) the strong one. Because this is the second, third or fourth time we’ve encountered these characters (depending on whether or not you watched the 1994 misfire or 2015’s Fant4stic), precious little time is spent on set-up.
Instead, Matt Shakman’s MCU instalment finds Reed and Sue already married, and with a child on the way. This coincides with the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), who warns them that a potentially world-ending threat is coming in the form of eternally ravenous space giant Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson, and not a fart cloud this time). As a re-introduction to the Fantastic Four, it’s a brisk one, although Shakman gets the audience up to speed with charming use of this universe’s newsreels, Saturday morning cartoons, and talk show footage (welcome to the MCU, Mark Gatiss!)
Shorn of all ties to the larger cinematic universe, First Steps is the most accessible Marvel film in a long time. In stark contrast to this year’s Thunderbolts*, it largely goes without interruption from cameos, backstory or sequel set-up. Keen to know where all this is headed? A now as-standard post-credits scene has got you sorted. But until then, sit back and enjoy the ride.
‘Ride’ being an accurate descriptor for a film which, much of the time, feels like something out of Walt Disney’s EPCOT. Fans had long clamoured for a 60s-set Fantastic Four film, and First Steps delivers on the retro-futurism front. Free of all that nanobot nonsense which plagues modern Marvel, Shakman is free to play with old-timey uniforms, cute sidekick HERBIE and even a Fantasticar.
As for the foursome themselves, Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach prove to be Marvel’s strongest additions in years. Pascal and Kirby have chemistry for days as Mister and Mrs Fantastic, while the requisite banter between Quinn and Moss-Bachrach is perfectly on point. The film has a tendency to take its characters for granted, meaning that we don’t get to know any one of them that well, but there are some interesting flavours in Johnny’s surprisingly ambitious streak and Ben’s love of cooking. If anyone suffers, it’s Reed and Sue; he comes across as somewhat cold and distant, while she often has little to do but play the barefoot mom.
It may have moved universes, but First Steps has retained some unfortunate bad habits from the larger franchise. The running “clobberin’ time” gag is one of the film’s most tiresome, and an ugly CGI baby is one of the worst things the MCU has spat out since Quantumania‘s MODOK. Still, it’s a brighter and breezier film than any of Marvel’s recent efforts, brimming with renewed energy and enthusiasm for the future.
Is the MCU back on track? Assuming it ever went away in the first place (and we’d argue that Wakanda Forever and Thunderbolts* are almost on a par with the franchise’s best), this is another step back in the right direction.
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS is out now in UK cinemas now.
