The World’s Greatest Fantastic Four Movie

Excelsior at last.

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Trial and error have finally resulted in a great Fantastic Four movie.

The FF have had three previous film incarnations, two of which were released in theaters and one of which even got a sequel. But those were each highly flawed in their own special way. The Fantastic Four concept has abundant potential as a film franchise, and yet Hollywood kept failing to tap into the essence of what had once earned the tagline of “The World’s Greatest Comics Magazine.” Until now.

(I’ll avoid major spoilers, but read at your own risk if you haven’t seen it yet. And you should see it.)

Fantastic Four: First Steps is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it takes place on a different Earth within the multiverse (or the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, perhaps). That was the right call, given the age of the MCU. A rookie FF, in a world where the Avengers have already run their course, would have felt off.

By setting the FF in their own distinct reality, we’re able to meet an experienced quartet who are well-established and idolized by millions. They’re four years into their career, and a friendly TV program brings us up to speed on their origin and the sorts of adventures they’ve been having. Meanwhile, we become immersed in this charming retro-futuristic world.

Other super-teams might develop a family-like dynamic, but the Fantastic Four actually are a family—husband, wife, brother, and longtime best friend. That’s the heart and soul of the whole thing, and this movie clearly understands that, as it opens with Sue and Reed learning that they’re going to have a baby.

Something else is on the way. A hungry something. The Silver Surfer (not called that in the movie, but this is basically a female Silver Surfer) selects Earth as the next meal of an immensely powerful and gigantic alien entity. She warns humanity that their end is near. Galactus is coming.

The Fantastic Four, of course, are not the type to passively wait until a giant alien shows up to eat the planet. Sue joins the action despite being nine months pregnant; it’s not even a question. The world needs the four of them, and they all need each other.

Galactus is a global threat, and this is indeed a fate-of-the-world situation. But the movie still manages to put the focus squarely on the value of each individual life. As I’ve said before, villains promise to save the world, but superheroes save people. They might save all the people at once, but they’re still saving people, treating no one as expendable along the way. This movie gets that.

First Steps radiates wholesome goodness while still delivering fast-paced action and dealing with high stakes. People love the Fantastic Four, and the Fantastic Four love people. Children adore Ben despite his monstrous appearance, and he enjoys making their day by giving them a little demonstration of strength. It’s just so nice.

Even so, notes of melancholy slip in here and there, such as glimpses of how Ben misses his human form or how Reed can be just a little too coldly calculating at times and is aware of this shortcoming. There’s a fallibility beneath the fantastic. The humanity of the best FF comics, however colorful, is present here. Also like those comics, the humanity combines with cosmic spectacle.

I was skeptical about the Silver Surfer’s gender swap, but it does serve a purpose. Someone needs to catch Johnny’s eye, after all. On the whole, this Silver Surfer remains true to the core concept, even with some different details. And this Galactus is actually Galactus this time, not a cloud. Hollywood is no longer so embarrassed by comic book elements as to think that a cosmic cloud is less silly than a malignant, godlike threat that has a face. Thank goodness.

Most important, the Fantastic Four are the Fantastic Four. Each character remains true to their comic book roots. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn capture exactly the right personalities for Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny. No provocative deconstruction going on here. No deconstruction necessary. A faithful interpretation, with the right execution, was always going to work.

Fantastic Four: First Steps is tremendous fun, but it knows when to get serious. The jokes and bantering are there, primarily in service of showing the family dynamic, but the movie dials them down when it dials up the danger, striking the right balance.

It’s also not overstuffed in the least. This is no Greatest Hits album trying to squeeze in as many iconic moments as it can get away with. It’s quite focused.

New baby. Mysterious herald. World-devouring threat. One colossal problem to solve. An experienced Fantastic Four face their greatest challenge yet—so great that Reed doesn’t have all the answers for once in his life. That’s an excellent way to meet them on the big screen.

It's how we should have met them years ago, but better late than never. At long last, I can finally say: I enjoyed this Fantastic Four movie!