Rent The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer (screenplay by), Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer and Kat Wood (story by), Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (based on the Marvel comics by), Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Fantastic Four created by)
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Nataha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic herald, the Silver Surfer.
Verdict
This boasts a fun art design and a baby plot device, but the story is formulaic. It's the same old Marvel movie where heroes must save the world. It's lots of CGI and a few jokes, but the movie expects me to care because it tells me to. I never really feel like I know these characters. How many times can I watch super heroes try to save the world? They always succeed. While the design sets this apart, it's not enough.
It depends.
Review
This is the first movie in Phase Six of the Marvel cinematic universe that will include movies and television series.
Marvel is committed to the alternate Earths, listing which Earth this one is, but it also explains this retro-futuristic world that's different from the worlds we've see in previous movies. I like the unique look of this world. We get a quick introduction to the four. Reed "Mister Fantastic" (Pedro Pascal) and Sue "Invisible Woman" (Vanessa Kirby) prepare for a baby. Sue's brother Johnny "Human Torch" (Joseph Quinn) and Reed's best friend Ben "The Thing" (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are also excited. If the movie didn't tell me Reed and Ben are best friends, I'm not sure I'd know it. This movie doesn't know what to do with The Thing, using him as comic relief and for dramatic effect.
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| Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach play Sue, Reed, Johnny, Ben |
The Silver Surfer comes to Earth and lets them know Galactus is on the way. The pacing is brisk, this tries to give us characterization without delaying the plot. Sue is pregnant purely for plot reasons. She has a magic baby, but that leads to an intriguing conflict. Galactus wants Reed and Sue's baby or he'll destroy Earth. They refuse, but the four return to Earth unsure of what Galactus will do. It's a moral quandary that pits everyone on Earth against the Fantastic Four. It's a great conflict that could be further explored. Many people think that giving up the baby is worth it if it saves Earth.
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| Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby play The Thing, Human Torch, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman |
Sue and Reed aren't going to give up their kid, so he plans to teleport the planet to hide it from Galactus. In Reed's small scale experiments he has a device at both locations; where the object is and where he wants it. He doesn't have that with Earth so how does it work? Where will Earth go?
The teleportation idea doesn't work, leading to a big showdown between the Fantastic Four and Galactus. He really wants the child, somehow knowing it's powerful. Galactus is an imposing design, as tall as a skyscraper.
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| Galactus |
The movie has a fun art design and a intriguing question at the center, but I never found it all that interesting. Part of the issue is that I'm over the Marvel movies. They're formulaic, designed to appeal to a broad audience. Every Marvel movie has high stakes that usually mean the fate of the Earth is in the balance. The heroes always manages to save it regardless of the odds.
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