Film: The Fantastic Four: First Steps

 

GENRE: Superhero Adventure
RATING: PG-13 for action violence and some language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 55 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Pedro Pascal (Last of Us; The Mandalorian, Materialists)
Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, M:I 6); Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things)
DIRECTOR: Matt Shakman (WandaVision, It’s Always Sunny…)
WRITERS: Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds, Foundation),
Eric Pearson (Thunderbolts, Thor: Ragnarok, Agent Carter),
Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer (Bert and Arnie’s Guide to Friendship)
PLOT: The Fantastic Four need to keep Galactus from eating Earth.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I haven’t watched any Fantastic Four movies.

STORY STUFF: My expectations were low but this wasn’t as bad I thought it would be. I liked the family stuff and the general plot was decent. The middle is filled with scientific exposition that was sleep-inducing but the final battle kept me interested. I get Invisible Woman turning invisible but I still don’t get her other pushing powers. Like Superman, we are spared a lot of origin story except for some television footage that is used well.  I wish there was more humour in this film. The best part is the final car scene before the end credits. While things were decent, I wasn’t wowed by this film at all. Hoping the distant Avengers films can amp it up.

ACTING STUFF: I like Pascal as the reluctant father-figure in previous television shows but he seems a little miscast here. For a scientist, his chemistry with Sue Storm is severely lacking. Quinn looks bland to me as Human Torch, I miss his long hair from Stranger Things. Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) is fine as The Thing but nothing to write home about. Kirby is the standout, it’s like she’s in a different movie.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Great production design. I enjoyed the sixties vibe. There were some Canada Dry ads that caught my eye. The CG stuff is hit and miss in this film. The mid-end credit scene is good. The final end credit scene is not worth the wait. I know everyone needs to get paid and acknowledged on a film, and payroll accountants are important but seeing “Petty Cash” and “Petty Cash Assistant” seems a little much.   

VERDICT: Two and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You have to see every Marvel film.
UPCOMING REVIEW: The Naked Gun