The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Ralph Ineson
M
4.5/5
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a smart, exciting and deeply affecting superhero drama, and the best MCU film by far in a strong year for comic-book movies.
The Fantastic Four, a group of astronauts who gained superpowers after a cosmic accident, must contend with the world-ending foe Galactus.
Set in a vibrant retrofuturistic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is equal parts sweet, sad and triumphant, drawing much of its conflict from the Four struggling to remain strong as a family under impossible odds and public expectations.
The film still has a healthy serving of action spectacle, however, with the centrepiece being an incredibly cool second-act chase sequence with elements of Interstellar, H.R. Giger and the first Star Trek film.
The tightly-written plot wields several clever pulp sci-fi concepts, and unlike some superhero ensemble pieces (including a couple of the Avengers films), every member of the core quartet is well-developed and has an active role to play.
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) is the team’s analytical but kind leader, his wife Sue Storm/Invisible Woman is the emotional anchor, her brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) is a hot-head skilled in languages, and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is the team’s rocky muscle but with an aura of lonely sensitivity.
Julia Garner brings a tragic note to Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, Galactus’s subtly-conflicted herald, and the towering, booming-voiced Galactus himself (Ralph Ineson) is a truly scary antagonist.
Like Superman, First Steps is another piece in a vast comic-book movie franchise, but both films are very self-contained and can be enjoyed with no prior experience.
Unlike Superman, which had slightly obtrusive humour, First Steps’ humour is more restrained.
A thrilling superhero film full of heart and brilliant ideas, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is playing in most Victorian cinemas.
