The Fantastic Four- First Steps review

 

The clue’s in the film title!

 Marvel’s latest is a joyous affair even if it does little more than rearrange familiar scenarios and hit similar beats to countless other movies. Yet it does this with such joi de vivre that you can’t help but be swept along by its likeability and compact pace. Funnier than many Marvel movies it also possesses a warmth missing from some of them so proves to be a strong foundation for the next phase of this ever-expanding universe.

 Spoilers after the break

Its set in an alternate 1960 on Earth -828 but thankfully the dreaded multiverse isn’t a major plot point this time round. In a skilful opening sequence, we learn who the Fantastic Four are, how they ventured into space on a mission that went wrong imbuing each of them with special powers though seemingly not changing their buoyant personalities. Now global celebrities, in between battling various monsters- shown in an exhilarating series of short clips – they all live together. Super boffin Reed Richards (that’s not his power btw, he can stretch his arms indefinitely) and his wife Sue Storm (who can turn invisible- was this a sexist comment on wives when it was first dreamt up?) are essentially parental figures. The other two; pilot and Reed’s best mate Ben Grimm (aka The Thing) and cousin Johnny Storm (who gets two powers for the price of one being able to fly and control fire) live in a state of arrested development like two teenage kids. Sue and Johnny seem to have had superhero surnames before they became superheroes which is odd.

There’s no room in this version for maudlin rumination over what happened, perhaps because it happened four years ago so it’s all pep and banter now. And this works a treat, the first half hour is as much like a Sixties sitcom as it is an action film. The characters are not too deep yet distinctive enough to differentiate them from other superheroes and the absence of Batmanesque moping is, frankly, a relief. The script is actually structured quite similarly to one of those Sixties comedy shows; never laugh out loud funny but amusing and feather light as the four gently josh each other and speak with a sure, efficient manner. This is a welcome break both from trendy cultural chat or the thoughtful superhero trope. For once these seem like people whose every utterance isn’t from the minds of script writers even though obviously it is.

When a silver woman on a surfboard warns Earth it is scheduled for annihilation things have to get more serious yet the tone doesn’t darken too much; largely thanks to Johnny’s fondness for this “hot” woman though this does prove to be a key plot point. The silver lady is a herald for Galactus, a massive metallic cosmic being who apparently eats worlds. Thus the course of the film is set- the FF will, everyone confidently believes, save the world from this danger and they soon take off in a wonderfully retro looking rocket. However, its not as easy as they think it will be especially when it transpires Sue is pregnant though she still goes on the mission. 

What follows is an arresting take on families sticking together and the importance of sticking together. The plot does stray into similar territory as the current Superman movie in that the public’s faith in our heroes is diminished when they fail though this film actually essays that a little more subtly even if  some may find the dilemma too high concept and unlikely. Perhaps Galactus needs some more context to explain an odd change of plan after he’s spent so much time just destroying worlds and ends up having a more specific purpose for coming to Earth. 

The aesthetic of the film is all pastels (especially light blue) and oddly shaped furniture; the only thing lacking is anyone with a beehive hairstyle!  The characters bear close resemblance to the original comics and Galactus in particular is rendered powerfully without the red colours that make him look less threatening on the page though some may recognise the human face in there as Finchy from The Office! The plot to defeat him is simple to follow and enables a ratcheting up of the tension in several directions and while lots of large building topple its mostly by accident as Galactus has very big feet. The film makes the most of what is a slim plot across the last half hour but includes some excellent moments where the family dynamic we’ve seen earlier takes centre stage even in the middle of a crisis.

The seemingly ubiquitous Pedro Pascal convinces as a family man whose intelligence sometimes brings that priority into danger while Vanessa Kirby is anything but invisible due to the character’s key role in the story.  Joseph Quinn has a lot of fun as Johnny while Ebon Moss- Bachrach manages to convey a soulfulness underneath the Thing prosthetics though a sub plot in which he falls for a teacher is cut short. As the Silver Surfer character’s motivations alter during the film Julia Garner handles the change so well. Each of them comes across as identifiable despite the fantastical premise and the narrative is wisely tethered to that feeling however outlandish things get. The climax is actually quite emotionally uplifting which is a surprise and makes that initially underwhelming subtitle First Steps suddenly seem absolutely right. There is an additional scene in the credits which had the audience in the showing I went to whooping but its worth cheering the film itself as being a rewardingly different fit for a genre too willing to fall back on old ideas. Yes, it is fantastic.