How Fantastic were the Four?

Lately each Marvel movie sparks the debate of whether Marvel is back or dying slowly. The numbers do suggest that the audience has tired. But has the quality really dropped? Not every film can be Avengers or Endgame. Then again, most of them are not Thor 2.

There was big hope for Fantastic 4: First Steps. So how did it hold up?

The film starts with the reveal that Sue is pregnant and then cuts to a news/talk show program explaining the origin of the Fantastic 4. It makes things clear that this is not the Marvel universe we are used to. Instead, it is a 1960s world with a retro-futuristic look. 

The pace is a bit slow, but steady. It focuses on building up the team and their personalities rather than flashy action scenes. Things take off with the arrival of the Silver Surfer bearing the ominous message that Galactus will be coming to devour the planet. The Fantastic 4 take to space to stop the menace, declaring to the people of the Earth, “We will protect you.”

They find Galactus and we have our first real action set piece. Johnny tries to chat up the Silver Surfer and learns something surprising. Galactus tells them that he will spare their planet..but the price he asks is too high and they make a desperate escape. Returning home they are asked if the people of Earth are safe and Reed can only respond, “I don’t know.”

I won’t spoil anything beyond that. Instead a more general description. This is perhaps one of the best fleshed out versions of Reed. A look at what he sees himself as and what he fears. Johnny is usually portrayed as immature, womanizing, and a bit of an ass. They chose to focus away from that and instead made him cocky, but not unpleasant and capable of using his head. They also did a great job of portraying him as an uncle. While Sue is presented as emotionally intelligent, she also has a fierce side that makes you. Benn Grim is surprisingly underplayed. That might have to do with them not choosing to focus on him dealing with being a monster. This is a more mature Benn who has made peace with his transformation and does not wallow in it. 

The Good

The cast was great. They brought a great deal of depth to their characters and convincing emotions. The scenery was beautiful. You can tell a lot of effort was put into artistic design and productions.

The Bad

The Fantastic 4, more than most superheroes, are difficult to do without CGI. The CGI for the film was generally good, but still obvious. I was a bit worried about how Galactus would turn out, but he turned out fine. Still, I would have personally loved to see more practical effects. They could have done that with Galactus and the Thing…

The Ugly

I hate to say it, but the Thing was probably my least favorite part of the film. He did not have much of an arc or presence. The choice to go all CG instead of practical effects made him seem less real. And finally, no offense to the actor, I just didn’t buy the voice. I wanted a deeper, thicker Brooklyn accent. 

All said and done, I really enjoyed the film. I give it 4 out of 4 stars.