Four for the Future

(080725) Fantastic Four: First Steps is a solid, old-fashioned superhero flick that should please the majority of (although not all) fans of the superhero film genre as well as most comic fans. About 60 percent of it worked for me, but some aspects were annoying or infuriating. It was a decent cinematic effort that could have been even better. The film gets points for not being overly connected to the other Marvel films and the current Multiverse Saga, at least until the end. It truly tries to give viewers a fresh start, and it can be enjoyed without knowing anything about the other films in the MCU or these characters in particular.

There is a wealth of fine talent associated with the film; unfortunately, not everyone is well cast, and the film was not always comic-accurate. The director, Matt Shackman, made Wandavision, one of the better Marvel TV shows, and some Game of Thrones episodes. This movie is far less creative, and it lacks the highs and lows of those shows. Pedro (Materialists) Pascal plays Mr. Fantastic, and his character seems slightly less science-obsessed and more social than his comic counterpart. Ebon Moss Bachrach is the Thing, and while he is less bestial and/or violent than the comics version, he does a good job of capturing Ben's compassionate side. Joseph Quinn is the Human Torch, and it is not clear yet if he is the original or second Torch in this universe. All of these actors are more than adequate in their roles, but they would not have been my first choices. In general, the film rounds off most of the quartet's rough edges, which only succeeds in making them blander. But there is one big exception. The standout of the film is undoubtedly Vanessa (Downton Abbey) Kirby’s Invisible Woman. Kirby is outstanding in the role, and she captures all the strength, beauty, maturity, and emotional intelligence of some of the better comic iterations of Sue Storm. Stan Lee did not do a good job of writing her character initially; she always came off as a generic, pathetic, helpless woman in the series' early years. But here, she is more like the John Byrne version, which is arguably the best of the team. Aside from Elizabeth Olsen’s version of Wanda Maximoff, this may be the best yet Marvel U portrayal of a female Marvel character to date.

The film takes place in a retro-futuristic alternate reality world enjoying a kind of early-sixties Pax Americana utopia. This world is more advanced than the real world of the 1960s because this reality (canonically Earth: 828) benefited from the inventions of its smartest man: Reed Richards. People have flying cars, some buildings are designed like the Seattle Space Needle, and color TVs are everywhere. The film was probably set in this era because it was the last time the nation felt mostly optimistic, and the majority of people thought things were going in a good direction. But later on, events such as the escalating Vietnam Conflict, the assassination of the Kennedy's and King, Kent State, Altamont, Charles Manson, and the Nixon administration put an end to all that. The Rolling Stones’ song "Gimme Shelter" is a great song about the end of utopian optimism at the end of the 1960s that we lived through.

Once we get past a brief montage setting up the Four and their world, the film is loosely based on the comic series Fantastic Four #48 to 50 from 1966, aka: "The Galactus Trilogy". While the film works for the most part, it never approaches the brilliance of the original Stan and Jack comics run. Fantastic Four: First Steps is reverent at times and disrespectful of the legacy of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at other times. But at least the filmmakers seem to partially understand what made the characters and series successful in the comics. The team is special not because they are the most powerful or edgy, but because they are the most flawed, humane, and believable. This is by far the best live-action version of the FF, although some of the cartoon versions have been better.

The plot involves two parallel events that have the potential to alter the universe. First of all, Reed and Sue have been trying to have a child for years, and during dinner, Ben Grimm guesses that Sue (the couple are already married) is pregnant. Due to the special nature of the parents, the child may be born with immense superpowers. Secondly, the Human Torch encounters the Silver Surfer, who has powers so immense that Johnny is like an ant to her. When she speaks to him, Johnny mistakenly thinks she is flirting with him in an alien language, but she is there to announce that the whole planet is about to be devoured by her master, the God like Galactus, who is more like a destructive force of nature than an evil villain.

Some of the more drastic changes to the comics canon make the film worse. In the comics, the Silver Surfer is one of Lee/Kirby’s greatest creations. He is Norrin Radd, but here he is dropped (and never shown) in favor of his female sweetheart, Shalla Bal, a minor and rather forgettable character. The filmmakers decided to gender-swap the character, making her infinitely less interesting than the original, more Christ-like Norrin Radd. While Julie (Ozark) Garner, the actress who plays her, is not bad, she is given almost nothing to work with and becomes an exposition dump for the film. It cannot be a coincidence that there is a current comic series called Death of the Silver Surfer, and it appears from the preview that they plan to kill off Radd and replace him with a female version who looks suspiciously like the Jule Garner version. Comics have always been a great American art form on their own, and I always thought that comics should tell the best possible story and not blindly follow the films. I also missed the Watcher, who never appears in the movie in spite of his introduction in Guardians of the Galaxy and his ongoing role in the What If? Disney Plus animated series.

Additionally, the film turns all four FF members into scientists, which, in my opinion, is a big mistake. Some of the most fun scenes in the comics occurred when the pedantic, self-absorbed Reed Richards tried to explain scientific concepts to the uncomprehending Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, who looked at him like he was speaking in an alien language because they lacked science training. Some previous superhero films like Thor: Love and Thunder and the Joss Whedon's cut of Justice League had far too many bad jokes and forced quips that detracted from the stories. The opposite is true here; The early FF issues were full of great sight gags and hilarious situational humor. Much of it came out over the childish fights between Johnny and Ben and their pranks. They are like competitive and crude frat brothers who played tricks on each other but love each other deep down. All that is gone here; they are instantly more mature without ever having evolved on screen. The Incredibles captured more of the fun and joy of being in a superhero family.

The film also lacks the slam-bang action of the comics, and until the last part, the film does not do a good job of showcasing their powers. Reed Richards and The Thing are especially neglected, but the film does have interesting scenes in which Galactus stretches Reed like a weak rubber band. The final struggle between Sue and Galactus is epic and unforgettable.

Oddly, the character Galactus is actually portrayed decently in the film. Our introduction to him is awe-inspiring, and the film does a fine job of capturing his power, mystery, and sheer immensity. When he arrives, preceded by his herald, it is like the coming of God with the Surfer in a John the Baptist-like herald role, all of which comes right from the comics. There even seems to be a new religious cult that develops that worships Galactus, similar to the one that worshipped Thanos and Magus in the comics. But arguably, this planet-threatening menace should have appeared in the MCU chronology before a universe-threatening one like Thanos if you want to raise the stakes in the Marvel U.

Often impressive from a visual standpoint, many of the Norman Rockwell-esque shots recall images from the classic "Marvel's" series by Alex Ross, who himself was inspired by Rockwell as a student. Except for the Surfer gender switch, the scene in which the Human Torch meets the Surfer could have come right from Marvels (and probably did). Also, a shot in which the FF is fighting one of the Mole Man’s monsters recreates the classic Jack Kirby cover of Fantastic Four #1.

The film’s conflict is ultimately resolved satisfactorily, and I was mostly pleased with how everything wrapped up. Stick around for the glorious and shocking post-credits scene. It features the introduction of the greatest FF character (at least in my opinion), and might just be worth the price of admission alone.

To sum it up, the new FF film deserves a mixed but mostly positive review. While it does not work as well as James Gunn's Superman, it is vastly superior to The Marvels, Ant-Man Quantumania, The Eternals, or the most recent Marvel Universe Disney Plus shows and of course any other iteration of the characters. Fantastic Four: First Class has more than enough good scenes and positive aspects to earn at least a marginal recommendation. This film and the Thunderbolts from earlier this year have given film fans of the Marvel U some reasons to be optimistic and look forward to their future films. I just hope it is not too little, too late.