Fantastic Flops: The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a Decent Story and Charming Production Design
Even though the Fantastic Four comics kickstarted the creation of the Marvel Universe, their film adaptations have been critically maligned. In the “Fantastic Flops” series, I’m going back and re-evaluating the four previous Fantastic Four films and seeing if they’re a “Flop”, “Bop”, or “In-Between”.
To get the obvious out of the way, after 31 years of struggles and not-so-close calls, we finally have a good live action Fantastic Four film in the clunkily named The Fantastic Four: First Steps. (Franklin Richards is incredibly crucial to this film so I get why they did it though.) Veteran television director Matt Shakman (Wandavision, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and writers Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, and Kat Wood turn in an engaging, retro-futurist standalone yarn that honors the spirit of those early Jack Kirby and Stan Lee comics while adding psychological and ethical dilemmas that come from some of the more contemporary runs like Jonathan Hickman’s work in the early 2010s.
The best thing that Fantastic Four: First Steps has going for it is the production design. Kasra Farahani crafts a world where in the 1960s Marvel Comics only published Fantastic Four comics for the first four years of its existence instead of immediately expanding its universe and bringing back old superheroes like Captain America. Shakman uses breezy news reel montages to establish a utopian world that would make New Deal Democrats, flower children, and sci-fi fanzine readers all smile in perfect harmony. There is a sheen, but also a lived-in feel to the technology used by the Fantastic Four on their various missions as well as the Baxter Building and downtown Manhattan. It’s a shiny, happy world, but there are some rough edges like when Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) goes to his old neighborhood in Yancy Street to get black and white cookies and perform feats of strength for kids at the local Hebrew school. (The Thing’s Jewish heritage is very much intact in this film.) The attention paid to the brave old/new world helps keeps the stakes real when a regal, yet slightly melancholy Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) heralds the coming of Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and the end of this universe. As a cherry on top, Michael Giacchino’s score perfectly blends soaring heroism and sci-fi exploration.
Let’s continue on to the casting. I didn’t love Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, and he doesn’t have the charisma that Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan had in previous iterations of the character. Although charming in other roles, Pedro Pascal doesn’t quite pull off the universe’s smartest man, Reed Richards in the science speak sequences. This is really a difficult role to cast. I did find him endearing as a clueless, new dad and trying to override the part of his brain that treats everything like a problem to solve. Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman carries the film. She bring heart, humanity, diplomacy, and a mother’s love that turns a moment that could have been a deus ex machina, close the portal, and end the movie type sequence into something emotionally resonant. There’s a big “having it all”, second wave of feminism energy into the way that she’s written as Invisible Woman that fits the period as she is a mother, de facto team leader, and quite the diplomat as well. There’s a sequence where she smooths over a moral dilemma that should be required viewing in public relations courses.
So, if it only got the casting about half-right, then why does Fantastic Four: First Steps succeed where its predecessors failed? It is because Shakman and the writing team understands the Fantastic Four are at the best when they’re solving problems and not just punching bad guys. I love the impossible dilemma that is set for the team: choosing between giving Reed and Sue’s firstborn child to Galactus or giving the Earth to the Devourer. The preparation of Galactus’ invasion is actually one of the most underrated and engaging parts of the film. It’s entertaining watching Reed test all kinds of science and equations while Sue markets them to folks around the world. This is while Johnny Storm becomes a linguistics expert because he has a little crush on the Silver Surfer, and Ben Grimm has a crush of his own on Rachel (An always spectacular Natasha Lyonne) and connects with his neighborhood before the end of days. And when the initial plan fails, it’s fun to watch the team move and adjust on the fly. They’re like a well-oiled machine that’s been doing this for four years, helped usher in a utopian society, and of course, their next challenge is fighting God.
Another element that makes Fantastic Four: First Steps a successful film is the aura that Matt Shakman, the visual effects team, Garner, and Ineson give to the Silver Surfer and Galactus. As revealed in the trailers, the movie uses a comics-accurate design for Galactus, and I love how Ralph Ineson in both voice and motion capture plays the antagonist like a universal constant and force of nature, not a malevolent being. He really wishes he could stop doing this, but someone has to keep the scales balanced in the universe. It’s a similar situation with the tragic Shalla-Bal who acts as Galactus’ herald because she wants to keep her planet and children safe. I love the parallels that Shakman, the writers, Vanessa Kirby, and Julia Garner draw between the Silver Surfer and Invisible Woman, and the flashback scene is pure tragic poetry. It’s nice to see these iconic characters finally get their due in live action, and the writers wisely leave a door open for them to return. Also, hell yeah, the power cosmic!
Despite some less than stellar casting, jokes that unfortunately don’t land, and a return sequence from Galactus’ ship to Earth that drags on and on, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is an entertaining retro sci-fi blockbuster with clever world-building and memorable production design plus a multi-faceted lead performance from Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm-Richards that makes up for the way the character was poorly written and portrayed in previous films. The battle against Galactus is fittingly epic, and it makes you want to pore over Jack Kirby splash pages or re-read those Jonathan Hickman trade paperbacks. Also, in a similar vein to its movie-mates Superman and Thunderbolts, it’s nice to have superhero films that tell a complete story and have decent character arcs instead of just trying to set up the next installment.
(P.S. I need a Disney Plus animated series in the style of the second post credits scene!)
Overall: 7.0
Verdict: Bop
