Love is the most important quality on Earth-828, the world in which the film takes place. The titular heroes live in a society that has a tasty retro-futuristic feel: Husband and wife Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) are expecting a baby, one they hope will inherit their superpowers. They live with Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), a man capable of putting his entire body on fire, and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), a human who has to contend with a body made entirely out of rock. Things take a dicier turn when Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a planet destroying Übermensch agrees to leave this solar system alone in exchange for unborn baby.
As comic book movies go, The Fantastic Four:First Steps is one of the more exceptional films, precisely because the central story hinges on human interactions: family. There are the larger than life special effects, but they are secondary to the titular clan, a hodgepodge of differing abilities and powers. It also helps that the characters are very well developed: even Galactus isn’t a traditional villain, but instead a being forced to carry out acts of tremendous evil.
Johnny is the one who embodies rock’n roll, zipping around the place with gusto and energy. Ben, who has an unfortunate nickname “Thing”, carries around a deformity that impersonates his inner conflict. It’s established that this iteration of the comic book character is Jewish, adding another layer of internalised angst.)Like a lot of matriarchs, Sue seems the most sensible, bringing rational thought to her husband’s wilder ideas. Any one of these would make a solid lead, but as an ensemble they make for an even more impressive collective. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) creates some frisson, as she shares some chemistry with Johnny. The movie, like Thor: Ragnarok (Taika Watiti, 2017) before it, is not afraid to crack some jokes at the ludicrousness of the setup. “I don’t tell you how to drive the ship”, Johnny snorts loudly; “don’t tell me how to kill sexy aliens!”. Mark Gatiss co-stars as talk-show host Ted Gilbert, squeezing more humour into the mix. Much of the decor recalls the 1960s, and Gilbert inhabits a style that is reminiscent of real-life personality Ed O’ Sullivan.
In this retro-futuristic world, robots walk by men in Edward Hopper-esque suits. A third influence enters, the Galactus a throwback to the poetry of Danté. Innovation, regression, destruction: it’s all there on the big screen.Yet for all the grandstanding, scale and spectactular CG work, director Matt Shakman makes the family dynamic the movie’s number one concern. You can sense the warmth between the individuals, excited to be parents (Reed and Sue) or uncles (Johnny and Ben.) “My mother used to say that a mother would move heaven and earth for her child”, Sue bellows, with a feisty expression to match the exclamation.
Pedro Pascal’s Reed is oddly vulnerable for a superhero. His character is a scientist, capable of moving/elongating his entire body to stretch across whole buildings, but depends on the love of wife and child to get him through the week. In one of the most charming monologues in the film, Reed ensures he will love his baby no matter what he turns into. What makes this one of the superior superhero films from 2025 is that it is so rich in humanity. No matter the potential of the hero and his powers, he is fundamentally a scared man in a bigger world. The Fantastic Four: First Steps lives up to the adjective by being vital.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in cinemas on Friday, July 24th.
