The Fantastic Four – First Steps

Several attempts have been made at a Fantastic Four movie. All of them have been reported to be flops of some sort or another. I haven’t bothered to watch any of them. As superheroes go, the FF are just not that interesting.

But the new movie, First Steps, is the first to be properly integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also it stars Pedro Pascal who is a staunch trans ally and currently high on the list of people whom the TERFs want to destroy, so I figured I show support his new film.

The title is a bit of a pun, in that it is something of an origin story for the team, and also an indication that the story is, to a large extent, about the birth of Franklin Richards, the most powerful kid in the MCU. The film also leads into the next phase of MCU story-telling (don’t ask me which one, I have lost count) in that the immediate story will be continued in the next Avengers movie. As we all know, the next Big Bad for the Avengers will be Doctor Doom and he, famously, is a principal antagonist of The Fantastic Four.

There has been some complaint online that Sue Storm’s role in the film has been restricted to baby-making. I think this is a little unfair. To start with, the film uses a modern version of Sue’s powers. Back in the day, all she could do was turn invisible, which seemed the perfect metaphor for the superhero housewife. In the film she is the only member of the team who can match Galactus for raw power. She’s also shown to be a competent politician, and is in many ways the adult of the team. Admittedly there is the whole giving birth in the middle of fighting Galactus thing, but I know what I did in my story for Fight Like A Girl #2 so I am in no position to complain.

But I am getting ahead of myself. There are a number of things that the film does well. The first is to set the story in a parallel universe that has retro 1960s technology and fashion, and a feel of public confidence in the power of science. That perfectly suits the Marvel’s Most Wholesome Family vibe that the FF give off. They are going to have a rude awakening when they end up in Earth 616 (our reality).

Second, they did not waste time on the actual origin story. Anyone who is familiar with the characters knows it already, and it isn’t that exciting. So the film has it told in flashback as the introduction to a TV chat show (suitably cheesy and 1960s-looking) on which the team is due to be interviewed.

Third, they have made a determined attempt to give each of the four characters a bit of depth. Reed in particular can be a bit dull. He’s an obsessive science geek who is never happier than when he is scribbling equations on a blackboard. But in the film he is aware of that, can occasionally joke about it, and worries about how it affects his relationship with Sue.

Ben Grimm gets to showcase his connection to New York, his Jewish heritage, and his depression over his appearance. Jonny is always eating (that flaming takes a lot of energy) and gets to show that he’s not just some crazy kid who does the action stuff. And HERBIE the robot is delightfully retro. (He uses tape drives!)

Sue’s political skills are showcased in another piece of backstory. Although the Mole Man is one of the first villains that the FF faced, this is all in the past. Sue has negotiated a peace treaty between the UN and Subterranea, and this allows the underground world to play a significant role in the fight with Galactus. Very little about who the Mole Man is gets explained, and we never get a good look at the Subterraneans, so I did worry that people not familiar with the comics might be a bit lost. However, Jo Hall, who knew almost nothing about the FF going in, said she had no trouble following what was happening.

Galactus is the obvious villain for a Fantastic Four movie, and indeed this is not the first such film to feature him. This film does something interesting with the Silver Surfer, giving the role to Shala-Bal who, in the comics, was Norrin Radd’s girlfriend. I’m not sure that it added a lot, but it did show once again that the MCU is not afraid to do something different.

The mid-credits scene gives us a teaser for where the story will go next, and confirms that we can expect an Avengers movie featuring Doctor Doom. There is a end-credits scene as well. It isn’t important, but it is fun.

Overall I think the film does a decent job. It isn’t a great movie, but it is a competent one. With a project like the MCU, which occasionally has just get the story moved along, that is sometimes all we are going to get.