The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Movie Review)

Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is officially underway, except you'd be forgiven for not even realizing that transition, given how all over the place the prior two phases of its so-called Multiverse Saga have been. But with the promise of two new Avengers movies on the horizon, the time is nigh, nigh I say, for all that chaos to finally coalesce into something meaningful. So does The Fantastic Four: First Steps signal that nexus point, or is the Multiverse Saga well past salvaging?

Set in a parallel universe, the film centers upon the titular Fantastic Four, the primary protectors of Earth-828, whose members include The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), and Mr. Fantastic himself (Pedro Pascal). It's been four years since they were first exposed to the cosmic radiation that imbued them with their abilities, and they have since grown to attain celebrity status for their heroic deeds. But when the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives on their Earth with news of its impending doom at the hands of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), the First Family will have to find a way to save all of humanity or watch everything and everyone they love get devoured.

As the MCU steamrolls its way towards the next big Avengers team-up, it is clear that the days of an intricately-plotted overarching narrative spanning several movies are well behind us. Nowhere is that more evident than in its latest entry, because of all the movies we've gotten in the franchise recently, The Fantastic Four: First Steps feels like the most self-contained. This itself is not an inherently bad thing, as it allows newcomers to jump in without the fear of needing to do some catching up first, while the rest of us can look forward to how it eventually ties into what came before. 

But when we are this late in the cinematic universe-building game, it feels somewhat odd to be introducing new characters and teams rather than fleshing out existing ones, especially considering all the dangling plot threads that are yet to be addressed. In any case, the First Family aren't exactly newcomers to the comic book movie scene. So after four prior attempts to adapt the Fantastic Four into live-action, I am pleased to say that this latest one is easily the best one yet. I know the bar for quality within the series isn't particularly high, but bear with me here.

The first thing that sets this adaptation apart from the others is its retro-futuristic aesthetic. Matt Shakman proves once again that he can handle period-specific settings like the one he brought to life in WandaVision. I loved the 1960s-inspired look of his film, with the various sets and costumes going a long way to sell that vision. This extends to the visual effects seen throughout the movie, as it makes use of a wide array of practical effects, which further help ground its action scenes in reality. I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention the rousing score by Michael Giacchino. The music in the film slowly grew on me as the movie progressed, twisting and morphing to fit the tone and mood of the onscreen action when needed.

But what I loved about the movie the most was the Fantastic Four themselves. There was definitely a lot of great chemistry between the cast members. I really enjoyed the playful banter between Johnny and Ben, and even though I had some reservations about Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, especially since we just had John Krasinski in the role, he ultimately won me over with his performance. Each member of the team also gets to showcase their abilities in the movie's various action setpieces, especially Sue, who one might argue was the actual lead. And depending on who you ask, that could either be considered a pro or a con.

Speaking of cons, the biggest one I had walking out of the movie has to do with its connection to the wider MCU. Because aside from a post-credits scene that promises the return of the Fantastic Four in Avengers: Doomsday, the movie doesn't offer much in the way of connective tissue to that film, or its follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars. Even worse, it doesn't shed light on the end-credits scene from Thunderbolts either, despite both stingers being directed by the directors of those forthcoming Avengers films, the Russo Brothers. 

This tells me that the script for the film was finalized well before the pivot away from Kang's Dynasty, and that these recent post-credits scenes were basically tacked on to their respective movies after the fact, without any real consideration for anything that came before them, and the most tenuous of connections with what is to come next. This is a shame and particularly frustrating for anyone who has been following along with the hope that the scattered events of the last two phases would receive any kind of payoff.

As such, we are still none the wiser about Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, nor do we know how he is going to fit into the overall narrative. Yes, I realize these questions would most likely get answered during Avengers: Doomsday, but it still feels rather odd to have little in the way of a proper primer, heading into that film. By this same point in Phase Three, we'd already been introduced to Thanos and given a taste of the threat he posed. But right now, there is barely enough to get us excited for Doomsday and Secret Wars, the way we were all excited heading into Avengers: Infinity War, beyond the prospect of seeing RDJ back in the MCU.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is another step in the right direction. But where it stumbles is in its inability or downright unwillingness to pave the way for Avengers: Doomsday. The little tease we got here felt superficial at best and somewhat predictable and ultimately inconsequential at worst. I guess time will tell just how much it is going to factor into the events of that film. Taken as a standalone, though, the movie offers the kind of joyous wonder the superhero genre is known for, and that the MCU definitely needs more of.