‘Fantastic Four,’ Marvel’s First Family, Brings Brains Back to Sci-Fi and Superheroes

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is delivering what comic book fans have longed for, defying expectations and relying on brains instead of brawn to save the day. The film feels fresh in a genre battling superhero fatigue, with none of the pandering, politics, or laziness that weighs down muddled contemporaries.Often called Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four debuted in 1961. “First Steps” features the married couple, Reed Richards and Sue Storm, played by Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby. Joseph Quinn is Sue’s brother, Johnny Storm. Reed’s best friend and pilot, Ben Grimm, is portrayed by Ebon Moss-Bachrach.Together, they are Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and The Thing. The movie begins years after they’ve gained extraordinary abilities during a mishap in space, an accident for which the “smartest man in the world,” Reed, blames himself.The special effects for Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, the Herald of Galactus, avoids the Uncanny Valley as does the Thing’s. Comic book fans lament that the original Silver Surfers were both men, with factions arguing over who’s the “real” one. But the change serves the story, rather than being a gratuitous gender swap.The robot H.E.R.B.I.E from the 1978 animated FF is present, too. He was a stand-in for the Human Torch because his rights had been sold, contrary to an urban legend that the show feared kids would light themselves on fire. The Thing insists that his battle cry, “It’s clobbering time,” comes from those cartoon adventures.The FF, both cursed and blessed with powers, use them for the good of mankind. Their story was born during the Space Race; so, it’s fitting that the film chose a retro-futuristic 1960s style. The action is, of course, in New York City. Places like Nashville may have streets called Broadway, but aliens never see much point in attacking them.Seeing heroes act like heroes — and a nuclear family that cares about each other — feels as retro as the visual elements. “Never doubt,” a newsman’s voiceover says during the battle for earth, “that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”CGI is used with restraint rather than to compensate for a thin plot. The weakness of previous live-action versions of the FF has been Reed Richard’s rubbery body, which looks campy and absurd. He does very little stretching here. There are no long, messy battles where it’s hard to see just what’s happening, either.In “First Steps,” the characters use their abilities only after disbelief is suspended. It’s the most faithful depiction of the comics since the 1994 “Fantastic Four.” Its director, Roger Corman, produced the film only to protect his rights to the characters. Never released, it was seen only on pirated VHS tapes shared between friends.On their space mission to confront “Galactus: The Devourer of Worlds,” this FF aims to negotiate while collecting data to use if talking fails. When Johnny and Ben mime falling asleep at Reed’s scientific speculation about Galactus, he relents. “If he’s just some big guy in a ship,” he says, “then, yes, you can punch him out.”They discover Galactus is too big to slug. When he demands that Reed and Sue surrender their infant son, Franklin, in exchange for sparing the earth, a panicked populace turns on their heroes. “I will not sacrifice my child for this world,” Sue says to quell a mob, “but I will not sacrifice this world for my child.”That the FF resolves to outthink an enemy that they can’t outfight delivers a struggle that’s rare in a genre where victory often seems a given. “First Steps” infuses the threat posed by Galactus, voiced by Ralph Ineson, with gravitas. Although at just under two hours, the story could use more time to let characters and conflicts develop.Audiences weary of the forgettable fare coming out of Hollywood will remember “First Steps,” even if it’s just to argue over where it falls short. It’s a smart story that defies the odds, which is what people go to the movies to see their heroes do.

‘Fantastic Four,’ Marvel’s First Family, Brings Brains Back to Sci-Fi and Superheroes

‘Fantastic Four,’ Marvel’s First Family, Brings Brains Back to Sci-Fi and Superheroes

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