Fantastic Four Movie Review | Marvel's First Family Returns

I admit I went into this movie with the lowest of expectations. It’s not because I have superhero fatigue—I love superheroes. I’ll never get enough. But what I do have is MCU fatigue. In my view, the last great MCU movie was Infinity War. Endgame was good, but there were lots of problems. Since that time, the majority of the movies and shows that followed have ranged from mid to terrible. So, my faith in Marvel Studios was pretty much at rock bottom.

But thankfully, this MCU film doesn’t feel like an MCU film.

A few positive reviews led me to check out Fantastic Four: First Steps, and honestly, I’m glad I was able to see it in the theater. One of the selling points for me from the get-go was the retro-future ’60s aesthetic. It’s a great move on the film’s part. It’s a time of great hope, optimism, and ambition—and this film reflects that. It delivers on the future we were promised back then at the World’s Fair, in books and films. And the FF feels just as right in this setting as Captain America did in WWII.

The production value is excellent—everything looks authentically sci-fi ’60s. I can see the influence of design from films of that era, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, in the aesthetics of Reed’s lab. The Excelsior harkens back to the rocket ships of the 1950s films I loved and also honors its comic book source material. In fact, this may be one of the best translations of a comic setting to film since the first Thor. They really nailed the look and feel—all the notes are just right.

Along with that, the themes are well-handled for the most part. The ideas of family and motherhood are some of the strongest elements here. Wisely, having the team already established as superheroes lets the plot get cooking right away so we can see the dynamics between Marvel’s First Family.

We get a Ben who has adjusted to his existence and is no longer a constantly suffering mope, and a Johnny who has had time to mature into someone less callous in his relationships with others. I enjoyed how they bantered like brothers. Meanwhile, Reed and Sue fit nicely as a married couple—even when things aren’t always perfect. With so many decades of history to draw from, I feel like they got the balance right between Sue’s fierceness and clear-headed maternal instincts, and Reed’s obvious love for his family, despite the fact that his abnormal intelligence is both a blessing and a curse.

The actors all did a fine job in their roles. Moss-Bachrach is such unexpectedly good casting as The Thing, and the film focuses a bit more on his lighter side, given his acceptance of his monstrous form. Kirby is incredibly believable as a mother fighting for the life of her child, and Pascal plays the nerdy introvert well. Quinn’s Johnny Storm shows us that Johnny isn’t just impulsive bravado—he’s smart too, and it works nicely.

Garner is not the Silver Surfer we saw in the 2007 movie—that version was done to perfection—but her Shalla-Bal is intriguing. Whereas Norrin Radd was cold in his declaration of Earth’s destruction, Shalla-Bal tries to soften the blow—a move that feels distinctly feminine and works well within the context of this gender-swapped character.

Ineson as Galactus is just chef’s kiss. After the abomination done to the space god in 2007, it was incredibly satisfying to see an actor like this bring gravitas to the role with that imposingly gravelly voice.

The special effects were great. The Surfer looks far better in the film than in the trailers. While I still like the 2007 version more, I couldn’t help but notice they took a lot of cues from how he moved in that film. HERBIE the robot and Galactus both look phenomenal, thanks to a blend of practical FX and VFX techniques. The Thing was just perfect, and Reed finally didn’t look silly when stretching.

I appreciated the stakes and scope of the film. Even knowing the good guys had to win, I found myself genuinely feeling the tension, wondering how they would save both themselves and the world when they were so clearly outclassed. That’s a job well done—when I’ve already presupposed the outcome but I’m still worried about the characters.

SCORE:
4.5 out of 5

Directed by Matt Shakman
Produced by Kevin Feige
Starring: