Spoilers for "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" to follow.
It's been 17 years overdue, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally has its own Fantastic Four. The world, too, finally has a good "Fantastic Four" movie — read /Film's rave review of "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" here.
As in the original Marvel comic books, the MCU's Fantastic Four are astronauts who got dosed in cosmic radiation on a spaceflight. The rays transformed their bodies, giving them superpowers by the time they returned to
Earth. So, they embraced that change and became superheroes. Unlike many other superheroes, though, the F4 are public fixtures and have no secret identities. As the in-universe "Fantastic Four" cartoon theme song in "First Steps" puts it:
"Sue Storm commands the light
Johnny's flames burn blazing bright
Ben is rocking the world with might
And Reed bends science left and right!"
Director Matt Shakman embraces the pulp and optimism of the F4 with a New York City right out of Walt Disney's wildest futurist dreams. His cast — Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) — are the first onscreen Four to convince you they're a family. Unlike the previous movies, there's no weak link in performance or characterization among this F4.
All in all, "First Steps" is the most faithful adaptation of the team in a "Fantastic Four" motion picture (a widely released one anyway). To paraphrase an even more famous astronaut than the Four: The picture is a small step for superhero movies in general, but it's a giant leap for the Fantastic Four.
So, which parts of the comic book F4 does "First Steps" nail where the previous films faltered, and how does the movie compare tonally and aesthetically?
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The Fantastic Four's Marvel Comics Origins, Explained
The Fantastic Four are often called the "First Family" of Marvel because their book was literally the first hit that began the Marvel Universe. Yes, retroactively, the Marvel Universe began earlier in the 1930s with heroes like Namor the Sub-Mariner, Captain America, etc. But in those days, the publisher was called Timely Comics. It only became Marvel in 1961, a rebrand that coincided with the launch of "The Fantastic Four." Written by Stan Lee (who remains controversial) and drawn by Jack Kirby (who deserves more creative credit), the Fantastic Four were literally the dawn of the Marvel Age of Comics.
But the modern interpretations of the F4 took a while to evolve. The earliest comics have their fair share of differences, partly because as the "Fantastic Four" comics have kept going on since the 1960s, the world around them has changed.
In the 1950s, Marvel (then Atlas) published mostly monster comics. You can feel "Fantastic Four" shaking off that storytelling. The Four only get their matching blue costumes and Baxter Building headquarters in issue #3. While they have their powers from the beginning, their personalities have grown over the years.
The F4 are a family and, in the Lee/Kirby days, they evoked a mid century nuclear family. That meant that Reed was a stern "father knows best" patriarch, with some casual sexism that later stories remove. Reed's attitude towards Sue reflects how the overall book was written.
In the early "Fantastic Four" stories, Sue was a demure damsel type with little agency; Namor coveted her as a prize and she was Doctor Doom's go-to hostage. In "Fantastic Four" #8, Sue notices a man in danger, so she ... calls up Reed and Johnny to save him. Even her ability to turn invisible reflects the patriarchal idea that women should be meek and unassertive. Sue has since become a much stronger character, going from the Invisible Girl to the Invisible Woman. Her powers have also gotten more diverse and action-oriented; she doesn't just fade from sight, she projects psionic fields that can shield, lift, and push objects.
Johnny Storm is always the youngest of the Four, but in the original comics he was a teenager and dead set on proving himself (like any kid is). As he's grown into a man, though, he's shifted away from being the team's annoying little brother and become more of a cocky hotshot and skirt chaser. Ben, meanwhile, was still reeling from being transformed into the Thing; many issues would feature him briefly changing back into a human to underline his pain. Due to this, he was always on edge and prone to starting fights with his teammates. Nowadays, though Ben can be grouchy and is the team's go-to bruiser, he's softened up. He's more like a fun uncle than a problem child.
The 2000s Fantastic Four Films Were Outright Comedies
The 1994 "Fantastic Four" film, which was executive produced by B-movie king Roger Corman, was made because fellow executive producer Bernd Eichinger owned the rights to adapt the comic and wanted to keep them. It wasn't necessarily intended for wide release and never got it. So, for all intents and purposes, the Fantastic Four's history on the big screen begins in 2005.
The charm of the Fantastic Four is that they're a family that happens to go on fantastical adventures. That family atmosphere means their comics can (but don't have to) be more lighthearted and domestic than their Marvel contemporaries. The 2005 "Fantastic Four" film and its sequel, "Rise of the Silver Surfer," take that to an extreme.
Director Tim Story was mostly known for his comedies, "Barbershop" and "Taxi" (he's since directed the "Think Like A Man" and "Ride Along" duologies), so it's not surprising that "Fantastic Four" is written and filmed just like a studio comedy; hence crass humor like Sue (Jessica Alba) always losing her clothes in public. "Rise of the Silver Surfer" similarly features Reed (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue constantly trying to get married only for superhero business to interfere with the wedding, which feels right out of a sitcom.
Story's "Fantastic Four" keeps the essential origin of the team being astronauts who go on an expedition planned by Reed, only for them to be caught in a storm of cosmic rays and gain powers. However, the movie makes one change ripped from the "Ultimate Fantastic Four" comics: Victor von Doom (Julian McMahon) finances and takes part in the expedition. His skin is then transformed into metal and he gains electric powers after the cosmic storm, and this turns him into Doctor Doom.
Classically, though, Doom and the Four have separate origins, as is also the case in "First Steps." In flashbacks, it's explicitly only the Four who go into space, and Doom is never mentioned.
"First Steps" also breezes through the Four's origin with an in-universe news montage, preferring to start in media res to get to the good stuff (like Reed and Sue already being married). The film is hardly dark, but it's not a comedy either; where the Story movies had early aughts humor, "First Steps" has gee-whiz retro sci-fi earnestness. "First Steps" is even light on the wink-wink self-deprecating humor Marvel Studios is famous for, which sells the Four's family bond all the better.
The 2015 Fantastic Four Film Crashed And Burned
After "Rise of the Silver Surfer" didn't impress, a "Fantastic Four" reboot arrived in theaters in 2015... and flopped beyond wildest expectations.
The full story is clouded in gossip, but the accepted narrative is that director Josh Trank (who'd made a hit with 2012's "Chronicle," a found footage and American riff on "Akira") didn't handle the stress of making a blockbuster, and his creative disagreements with Fox, well. As a result, the second half of the movie is almost completely composed of reshot material that turns the film into the most generic, and laughable, superhero "epic" ever filmed.
"Fant4stic," as it is often mockingly called, is based even more on "Ultimate Fantastic Four" than the 2005 film. Like in that comic, the Four aren't astronauts. Instead, they're teen geniuses who are part of the Baxter Building think tank — well, except Ben (Jamie Bell), who here is only Reed's (Miles Teller) childhood friend. In addition, the Four aren't working on a rocket ship, but a teleportation device that takes them to another realm called "Planet Zero." It's the substances there and the teleportation energy that give them powers.
Once more, Victor von Doom (Toby Kebbell) is also part of the Four's expedition. Meanwhile, the group itself is mentored by Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), father of Sue (Kate Mara) and Johnny (Michael B. Jordan). In this version, Sue is Johnny's adopted sister, apparently because Fox wouldn't let Trank cast a Black actor as the Invisible Woman to match Jordan.
The hook for "Fant4stic" was that it was supposed to be darker and harder science-fiction than previous "Fantastic Four" films. For example, after the Four's transformation, the U.S. military holds them and begins to use them as weapons (with the Four wearing cobbled-together black costumes rather than the blue skintight suits with "4" symbols from Story's films).
Part of Trank's pitch was to approach "Fantastic Four" as a body horror film in the vein of David Cronenberg's "The Fly," i.e focus on the horror of a science experiment gone wrong and how people's bodies are changing out of their control. Usually, only the Thing's transformation is treated as traumatizing, but seeing your limbs stretching unnaturally, your body catching on fire, or you yourself fading away uncontrollably? That could be scary! Then the film abandons that angle as soon as it begins.
When Doom returns from Planet Zero and decides to destroy Earth, the Four come together to defeat him... not that it feels earned. These Four do not feel like a family at all; Ben barely talks to the Storms, Sue has no reason to reciprocate Reed's interest, etc.
But hey, it's darkest before the dawn.
Pedro Pascal Is The Most Dignified Reed Richards Onscreen Yet
The last time we saw a Reed variant in the MCU, played by John Krasinski in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," he got shredded to string by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). So, in a change of pace, Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards is the most mature and dignified onscreen Mister Fantastic.
He's got an uptight side, sure, and is sometimes befuddled, but he feels like a family man. Reed's arc in "First Steps" is how he's becoming a dad and how he has to prepare for that. Part of being a parent is wanting to make the world as safe as possible for your child, while also accepting not everything is in your control.
Reed is not just a scientist, he's a problem solver. There's a reason Jonathan Hickman titled his inaugural "Fantastic Four" comic arc "Solve Everything" — that right there is Reed's driving goal. As Reed tells Sue in "First Steps," it's his self-appointed job to use his genius to consider worst case scenarios and find ways to prevent them from happening.
One thing that Reed isn't problem-solving during the movie is his family's powers. As the previous "Fantastic Four" films began with their origins, they typically focused on Reed's guilt for changing his friends' lives. In both the 2005 and 2015 "Fantastic Four" films, Reed spends most of his time trying to find a cure, particularly for Ben. In "First Steps," Reed briefly blames the cosmic ray accident on his poor calculations, but Sue reaches over to her husband, silently telling him not to blame himself.
Speaking of, "First Steps" is the most you buy Reed and Sue's love for each other. Pascal and Kirby aren't just the best actors to play these two characters in general, but they also have the steamiest chemistry by far.
Fantastic Four: First Steps Understands Sue Storm's Strength
In the 2005 "Fantastic Four" film, Sue is introduced as Reed's ex, working for Victor at Von Doom Industries. Both Doom and the camera objectify Sue, but she's at least portrayed as a competent professional. In "Rise of the Silver Surfer," it's even her kindness that reawakens the soul buried inside the Silver Surfer (Laurence Fishburne/Doug Jones).
Kate Mara's Sue in the 2015 "Fantastic Four" gets the shortest end of a short stick. She doesn't even get invited onto the expedition to Planet Zero; she's sitting in the control room and is hit by a wave of energy from the returning teleporter. There's a weird "no girls allowed" subtext right out of the earliest "Fantastic Four" comics.
But "Fantastic Four: First Steps" finally recognizes that Sue is the backbone of the Four. She has a side career as a diplomat, having brokered a peace treaty between Earth and Subterranea, led by Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser). In the comics, the Future Foundation is a scientific think tank founded by Reed. In "First Steps," it's a United Nations-like assembly put together by Sue.
"First Steps" also explores who Sue is as a mother. Franklin Richards was born in 1968's "Fantastic Four Annual" #6, but none of the previous movies or cartoons have gotten far enough to show his birth. Sue is fiercely protective, refusing to hand over Franklin despite Galactus (Ralph Ineson) demanding the boy's power in exchange for sparing Earth. When the world turns against the Four, it's Sue who wins them over, saying all of them must face the challenges ahead as a family.
"Matt and I were really aware that there hasn't really been a mother with a baby in these superhero archetypes women have been getting," Kirby explained to Entertainment Weekly, before adding that she also wanted to make sure Sue "wasn't just the stereotype of a goody, sweet mother." She definitely isn't; "First Steps" remembers to give Sue an edge, and that she is the Four's most powerful member. Indeed, she's the one who overpowers Galactus in the climax.
Ultimately, "First Steps" understands that while Reed may be the team's official leader, he'd be lost without Sue.
Fantastic Four: First Steps Makes Johnny Storm More Mature
The previous cinematic Johnny Storms have been summed up by one word: irresponsible. In the Story films, Johnny (Chris Evans) lives on the edge, loves extreme sports, and loses his job as a NASA pilot for sneaking girls into a flight simulator (and then crashing it).
He relishes his newfound fame as the Human Torch, never met a girl he didn't flirt with (usually successfully), and spends a lot of time playing pranks on Ben (Michael Chiklis). In the 2015 "Fantastic Four," by comparison, Johnny's more of an outright teen delinquent; he's introduced street-racing before his dad drafts him to help out at the Baxter Building. Speaking to EW, Quinn noted that he thinks Johnny has "bravado" but wanted to tone down other parts of the character that aren't aging so well:
"He was branded as this womanizing, devil-may-care guy, but is that sexy these days? I don't think so. This version of Johnny is less callous with other people's feelings, and hopefully, there's a self-awareness about what's driving that attention-seeking behavior."
Quinn's Johnny can be impatient and reckless; take how he chases the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) all the way into the upper atmosphere. During the Four's Sunday dinner, he also snacks on some cereal because he's tired of waiting for Sue and Reed. But in general, he's much more mature and smarter; he and Ben share some mutual ribbing, but Johnny never pulls any frat house pranks on the Thing like Evans' Johnny did.
In "First Steps," the Human Torch truly feels like he belongs on the Four as a peer. For one, this Johnny is more of a scientist; he thinks the Four should go back to exploring space and is disappointed when Reed keeps stalling. He's also Reed's lab assistant during an experiment with a mini-teleporter and is able to decipher the Silver Surfer's language from a recording of her voice. Genius runs in the Richards-Storm family.
There's signs of Johnny's reputation as a ladies' man (women in crowds are heard screaming they love him), but here, it seems to be just a reputation. Instead, Johnny becomes infatuated with the Silver Surfer and convinces her to turn against Galactus.
In Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ben Grimm Is A Mellow Thing
The Thing in "First Steps" looks like he was drawn by Kirby himself, particularly his prominent brow. Even Ben's rock beard is right out of Marvel's comics. In Story's "Fantastic Four" films, Chiklis' Thing was created with make-up rather than CGI. That added a tactility to Chiklis' performance, which is easily the highlight of those films. That choice, though, meant the Thing's head was rounder than usual, and he wasn't especially bigger than his teammates. Meanwhile, the "Fant4stic" Thing had uneven "skin" to make him look more like a literal pile of walking rocks. (He also wore no pants, which is somehow even sillier.)
The Thing in "First Steps," on the other hand, wears the most clothing — his F4 uniform includes a shirt, for once. The brow, mixed with his warm smile and sky blue eyes, also means that this is the friendliest-looking Thing. That carries over to his demeanor.
The previous films always played up Ben's angst at his transformation, including his resentment towards Reed. But in "First Steps," Ben has had the time to get used to his new look and he's mostly okay with it. When he walks down the streets of New York City, people cheer him on like a celebrity, and he uses his powers to entertain some kids.
There is one scene where he is watching footage of his old self on TV, then the image cuts out and he's stuck looking at his new reflection. He also briefly holds off on trying to connect with teacher Rachel Rozman (Natasha Lyonne), who he's interested in, but he gets over it quickly.
With its portrayal of the Thing, "First Steps" reaffirms how it's all about presenting the Fantastic Four at their best.
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is now playing in theaters.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
