First Steps (And Four Things That Didn’t)

After making Marvel Cinematic Universe fans wait for years, the Fantastic Four have finally arrived in this franchise (albeit on a parallel Earth). “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” provides an unabashedly outlandish reintroduction (including setting everything in a retro-futuristic world) of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/The Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). The story chronicles Sue Storm gearing up for the birth of her first child, as well as the impending arrival of planet-gobbler Galactus (Ralph Ineson).

Director Matt Shakman certainly doesn’t skimp on either scope or the sheer volume of storytelling crammed into “First Steps.” This is a massive production that finds its greatest creative groove leaning into its over-the-top imagery and the great chemistry between the lead actors. Even with these and other standout virtues, though, “First Steps” has some flaws that keep it from reaching the status of top-tier MCU cinema. The complexities of this reboot are best broken down by exploring what specifically did and didn’t work.

Exploring six things that excelled in “First Steps,” as well as four aspects that fell short of their potential, makes it clear when and where the film’s reach exceeded its creative grasp. On the other hand, such an exercise also makes it more apparent than ever what “First Steps” did right. Strap on your astronaut helmets and let’s dive into this MCU installment.

In the 2000s “Fantastic Four” movies, Jessica Alba’s Sue Storm/Invisible Woman largely just existed for icky jokes centered on Sue taking her clothes off. Ten years later, 2015’s “Fantastic Four” made the mind-boggling decision to not even have Sue go on the expedition that gets the team their super-powers. Finally, however, the character has been done right in a movie. Part of that comes from hiring Vanessa Kirby to play the part in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” This impressive actor has been crushing it for years now, particularly in tiny indie fare like “The World to Come” and “Pieces of a Woman.” Her gift for gutting, raw material is a perfect fit for lending depth to the Invisible Woman.

It also means that the best “First Steps” scene isn’t one focused on cosmic voyages or fighting, but rather just Sue speaking to a large crowd of people, pleading that they show compassion toward the newborn Franklin Richards. Having previously spoken the words of Anton Chekhov and Tennessee Williams (among many others) on stage, not to mention excelling in stripped-down indie cinema, Kirby’s incredibly proficient at getting immense power out of just a monologue. That gift makes every word she says in this intimate sequence riveting.

Meanwhile, Kirby also lends emotional realism to even the most ludicrous situations her character gets trapped in, including giving birth in deep space. Sue Storm’s past movie iterations have been avenged thanks to Vanessa Kirby’s remarkable “First Steps” performance.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” starts with a brief prologue showing Reed Richards and Sue Storm realizing that they’re about to have a kid. That’s followed by a montage which speeds quickly through the Fantastic Four’s exploits over the years, including past confrontations with characters like Harvey Elder/The Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser). There’s a weird sense of whiplash in these opening minutes, which overwhelm viewers with information. It’s a shortcoming indicative of how “First Steps” has recurring issues with proper pacing throughout its runtime and not just in this opening.

Later, there’s a brief scene of Ben Grimm/The Thing out on Yancy Street, encountering fleetingly-seen pedestrians protesting the Four’s refusal to hand Franklin over to Galactus. It’s an awkward throwaway segment that comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, scenes of lengthy, dry exposition play out without much visual imagination. “First Steps” constantly oscillates in its pacing and never quite finds either a consistent groove to hit or interesting forms of tonal dissonance. It just feels compressed more than anything else.

A greater sense of breathing room, especially for the pre-Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) superheroics, would have done the production a lot of good. Not being in such a rush for certain low-key character moments would have also gone a long way. The top-notch cast and glorious visuals deserved more specificity in the pacing.

CG characters in live-action superhero movies are often just trouble waiting to happen. In the 2020s alone, titles like “Eternals,” “Black Adam,” and “The Flash” went off the rails by hinging their respective third acts on characters realized either exclusively or heavily through CG. These digital characters lacked tactility and were brought to life through poor effects work, an inevitable byproduct of cramped schedules. Thankfully, the most digitally-reliant “First Steps” characters largely look outright excellent.

Ben Grimm/The Thing, for one, is incredibly natural interacting with his live-action co-stars. The rocky textures on his body look so realistic that you could reach out and touch them, while his design nicely incorporates heightened touches from The Thing’s comic book form, such as those giant, protruding eyebrows. Galactus, meanwhile, has palpable weight and menace when he descends on Earth.  He even appears to fit right into the stylized vision of Times Square that “First Steps” centers around rather than constantly reminding audiences of green-screen compositing. For her part, Silver Surfer similarly looks superb in how she’s been brought to life.

Featuring so many characters that rely extensively on digital effects work in a movie emphasizing practical sets and props could have been a disaster. Thankfully, in execution, “First Steps” has some of the strongest CG work of recent Marvel fare. The Thing, Galactus, and Silver Surfer all prove that heavily CG-created characters need not inherently be a grim proposition.

Unsurprisingly, extraordinary character actor Paul Walter Hauser delivers the best “Fantastic Four: First Steps” performance as famous baddie Harvey Elder/The Mole Man. After briefly appearing in the film’s prologue montage, Elder returns as a potential savior for the Fantastic Four in their hopes to protect New York City’s population from Galactus. Hauser gives Elder delightfully over-the-top vocal mannerisms and a devil-may-care attitude that’s endlessly absorbing. Unfortunately, Hauser’s performance is let down by the script, which doesn’t properly tee up Elder’s sudden importance to the narrative.

Given that this subterranean foe only appears in a blink-and-miss-it capacity during a jam-packed montage chronicling the initial superhero adventures of the Fantastic Four, it’s understandable if audiences unfamiliar with the comics totally forget the character exists before his reappearance. Harvey Elder suddenly being a potential savior for the Fantastic Four is supposed to be a fun “Chekhov’s Gun,” showing that the imminent apocalypse is inspiring allies in unexpected places. That intent doesn’t register on-screen, though, given the minimal prior screentime dedicated to establishing Elder’s rapport with the Invisible Woman and company.

Without that proper build-up, the sequence doesn’t have the narrative catharsis or fun that it should. Hauser’s performance and the great costume design for Elder (which magnificently translates the Mole Man’s comics outfit into live-action) are firing on all cylinders here. Unfortunately, those pacing problems plaguing “First Steps” undercut those virtues and what could have been a delightful little narrative pay-off.

Providing a purple, comics-accurate version of Galactus after the inexplicable cloud iteration of this cosmic supervillain in “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” is a reassuring, exciting sight for comic book fiends. However, even if you’ve never seen a comic panel of Galactus before watching “First Steps,” this movie’s take on this famous Marvel antagonist is still an engrossing delight. For starters, like Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor in “Superman,” Ralph Ineson’s Galactus is an unabashedly bad dude. Recent comic book films like “Captain America: Brave New World” have strained to make their foes into “actually” misunderstood good guys. Not so here. 

This hungry devourer of planets is a chilling, towering force of nature that’s allowed to just be a terrifying figure. There are also no self-conscious jokes in the script about his color scheme or appearance that would undercut his intimidating ambience. When he stalks around New York City, crumpling cars and buildings with each step, there’s tangible menace in his presence. Ineson’s fully committed performance, which includes wringing so much expression out of the parts of his face not covered in a mask, also accentuates this villain’s sheer power.

Even the sound design on Galactus sounds ominously unique to this character and not derivative of other deep-space baddies from other blockbusters. Then there are his maximalist visual elements, like his outlandish costume or the way his eyes become blue orbs of eerie cosmic energy. In every respect, Galactus is a captivating and momentous creation.

Most of the digitally-animated characters in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” look great, with one glaring exception. Newborn baby Franklin Richards often shows up on-screen as a CG creation and boy, does he not look right. The other digitally-created or enhanced creations in “First Steps” are silvery cosmic beings or rock monsters rooted in stylized Jack Kirby visual influences. Franklin Richards, meanwhile, is supposed to emulate an actual human child while interacting with other live-action people. But this plan constantly goes haywire, and the newest addition to Marvel’s First Family is sometimes downright creepy to look at.

The character’s skin looks so artificial, while Franklin’s facial expressions are tremendously plastic. These flaws are only exacerbated when the camera cuts from a close-up of this digital concoction to a shot of a richly human performer like Vanessa Kirby or Joseph Quinn. There’s also a robotic rigidity to the CG Franklin which lacks the essential spontaneity real-life infants constantly indulge in. On top of all that, opting for the CG route so often with this character is such an anachronistic choice in a feature littered with more practical visual effects.

It’s understandable that The Thing and Silver Surfer couldn’t appear on-screen through puppetry or stop-motion. But what prevented the movie from using a real baby? Between Franklin Richards, Joey from “Superman,” and those microwaved infants in “The Flash,” superhero movies just need to avoid CG babies like the plague.

Two of the most important superheroes involved in creating “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” are production designer Kasra Farahani and costume designer Alexandra Byrne. This duo delivers exceptional work while leaning wholeheartedly into a retro aesthetic rooted in the 1960s. It’s especially fun how both Farahani and Byrne aren’t afraid to embrace bright colors in their work. Streaks of blue seep into seemingly every locale and even the Fantastic Four’s Excelsior rocketship dabbles in this color. Meanwhile, more down-to-Earth backdrops like Yancy Street still include storefronts peppered with vibrant hues. This is a snazzy-looking world and being unafraid to embrace bright colors is a key reason why.

Regarding Byrne’s work, it’s fun that the Fantastic Four charge into battle with unique-looking superhero outfits resembling cozy sweaters rather than typical armor-style attire adorned by other big-screen crimefighters. It’s a subtle detail that not only informs their interesting-looking costumes but also reinforces the home/family-oriented nature of this team. Byrne’s costumes for supporting players like Harvey Elder are also an absolute treat, especially when placed against Farahani’s consistently impressive sets. 

The Baxter Building’s living space alone is a triumph of richly detailed set work, while other locations like the Excelsior’s interior or the halls of the Future Foundation are engaging to the eyes while instantly conveying a period-era feel. There’s no other modern superhero movie that looks exactly like “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and Byrne and Farahani’s contributions are heavily responsible for that.

Reed Richards walking up to his trusty chalkboard in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” often means that audience members are in for plenty of exposition about the cosmos. Such sequences alternate between medium shots of Richards talking and images of other Fantastic Four members reacting to his revelations. It’s not the most visually exciting way of communicating information, especially since other blockbusters like “Jurassic Park” (with its animated Mr. DNA) have found significantly more fun and dynamic ways to convey important exposition.

Even after encountering Galactus, Richards often drones about famous Archimedes quotes to illustrate either hopelessness or his cockamamie plan to save the planet. It’s all very dry material that upends the pacing and leaves one wishing for a return to action sequences set around black holes. Granted, many MCU features and TV shows have always suffered from telling-not-showing problems that emphasize rigid expository dialogue over striking visuals. However, “First Steps” goes through great pains to correct other problems often plaguing lesser MCU productions, so it’s immensely frustrating that this didactic screenwriting issue still persists. 

Plus, it’s a pity that Pedro Pascal (who’s otherwise quite good as Reed Richards) has to handle such material. He’s a gifted performer who can do anything from wacky comedy to compelling romance. Saddling him with so much scientific jargon and technobabble is a total misuse of his many tremendous talents.

Inevitably, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” like so many MCU features, concludes with its principal superheroes duking it out with a larger cosmic threat in a largely empty city. In a pleasant surprise, however, this is one of the better versions of that finale, particularly among post-“Avengers: Endgame” titles. This is chiefly because the Fantastic Four only battle Galactus rather than him and an army of CG goons. That gives the climax a relatively compact feeling, which makes it easier to engage with. Meanwhile, the emphasis on Franklin Richards being in danger makes the human peril of this sequence easy to grasp. The emotional stakes remain clear as day rather than getting suffocated under a bunch of CG.

Plus the “First Steps” ending is just a lot of fun to watch. Sue Storm going so all-out with her superpowers when her child is endangered is incredibly engrossing, while Ben Grimm finally hollering “It’s clobberin’ time!” is an exquisitely executed crowdpleaser moment. Plus, Galactus is just such an effective, imposing threat throughout this entire sequence — it feels genuinely impossible to defeat him, which lends an extra sense of tension missing from other weightless superhero movie finales.

Best of all, this grand closing set piece never forgets the characters at the heart of “First Steps.” There’s human drama powering all the spectacle rather than just excessive noise that feels obligated to blockbuster norms.

Composer Michael Giacchino has been practically destined to create a “Fantastic Four” score. After all, his breakthrough in feature-length film scores was on another retro-superhero family title, “The Incredibles.” Since then, Giacchino’s been a fixture of superhero films, including MCU titles like “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Doctor Strange.” But he’s in especially rare form with his terrific cues for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Just the main theme alone is a classic, effectively communicating a distinctly ’60s aura and triumphant spirit. 

It sounds simultaneously like a musical extension of the age of “The Newlywed Game” and an auditory ode to the excitement of exploring the untold corners of space. The track provides a perfect kick-off for an exhilarating, energetic, and zippy collection of orchestral compositions that never lose touch with either vintage sensibilities or grandiose flourishes. Giacchino’s love for unique instrumentation also comes into play on certain tracks, such as what sounds like the occasional clanging of cowbells in the otherwise ominous and chant-heavy “Galactus/Silver Surfer Suite.” Such touches keep audiences on their toes and ensure that “First Steps” has consistently unusual sounds on its soundtrack.

Above all else, Giacchino’s score often bursts with personality and zesty joy, particularly in the excellent closing track “Carseat Drivers.” Even with lofty expectations, Giacchino’s “First Steps” score is remarkable.