The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Issues #48-50 of the first run of Fantastic Four by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee are considered an American masterpiece. Even by scholars who wouldn't consider themselves a typical comic book reader. Today, I witnessed the first work of cinematic art to hot screens in decades. 

I got definite feels of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey during the first half of the film which leads up to the team of Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm and a very pregnant Sue Storm to confronting Galactus as he consumes a planet light-years away before he heads to Earth for the main course. 

The Devourer will spare Earth if the Fantastic Four will surrender their unborn child to him. Sensing the child's great abilities, Galactus believes that the ageless one's unstoppable hunger will finally be sated with the Richards child taking his cosmic place as a natural balance of all things in the universe. 

I don't think it's much of a spoiler to reveal that Sue has the baby while attempting to escape Galactus since a trailer came out weeks ago where Reed Richards reveals to the human race that they refuse to bargain with him. That turning point then changes the feel of the entire movie. But it still manages to keep that masterpiece feel by now evoking feelings of The Grapes of Wrath, The Ox-Bow Incident and To Kill a Mockingbird as the Fantastic Four's sense of duty to the planet while maintaining a whole family unit is greatly explored as they try to find a way to defeat Galactus.

I know a lot about the Fantastic Four. They're in my top 5 favorite superheroes all-time. I've seen every cinematic incarnation of Marvel's First Family and read a ton of their books. So I feel that I can definitively say that it was refreshing to know all of the backstory and yet watch this film as having no clue where it was going. Honest. I was clueless about how this film was gonna end.

There's 3 reasons that helped me not feel like I've seen this story a million times before. No- 4! 

#1. The movie takes place in the 1960s. A few years AFTER the team goes into space and are bombarded by cosmic rays. So no oft repeating origin story other than a quick establishing montage.

#2. It takes place on an Earth different from the 616 universe we've experienced all those other Marvel Universe movies in the past 25 years.

#3. There's no appearance of Uatu, the Watcher, whose arguable meddling in the affairs of the human race, saves the Earth from Galactus. Also absent: Alicia Masters, whose sightless view of the good in humanity causes the Silver Surfer to betray Galactus in the process.

#4. By having the Silver Surfer be a different character than Norrin Radd, you have no idea as to whether or not this Surfer is 100% to Galactus or not. It makes the character more of a dark horse in the scheme of things, helping to keep things fresh.

I know that some fans threw literal fits with having a female cast as the Surfer. I thought Julia Gardner was really good. Ralph Ineson, who plays Galactus was very good as well. As for the FF, they were like this legendary meal I had in Philadelphia years ago prepared by Iron Chef Morimoto. Individually, each element was good but not great. Get two characters together, things start to come together. Three is hitting on fabulous. But put all 4 actors together, and it's like Morimoto's Chilean sea bass with Black Bean Sauce: it was Fantastic.

I was startled by how much Human Torch actor Joseph Quinn looked like a young Robert Downey Jr. As Downey is set to play a version of Doctor Doom, I couldn't help but wonder if that casting was intentional. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Thing was great when dealing with civilians. I could get used to a Ben with a beard. But he really needs to work on his battle cry of 'It's Clobbering Time!' as Ebon's was really weak.

Speaking of weak, actress Vanessa Kirby was anything but. I know that today's Sue Storm is a bad ass not to be trifled with. But when she first appeared in the 1960s, her role was less that of the Invisible Girl but more of the damsel in distress. Since the film occurs during a time when the sexual revolution is not even on most women's horizon, seeing Sue so determined and self-confident feels like an anachronism. 

As for Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards. I think it's time for him to stop being in every movie and franchise or we're going to get tired of him pretty soon. But he was good, too.

And I can't close this review without mentioning the 5th member of the team. No, not Franklin. I'm talking about H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot. Not since watching Star Wars have I been so invested in an android. I was going to be pissed if they killed him off and it was everything I could do to not pick up my phone during the film and make sure that H.E.R.B.I.E. survived. 

I would love to see this film again. But next time I do, I want to watch it at home where I can pause the screen and examine the backgrounds and the extras. I caught a few Easter eggs, like of Stan and Jack working away at Timely Comics. I'm sure I missed a ton in the opening montage scene. Plus it was so great of Marvel Studios to give a solid tribute at the end of the film to the King. Stan the Man always got the praise. It was about damn time that the applause for all for just Jolly Jack for once!

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was a masterpiece of film that deserves a view in the theater. But it's also a movie for true Marvel fans who will want to search over and over again  for clues and hidden gems like the Zapruder film.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.