The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Review and Rating

I saw The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters, and I thought it was a perfectly mediocre movie. To be clear, I wasn’t exactly expecting something groundbreaking, not considering the films to predate this new iteration. In comparison to its predecessors, First Steps exemplifies a hopeful future for the Fantastic Four as a franchise. Matt Shakman, director, undoubtedly had something to prove entering this adaptation.

So how did Shakman do? I’m happy to say that First Steps runs circles around other Fantastic Four films, but that isn’t saying much. To those unfamiliar, three other iterations of the Fantastic Four franchise have been put on the screens. Each saw a lukewarm audience reaction at best, but Fantastic Four (2015) is especially notable in its consideration as one of the worst superhero movies of all time. Fantastic Four had an inkling of potential, with director Josh Trank aiming for a more dramatic, moody adaptation of the superpowered foursome. The result was a misguided attempt to reboot a bright, family-friendly franchise into something more “adult.” An interesting idea, but a mess on the screen. 

In contrast, Fantastic Four: First Steps approaches the source material with more caution. The aesthetics of a larger-than-life, universe-protecting superhero family were spared, fortunately. I especially appreciated the small moments the characters spent as a realistic family. The Four were made to feel down-to-earth and funny, which worked well enough to contrast the dire circumstances with the comic relief presented by a realistic family dynamic. They bicker just like my family does. None of the Snyder-esque moodiness the 2015 adaptation suffered from was present. 

The editing was also deserving of praise. There were a surprising number of interesting shots and cuts for a Marvel movie. The camera work was clear and did a great job balancing story and aesthetics. In addition, the CGI used for the characters was better than I expected. Ben Grimm (The Thing) in particular was animated well enough to seem full of life and soul, but was also helped considerably by his character’s writing. He was great as a partial comic relief character, bouncing off Joseph Quinn’s Human Torch perfectly.

The writing, however, fell short for me in most other cases. It puts a bad taste in my mouth to listen to a character explain directly what their motivations are for acting however they do. First Steps suffered from clumsy expositional writing in particular, with each character nearly breaking the fourth wall in the interest of spoon-feeding each and every thought to the audience. At times, this was exhausting to sit through. Any decent screenplay writer understands that showing a character’s motivations to the audience is more engaging than explaining them away in dialogue. 

Superhero movies are understandably tricky, though, considering the wide audience they appeal to. Any film in the genre must be accessible for kids, while also being engaging enough for the average adult consumer to show their children. It’s a tough spot to be in, so I am avoiding being overly critical. The movie was captivating, regardless, so I would say it did its job.

Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the best adaptation of the Fantastic Four put to the screen yet. An interesting statement, because I am hesitant to call First Steps a genuinely good movie. The film has its fair share of cheesy writing and minor plot holes, but is ultimately a functional, fitting, and fun film for families. I am going to give Fantastic Four: First Steps a solid six out of ten.