«The Fantastic Four: First Steps» Review: Family Comes First

When there’s no way to make something already enormous even bigger, one possible solution is to scale down. That seems to be the lesson Marvel has learned — or tried to apply — in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Not because the challenge or threat the characters face is small — quite the opposite, in fact — but because of the scale at which the story is told. Unlike the usual accumulation of explosions and special effects typical of today’s superhero blockbusters, Matt Shakman’s film commits to a clear visual style, a limited set of characters, an unusually dramatic tone (for this type of movie), and a direct, no-frills narrative. And it works. For the first time in a long while, a Marvel film feels personal, coherent, and, crucially, entertaining.

If you look into Shakman’s career, you’ll find he’s only directed one feature film (Cut Bank, 2014), but he’s helmed hundreds of television episodes, including some of the most significant shows of the past decade: Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Fargo, and Succession. Still, the key to understanding this reboot of The Fantastic Four lies in WandaVision, the series for which Shakman directed every episode. The film’s retrofuturistic tone clearly connects with that show. This story takes place in an alternate version of Earth (the multiverse really allows for anything) where the early 1960s include futuristic technology. It’s a film steeped in the aesthetics of the past, with Marvel layering in its usual digital effects and intergalactic conflicts.

First Steps avoids rehashing the origin story of the title heroes in detail, summarizing it through a cleverly staged vintage newsreel: following a space mission, they return to Earth changed by a genetic accident. We’re introduced to scientist Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), his wife Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), her younger brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and their friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach of The Bear), who is now the rock-bodied Thing. Each character has their trademark powers (Reed stretches like rubber, Sue generates force fields, Ben is made of stone), and by the time the film starts, they’re already beloved celebrities thanks to past battles with various villains — many of them classic comic-book foes quickly referenced in that newsreel.

Two narrative threads run in parallel. On one side, Sue is pregnant, and the couple must face the troubling possibility that their baby may inherit their mutations. Meanwhile, a figure appears over New York: Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner, in CGI form), a female version of the classic Silver Surfer. She comes to warn of the impending arrival of Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson), a colossal being set on devouring the Earth. The Fantastic Four must find a way to stop him, even as they prepare for the birth of baby Franklin — who ends up playing a key role in an intergalactic conflict with biblical overtones.

While the plot itself doesn’t stray far from genre conventions, Shakman succeeds in containing the story within this tight circle of characters and emotional stakes, avoiding the narrative sprawl that often renders Marvel plots incomprehensible. Even the action sequences are restrained, coherent, and sensibly timed. Most of the film’s 115-minute runtime is dedicated to the personal dramas of its four heroes — each facing their own inner struggle — and to their efforts to find a (mostly scientific) solution to Galactus’s threat. And honestly, that’s more than enough.

What elevates the film — in addition to its extraordinary production design by Loki’s Kasra Farahani, who reimagines a Don Draper–era Manhattan — is the conviction with which each emotional arc is written and performed. Pascal and Kirby could be starring in a family drama, grappling with the crushing emotional and literal weight of trying to save both their family and the world. Johnny has a cryptic bond with Shalla-Bal, while Ben flirts with a schoolteacher (a sadly underused Natasha Lyonne), in what is perhaps the film’s lightest subplot.

Despite the retro and somewhat campy vibe of the superheroes’ costumes — the poster art carries a nostalgic pop flavor reminiscent of the latest Superman film — The Fantastic Four is a very different proposal from James Gunn’s style. Shakman takes his story and characters seriously. Aside from a few exceptions, there’s no room for silly jokes, snappy one-liners, or tonal detours. Watching Pascal and Kirby wrestle with the challenge of saving their child and the planet lends the whole project a much-needed gravitas. In fact, the rare attempts at humor often feel misplaced.

What ultimately makes First Steps work — somewhat ironically — is that Shakman comes from TV and may be more comfortable working with limited scope. I don’t know the film’s budget — perhaps it’s as massive as other recent Marvel productions — but what matters is the decision to keep the story focused, stylistically consistent, and narratively restrained. It may not fully restore Marvel’s fading prestige, but as a standalone entry — one that doesn’t require watching 35 other superhero films — it pays respectable homage to the story Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created back in 1961, the very year this film lovingly recreates.