The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Since this is the beginning of Phase Six, I just want to say that I think the MCU is finally at the place it should have been at all along. I'm a big superhero fan so I've enjoyed the Multiverse Saga, but even I admit that it's not as good as the Infinity Saga. But in the last couple years we've gotten Guardians 3, Deadpool & Wolverine, Thunderbolts and this. Yes, I know The Marvels and the new Captain America came out in that time, but I still think they're good movies. And now we'll have Spider-Man and two Avengers movies? Hell yeah. I am so excited to be this excited again. The Fantastic Four is a big reason for this. Even though Thunderbolts is amazing, Marvel really needed F4 to be great. And it is.

I've been into Kirby as Sue since the casting was just a rumour, and she does not disappoint. While the interplay between the four is stellar, and they each have their moments, Sue's ultimately the heart here. Reed's the brains. Thing and Human Torch don't go as far in either direction but they are a good mixture, and so while they are secondary to Reed and Sue, they're still really important and shine. And that's the thing, the Fantastic Four should complement each other. This movie shows that. Also props to Pascal, Moss-Bachrach and Quinn. They embody these characters. People can hate on Pascal for being "in everything," and there's certainly risk of Pascal fatigue, but he gets these roles because he's awesome. I love this cast. We couldn't ask for anything better.

It's a breezy movie by runtime standards, but it still packs in memorable moments. Sue sacrificing herself. Johnny trying to sacrifice himself. Reed and Sue's argument where Reed talks about letting the bad thoughts in so bad things don't happen, and then calling back to that later on when Reed says he doesn't know what to do and Sue says, "Yes you do," and yeah, he already considered using Franklin as bait. The Thing being smart and smashing pillars to bring down a building or "It's clobberin' time!" When being chased by the Silver Surfer, Sue yelling at Johnny, "She's trying to take your nephew. Kill her!" I could go on and on about the things that will stick with me, but there are some. God, I love just watching these people interact with each other.

And oh yeah, then there's Silver Surfer, Galactus and Franklin. You know, no big deal. I know this Silver Surfer is not the one people like, but she was great. And Garner's great. There's real tragedy to her. And Galactus looks so damn good. So terrifying. I know they "punk" him in a sense but they don't kill him, only sending him off to a place far far away, which is an awesome choice. Near the beginning, I like how quickly the movie shifts from happy and optimistic to ominous once Silver Surfer appears. Now, it never abandons hope, much like Superman, but it's not afraid to shy away from darker elements. And Franklin is a huge addition, as the movie makes note of. Obviously he's just a baby in this so there's not a ton to say outside of that, but I'm excited for where they go with him.

There's really only one moment that might be a minor complaint, though even that I'm about to defend. It's when they decide on their big plan to conserve energy, the whole world goes along with it so quickly. We know that in the real world, a) even though there's a cosmic threat hellbent on eating the world, there would be people who wouldn't do it, and b) turning off the power is dangerous and could kill people. To b, I simply say, I don't need that level of seriousness in a movie unless that's the point of the movie. To a, the movie sets up a world where people are simps for the Fantastic Four, so it's at least possible that a rousing speech by Sue ends up making them see that they need to do this. Yes, it's far-fetched, but it makes sense logically within the universe.

I've spent a lot of time talking about the characters, and I think that's important because they needed these characters to be great, since you can assume that the MCU will probably rely a lot on them moving forward (and hopefully, the X-Men). But there's a lot more to love here.

There's not a ton of action in this, but the Silver Surfer chase scene is a lot of fun. Seeing Reeds powers in live-action was not embarrassing. Everybody had some cool moments. The Fantastic Four know each other so well and you see that in combat, like when The Thing and Human Torch team up to light Galactus on fire with a truck. It's just different than a lot of other MCU movies. They aren't fighting minions or anything. It's basically a really personal battle between F4 and Galactus, which I dig.

Then there's the retro-future '60s aesthetic. Now, I'm no expert on aesthetic in my personal live, but even a dumbass like me can appreciate how colourful and beautiful this movie is. I'm not even a '60s lover, but it's cool. And it's the thing that a lot of people have loved since the first time we see it. And rightfully so. It lives up to its promises visually. Tying into that, there are also just some compelling shots, like when the camera's far back and we get to see the expansiveness of what's going on. I saw someone say it captures "awe" well and I agree. It's so perfectly Fantastic Four.

I suppose one final note is the music. Michael Giacchino didn't really come onto my radar until The Batman, which might be the GOAT movie soundtrack for me (or one of). While I will not listen to this OST as much, I'm listening to it now as I write this and it's so fantastic. Perfectly nails the wonder of the movie, in both the serene and dark moments. This guy just clobbers (yeah, that was intentional) every movie he does. He understands the assignment.

In case you can't tell, I love this movie. I can't wait until my re-watch because I want to really sink my teeth into everything about this, now that I've seen the plot and I'm over the anticipation. One final note: while I'm unsure about RDJ as Doctor Doom because I don't know what their angle is concerning his identity, I still say... hell yeah to the credits scene.