The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been declared a flop by many across the internet. However, it’s slept on and people are failing to recognize it for the fantastic movie it is.
With the arrival of “eater of worlds” Galactus, (Ralph Ineson), and the arrival of Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and Mister Fantastic’s (Pedro Pascal) child Franklin, the stakes are higher than ever with the Fantastic Four. Galactus offers the four a deal to give him their newborn child in exchange for the safety of Earth. Sue Storm, Mister Fantastic, Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) collectively decline and frantically come up with multiple plans to save Earth, one inevitably leading to the climax of the film.
The director, Matt Shakman did a great job on this project, especially when depicting Galactus. Throughout the entirety of the film, Shakman does exceptional at displaying the intimidating imperil Galactus brings, especially in scenes like the final battle where he descends to Earth quaking the grounds and walks through the skyscrapers of New York City.
Another noteworthy feat of the director is the lighting and overall look of the movie. This film went for a crisp 1960s retro backdrop and did an excellent job. The style of their home and car fit the chosen vibe nicely giving the film that cool older energy. The lighting and the way the scenes looked as well was very pleasing to the eye.
Compared to the other Fantastic Four movies, this one was by far the best in terms of CGI. The first three were made in 2005, 2007, and 2015. So it’s obvious it would be like this, hence the big time gap between the movies, yet the CGI is still eye-catching and impressive.
The Thing’s CGI was especially great. His changed design and overall naturalness of his character was very noticeable in this movie. Other notable CGI improvements were Mister Fantastic’s stretching and the beauty of outer space.
The CGI could have been better as for the CGI baby scenes when Sue Storm showed Mister Fantastic their baby inside of her. Despite some little parts that were off, the CGI was very impressive especially in comparison to previous movies.
The character’s acting was emotional and left a fitting atmosphere in the room. For example, at the end of the movie when Sue Storm almost died, it was like the tension in that scene was also in the room with the audience. The characters’ suspense and sadness echoed through the theatre.
The theme of family was very meaningful and true through the whole movie. When the Fantastic Four chose to risk humanity’s fate to save Franklin, it sent a powerful message to the audience. They put the whole world against them for family and that meant something touching.
To leave viewers excited for more, the film ended with a shocking end credits scene. This was very well done as it left the theater full of gasps and screams.
