Movie Review: Fantastic Four (no plot spoilers)
Fantastic Four First Steps poster
Movie Review: Fantastic Four: First Steps (no plot spoilers)
I just watched Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps for the second time, and I enjoyed it even more than the first time I saw it in July. I caught more of the subtle jokes, appreciated the nuanced performances and production design, and marveled (pun intended) at the fabulous action scenes.
This film can be appreciated on its own as it is semi-standalone and requires no previous knowledge of Marvel movies or characters.
It was a treat for the eyes and heart. It was fun. In our current movie season of “superhero fatigue,” I found this nostalgic look back so much more satisfying than the almost simultaneously released Superman (reviewed here).
1960’s Retro-future
One of the things I loved most about this film was its numerous cultural and technological touchpoints.
Rocket Ship lunch box
I had a lunch box back in the ’60s with a rocket on it that looked remarkably similar to the FF’s ship.
- The H.E.R.B.I.E robot reminds the viewer of Rosie the Robot in the ’60s Jetsons TV show. And the FF even have a flying car. I’m still waiting for mine.
- The name of the FF’s rocket, Excelsior, was the ’60s catchphrase used by Stan Lee, co-creator of the Fantastic Four and editor of Marvel Comics. Likely lifted from the state seal of New York, it means “higher” in Latin, and he used it in the letters pages of Stan’s Soapbox in his comics. Before he died, he had a cameo in almost every Marvel movie.
When was this in the ’60s?
Was it around the British Invasion of rock and roll (1964)? Men in this movie don’t have long hair; nevertheless, there were “arrows” on the stage of “The Ted Gilbert Show” that were reminiscent of The Beatles‘ appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
The film lacked the design features of Star Trek‘s (1966) U.S.S. Enterprise’s angular bridge controls, though we do get the bright colors of the Star Trek uniforms in this film. Star Trek’s optimistic future, enabled through science and technology, was an influence on the filmmakers.
It certainly looked like 1968, as many of the effects, consoles, and even mid-century furniture echo those of the Stanley Kubrick/Arthur C. Clarke film 2001: A Space Odyssey, released that year. If you’d ever been to Tomorrowland’s House of the Future at Disneyland back in the ’60s, this movie nails it.
They don’t discuss “warp drive” or “jumps” through hyperspace; instead, they talk about the FTL (Faster-Than-Light) drive. How superluminal!
And when they feature a neutron star, it looks a lot like the one in the 2014 film Interstellar.
Interstellar neutron star
Fantastic Four: The First Family of Marvel Comics
The Fantastic Four Family
I started collecting comic books in 1961, the same year the Fantastic Four title debuted in November. This was during what was called Marvel Comics’ Silver Age, and the FF were the first mainline heroes created during that age. Other popular Marvel characters were introduced the following year, including Ant-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Thor. Indeed, Spider-Man made his early appearances in a crossover cameo in the Fantastic Four comic issue number 34, before he got his own title.
Spider-Man Issue 1 cover, 1963
Trivia:
If you’re not familiar with the Fantastic Four family, you might remember Pixar’s own version of them with Brad Bird‘s retro-futuristic The Incredibles.
Ben Grimm (The Thing) visits Yancy Street, a Jewish neighborhood in New York. There, we see a synagogue, and Ben visits, being Jewish. The actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach is the first Jewish actor to play Ben Grimm.
There’s another aspect of them being the First Family in the ’60s: they’re heroes. In the film, they’re astronauts before they encounter cosmic rays on one of their space flights and gain superpowers. And the citizens of New York adore them. They cheer when the FF appear.
Back in the 1960s, there were ticker-tape parades for returning astronauts; they were the Cold War heroes of America. After they had completed a Mercury, Gemini, or Apollo mission, Americans idolized them. Watch the films The Right Stuff or Apollo 13. When the Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon in 1969, everyone I knew watched it.
Standout Performances
The Fantastic Four First Steps
The two standout performances in this film were the fantastic couple. Husband Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic is played by Pablo Pascal, who is “he’s so hot right now,” and you may have seen him in many other recent movies. Over exposure? This is the way.
Nevertheless, he’s a popular actor and aptly portrays a man torn between his family responsibilities and the need to save the world, often appearing as an absent-minded scientist, but with a sense of self-awareness. However, he did not convince me he was the most intelligent man alive.
His wife, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, is played by the distractingly beautiful Vanessa Kirby. You may remember her as Princess Margaret in The Crown, where she was awarded a BAFTA for her distinguished performance, which gave a hint of what she’s accomplished.
She’s well-known on the London stage, but she has also appeared in numerous popular TV shows and films in recent years, including the episode of “Fast & Furious,” Hobbs & Shaw, and even two “Mission Impossible” movies: Dead Reckoning (reviewed here) and “Fallout,” as the deliciously evil White Widow. She has also played Josephine Bonaparte in the recent Ridley Scott film Napoleon.
She shines in this role; indeed, she outshines Pedro Pascal. But then, in many ways, she’s the heart of this film.
The Best Fantastic Four film
There were two previous well-known attempts to bring the Fantastic Four to the silver screen, excluding the TV cartoon series. The Tim Story films Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), as well as the mostly forgettable Fantastic Four (2015) by Josh Trank.
Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four, 1994
However, a lesser-known and unreleased attempt was made by Roger Corman in 1994, with an almost nonexistent budget. The actors were Alex Hyde-White, Jay Underwood, Rebecca Staab, and Michael Bailey Smith.
They have cameos in this film. The first two portray construction workers in the opening scene. The last two do voice-over announcements as newscasters.
No Plot Spoilers?
OK, one teeny tiny non-plot spoiler:
The movie opens with the title “Earth 828,” referring to the setting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also known as the multiverse. The final slide in the closing credits features a quote from the co-creator and original artist of the Fantastic Four, Jack Kirby, and below it, the span of his life:
“If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.” –Jack Kirby 8/28/1917 – 2/6/1994
8/28 is Jack Kirby’s birthday, August 28, or 828
P.S. Jack Kirby also co-created The Avengers, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Galactus, Hulk, Iron Man, The Silver Surfer, and The X-Men. In an interview, he said that when he ran out of ideas for superheroes, he picked a Norse god for his next superhero: Thor.
Conclusion
After 37 Marvel movies, starting with the 2008 Iron Man (reviewed here), we’re now in Phase Six, concluding the Multiverse Saga.
The pacing was a bit off in the third act of this film, but the finale set piece made up for it. All in all, it appears that Marvel has regained its footing after a few recent films that were largely forgettable.
The music was not up to the standards I’d expect, despite being composed by Michael Giacchino, who not only scored The Incredibles (with noticeable tributes to James Bond movie scores), Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man: Homecoming, but also the J.J. Abrams cult TV show Lost.
This score’s 100-piece orchestra is often overwhelming during the dramatic space chase scenes, but offers delightful 100-voice choir vocal percussion (recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios) throughout the movie. And the film end titles feature a curious ’60s Joan Baez-esque sounding folk song entitled “Let Us Be Devoured.”
Grade: B+
You’ll like it if: you dig groovy ’60s futuristic rocket ships and tech, space battles, and a galactic villain.
You won’t like it if: you wanted all four of the Fantastic Four to be well-defined characters.
P.S. You may want to stay through the credits to see an Easter Egg scene that introduces where the Fantastic Four will appear next.
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com
