The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The Fantastic Family

First Steps brings to life a more comic accurate plot, versus its predecessor, staring Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss – Bachrach as Ben Grimm

This installment is fantastic to say the least.

Pedro thrives as Reed Richards as he is fresh from The Last of Us Season Two and his relationship with Sue Storm is the most believable portray since the film adaptations began. Vanessa Kirby may not ignite but she shines as her portrayal of Sue Storm as we have never seen Sue as not only an already established superhero but as wife and a mother as well. She is soft but strong and stands as a leader all on her own while putting her family above all. While there is humor sprinkled throughout the film, it’s refreshing to see a serious emphasis on the relationship between both Reed and Sue this time around.

Joseph Quinn’s take on Johnny Storm is also something that audiences have not seen before with this specific character. The Playboy aspect is replaced with a more respectful Loverboy can hold his own when it comes to intelligent conversations and cares deeply not only about his sister and his new nephew but Reed and Ben as well. He is refreshing, lighthearted and as a viewer I can’t wait to see more of his portrayal in future films.

Finally, everyone’s favorite rock man Ebon Moss – Bachrach doesn’t miss a beat fresh from the kitchens of The Bear Season Four. With the use of some practical effects and CGI, Ben was redesigned to have a closer resemblance to his comic book character. While constant fight scenes scattered throughout the film are not present, Ebon makes his presences known not with his size but surprisingly his warmth. He solidifies his role as an uncle the same way as Johnny and the popularized ‘resentfulness’ from the accident that transformed him into ‘The Thing’ simply isn’t there. Truth be told, it is not missed as there is a scene with Reed where he empathizes that Richards shouldn’t be too hard on himself because there wasn’t a way to know what would happen while they were in space. There isn’t an ounce of hate, resentment or even frustration from Ebon’s portrayal of Ben and to be honest… he rocks it.

Trust the Audience

First Steps is indeed a first, as they do not use the entire first act explaining how our fantastic team became fantastic. As this is the third remake, kudos should be given to its writers as they correctly assume that the audience knows just how Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny got their powers. By trusting the audience about the origin story of the Fantastic Four, the film allows its run time to be focused on other aspects of the story.

About That Post Credit Scene

It is important to note that there are two post credit scenes in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. One with a lighthearted throwback to the original comics and another that leads into an epic level threat with a direct connection of what’s to come.

The Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday.