By Sandra Hall
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS ★★★★
(PG) 114 minutes
The history and geography of the Marvel Universe has grown so serpentine over the years that even the most dedicated fans have trouble keeping up with the homework. They’ve also been feeling jaded at the relentless procession of re-boots, spin-offs and re-imaginings. Nonetheless, these go on with the attendant hoop-la undiminished.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (left) and Pedro Pascal as best friends Ben Grimm and Reed Richards. Credit:
This week, the Marvel marketing machine has gone into overdrive for the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps – the first screen appearance of Mr Fantastic and family since their 2015 outing, Fant4stic, which proved to be a rather large flop. This means the studio is hoping for their own re-boot with this one. There’s a lot at stake.
One of the script’s main aims is to make itself understood even by those who haven’t done their homework. To that end, the basics of the Fantastics’ backstory are conveyed in a tightly condensed flashback. The action then gets under way and doesn’t stop. Naturally, none of it makes sense. Sense has never been the point with this lot. What matters is director Matt Shakman’s success in maintaining the tongue-in-cheek tone that distinguishes Marvel movies at their most likeable.
Reed (Pedro Pascal) and Sue (Vanessa) with baby Franklin (Ada Scott).Credit:
When we catch up with them, Mr Fantastic, his wife, Sue, the Invisible Woman, her brother, Johnny, the Human Torch and their craggy friend, the Thing, are now celebrities, having been made famous by their life-saving powers. And because the film is also out to emphasise the human side of being superhuman, Fantastic, alias Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), and Sue (Vanessa Kirby), are expecting their first child.
The production design harks back to the 1960s, but the decade has been given what the director, Shakman calls a “retro-futuristic” look. Roughly translated into English, this means the era has been embellished by some of the futuristic theories fashionable at the time. And it does work, mining plenty of wry laughs out of the nostalgic highlights.
For the Fantastics, all is going well until the Silver Surfer, a perfectly sculpted metallic woman riding a space-going surfboard, appears out of nowhere to announce that her master, Galactus, the devourer of planets, has fixed on Earth as his next meal.
Is she serious? Definitely. Galactacus turns out to be a clanking metal giant with such little regard for the Fantastics’ superpowers that he flicks them off like tiny toy soldiers when they try to persuade him to seek sustenance elsewhere. But Trump-like, he is willing to make a deal. With his laser eyes focused on Reed and Sue’s new baby, Franklin, he declares he wants to adopt him as his heir. Although the details are sketchy, there’s no doubting his conviction that young Franklin has the cosmic powers to become the next devourer. If his parents consent, Galactus will reward them by sparing Earth.
After refusing this alluring proposition, the Fantastics must then deal with the consequences and work out how to save Earth and Franklin. In short, the theme centres on the importance of family and, not surprisingly, there’s an over-generous helping of sentimentality involved in spelling this out, which could get tiresome. But Shakman and his writers are smart enough to undercut the prosiness with comedy, much of it supplied by Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they relax into their roles as uncles to Franklin, who proves to be a great scene-stealer.
The action is as spectacular as you would expect, which doesn’t mean that it’s particularly suspenseful, but the film’s success lies in the fact that it puts the fun back into the franchise. Superheroes can get very solemn when they lose their capacity for self-mockery. And this time, the Fantastics evade that trap with ease.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in cinemas from July 24.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.