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‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Movie Review: Revival of Marvel charm back with Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby
Language: English
Cast: Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner
The best thing about 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is that we didn't have to do our regular homework like the way we are expected to do as critics, like watch the previous one and the previous one. This film was a fresh MCU product, otherwise all the other Marvel movies were getting a bit too repetitive. We were literally tired of the multiverse universe, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps was like a breath of fresh air.
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_The Fantastic Four: First Steps_ is one the brightest and relatable things that Marvel has ever made. What will catch the attention of the audience is the engaging storytelling and what a visual treat it is that will completely drown you into the story. The new movie directed by Matt Shakman has all the qualities that makes for a fantastically relatable movie where ordinary people are gifted with extraordinary power.
A still from 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps'
Set in a sleek 1960s-inspired, retro‑futuristic world, First Steps follows the Fantastic Four as they try to thwart the planet-devouring threat of Galactus. Directed by Matt Shakman, the film features Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn and written by Josh Friedman, Cam Squires, and Eric Pearson.
The Fantastic Four, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm are here to save the Earth from Galactus who wants to consume the plant. The movie starts with a scene where Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and his wife, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) talking to each other and when Sue discloses to her husband that she is pregnant, something they have been trying hard for two-years. They are happy, but at the same time worried about what effect the exposure to cosmic rays have on the baby.
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is truly fantastic
For the Fantastic Four family, friends and bonding are as important as saving the Earth from the clutches of Galactus. But how will they do it when world-devouring cosmic beings Galactus and her Silver Surfer girl are all out to consume Earth and make a tough bargain, that if they have to save the earth, they will have to sacrifice their baby.
There is a backstory to the Silver Surfer girl too and Julia Garner has done an absolute brilliant job. There is a mystery behind her and you will have to watch the whole movie to know what it is. In fact, she has the most complex character. But, Julia Garner deserved more screen time.
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The deeper you sink your teeth into the plot, you realise how engaging every scene gets. As the movie proceeds, just like the people on earth, the Fantastic Four are equally confused. But the mother of the baby Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) is not willing to give up on her child. She fights with heaven and earth to save it.
The scene-stealer comes right at the end of the movie. When everybody else fails, it is the touch of the miraculous baby which saves the mother. The Fantastic Four: First Steps' is indeed a bold, sharp and fantastic reboot which deserves every bit of your time. The message that the film tries to show that it is the love, chaos and sometimes differences of opinions is what keeps the whole family together and not the super powers. Long live the Fantastic Four; oops the Fantastic Five now!
Rating: 3 out of 5
WATCH the trailer of 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' here:
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The Wire
34 minutes ago
- The Wire
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Revives Marvel by Turning Idealism into a Superpower
Yes, I'm as surprised as any of you. Marvel's lacklustre run since Avengers: Endgame (2019) has meant that Kevin Feige has been looking to consolidate for a while. He's been badgered with constant firefighting that's been needed since the sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 (Black Panther), the abuse allegations against Jonathan Majors, who was playing Kang – supposed to be built up as the next big Marvel villain after Thanos – and the reality-check that Feige got for the female-led films like Black Widow (2020), The Marvels (2023), and a black Captain America (played by Anthony Mackie) – all of which turned out to be disappointments. Coupled with Marvel's strained relations with director Ryan Coogler, actors Scarlet Johansson, Brie Larson, and the two main draws – Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr sitting out (till RDJ was announced to return as Doctor Doom) – it all looked like the cinematic universe was too scattered. But that seemed to take a new turn with Thunderbolts*, which teased reinvention of the Marvel movies with almost a M Night Shyamalan-esque take on a superhero movie. In Matt Shakman's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the Marvel cinematic universe (MCU) goes back to the comic books – something James Gunn tried doing with the new Superman movie as well. The genre seems to have junked the gritty look, in favour of colouful comic book panels. Unlike Superman – which feebly delivers some commentary on Israel-Palestine, I liked that Shakman's film makes no effort at real-world commentary, instead building an alternate version of 1960s America. By doing so it moves away from the cynicism, showcasing a world that still hasn't given up on decency. After three relatively forgettable attempts to launch the characters through two different casts, Shakman fully commits to the comic book movie look by making the indoor scenes look like a family-friendly sitcom, and rooting in something 'real': parental anxiety. A still from 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps.' In the film's first scene, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) tells Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) that they're going to be parents soon. The good news, the excitement around which quadruples after the couple tell their brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and best friend, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), is followed by bouts of self-doubt. Pascal is excellent in the way he shapes Reed Richards around a person constantly grappling between cold logic and the less logical sentiments. Moss-Bachrach brings a lot of his breakout role Richie (in the FX series, The Bear) into Ben Grimm. Blessed with an atypical appearance, Grimm effortlessly plays the doting uncle, helping Sue through her pregnancy. Quinn refuses to play Johnny Storm as a dull jock, like Chris Evans did in the 2000s, instead finding a more nuanced version of the character. Quinn plays Storm in a way where he's well-aware of his reputation as a daredevil womaniser, one he constantly keeps fighting around his team-members to showcase he's more than that. A still from 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps.' Vanessa Kirby is excellent and in my opinion one of the highlights of the film, blurring the lines between a female superhero and a first-time mother. It reminded me of another one of Kirby's films, Pieces of a Woman (2020) – a bleaker look at a woman expecting her firstborn. I loved the energy of a mother willing to do everything to protect her child, harnessed into The Invisible Woman – a more cliched, but still a classical storytelling trope imbued into Kirby's character. It was a more defined character than the versions played by Jessica Alba and Kate Mara. What I truly enjoyed about The Fantastic Four: First Steps is how it didn't seem to be trying to cater to the larger Marvel universe, with unnecessary Easter Eggs (except for a mid-credit scene). It tells a coherent story, which doesn't need to use the MCU as a crutch for its own muddled telling. The four superheroes are already hailed and celebrated when Shakman's film opens, and through a superb stretch even beginners are told about how they came to be. A team of astronauts sent to space after being exposed to cosmic rays, develop superhuman ability. They use these powers to save the world against extra-terrestrial entities. Until one day, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) shows up to tell them that Earth has been chosen by Galactus (Ralph Ineson) as the next planet he's going to feed on. 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There were challenges even then, but somehow we were naive enough to believe that we could break out of our cyclical lust for power. The film reiterates American author Margaret Mead's lines: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world' during a key scene. If nothing else, The Fantastic Four: First Steps pictures a world when we're still kind to one another, and apathy hasn't taken over. The hope hasn't been extinguished, even if it's in a fantasy superhero film in 2025.
Indian Express
an hour ago
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The Fantastic Four First Steps box office collection day 3: MCU film scores Rs 20 cr opening weekend in India, can't match up to Superman, F1
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