Fantastic Four: First Steps - A Review

Fantastic Four First Steps (Currently playing in wide release, IMAX recommended)

Dir: Matt Shakman 

Staring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach

Run Time: 115 Mins 

    Marvel Studios has tried their hands at The Fantastic Four series with previous variations, the first one from 2005. I took issue with the film's handling of the CGI scenes that were a bit clumsy for the time. 25 years later, the question sits: will Marvel Studios regain one of their beloved superhero families and set it off in a direction that fans will love, given a second reboot? Enter Director Mat Shakman, who has previously worked on the Marvel television series WandaVision, has showcased that he understands aspects about a superhero team (Scarlet Witch and Vision) taking on the ultimate responsibility of living a normal life with kids and what that would look like, even for the most part it’s a hypothetical scenario that Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) creates. So when Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and Richard Reed (Pedro Pascal) are about to have a baby, there is a shake-up in the Fantastic Four unit. Ben Grimes (Ebon Moss-Bacharch) and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) take on uncle responsibilities, and Herbie (Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics) is helping out to baby-proof the house. 

    On Earth-828, a resemblance to 1960s New York, we meet the team already in their superhero era. We get a slight introduction to how the Fantastic Four got their powers, where they went into space on an expedition from Richard Reed, his wife Sue, her brother-in-law Johnny and Reed’s best friend Ben Grimes. Reed has the power of elasticity, Sue has the power of invisibility, Ben Grimm has become The Thing, a rock-like superhero who has super strength/durability, and Johnny becomes the Human Torch and has the ability to fly and control fire. Over a Sunday night meal, Johnny and Ben discover that Sue has a secret she has been harbouring, that she is indeed expecting a child. The team seems happy with the news as they start preparing for the child by baby proofing the house, a task taken upon by Reed’s robot assistant Herbie (Voice of Matthew Wood). Things are not all sunshine and daisies because a fair warning comes from Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) that Galactus (Ralph Ineson) is coming. The team must learn about the sacrifices they must make in order to save the world, which will be big ones. 

    I feel that Fantastic Four: First Steps has some hallmark traits of being a good Marvel film, without reinventing the wheel. For the first part there has to be a solid wheel on the franchise which this iteration delivers on with technical CGI elements and the story as a precursor for what is to come in Avengers Doomsday. Director Matt Shakman hones in the elements of family and the human side to these four fantastic superheroes.  The first highlight for the movie was the banter between all of the characters, HERBIE included, but more precisely there is always a fun banter between Ben Grimes (Ebon Moss-Bacharch) and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), call it maybe a generational gap. Second highlight for the film was in IMAX with the Dolby Altmos Sound technology, when Galactus finally made his appearance the thunderous sound made our theatre vibrate on another level. Michael Giachino composes a fun superhero pop ballad with the emotional tones reminiscent of his early works with one of my favourites of his scores Inside/Out. Finally, the reason to see it in  IMAX is before the film you will get a glimpse of returning to Pandora, a new fresh trailer from Director James Cameron, Avatar Fire and Ash due out around the Christmas holidays. Call it a Christmas in July for Avatar fans. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Remi is the host of At The Movies Along regular Co-Host Danny Aubery every Tuesday morning from 8-9 AM only on CJLO 1690 AM. They cover local film festivals, have interviews with directors and actors, and talk about a new film or the classics. As well the iconic sounds of present and past film scores and soundtracks. Follow Remi on Letterboxd.