JEANNE’S REVIEW

Yippee! A baby! THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS begins with Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) and her husband, Reed Richards/ Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), two of the four Super Heroes, finding out that Sue is pregnant. They’ve waited a long time for this, and yet there are concerns, especially since the cosmic rays which gave them their incredible powers may end up affecting their child.

But not to worry, dad is an exceptional inventor and he takes it upon himself to develop a way to test the baby as he grows in the womb. Unfortunately, having a baby with super human powers isn’t Reed and Sue’s only concern. A space god, Galactus (Ralph Ineson), has his eye on devouring Earth and everyone on it. We know this because his Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), also  known as Shalla-Bal, shows up in New York City’s Times Square to make the announcement.

Now, Reed, Sue, Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), Sue’s brother, and Reed’s best friend, Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), must board the Excelsior, their 1960s-inspired spaceship, to find Galactus and convince him to leave Earth alone. When that doesn’t work and they return home, the Fantastic Four must convince Harvey Elder aka Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser) to allow the residents of NYC to take cover in Subterranea, his massive underground domain, while they battle Galactus and Silver Surfer.

Set in the 1960s, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS is a marvel --- pun intended --- of set productions (Kasra Farahani), costume designs (Alexandra Byrne), visual effects (Scott Stokdyk) and an outstanding soundtrack (Michael Giacchino). Directed by Matt Shakman, who also helmed the awesome streaming series ‘WandaVision’, the creative screenplay was written by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, based on the comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Lee and Kirby wanted this team of Super Heroes to be people first with the importance of family taking center stage. And family is definitely the focus of this film.

It’s a noble idea and Shakman and his cast and crew deliver. Residing together in a penthouse apartment in the mid-century American modernism Baxter Building in New York, these four heroes are a family --- a very close one. And they have H.E.R.B.I.E. (Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics), a rather darling robot, to help.

The ensemble cast is superb. Pascal is seriously perfect as Mister Fantastic. He’s so earnest and he shares marvelous chemistry with Kirby, who nails the part of Sue Storm, the magnificent Invisible Woman. She worked with coach Jennifer White to create her movements for her powers of invisibility --- and it’s very believable. It’s perhaps my favorite aspect of THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS watching Kirby’s facial expressions and her hands while she works her magic. That, and of course the baby --- the gorgeous child playing Sue and Reed’s offspring.

Quinn and Moss-Bachrach round out the foursome with impressive confidence. Garner, Ineson and Hauser contribute their talents successfully, while Natasha Lyonne stands out as a school teacher on Yancy Street, Ben Grimm’s childhood home.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS is phenomenal fun for the entire family. And, at only one hour and 55 minutes, it’s the perfect amount of time to spend with this Super Hero clan.

Opinion: See It Now!

DAVID’S REVIEW

Set in the 1960s, THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS has at least two major plot elements that are arguably preposterous.  A woman who is declared dead is revived by a baby? And even more outrageous, relocating Planet Earth to a different universe or galaxy to escape the clutches of an enormous giant who devours planets to sustain his life? But guess what --- this highly ambitious film is still great fun and quite exciting.

Starring Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, these four Super Heroes are the darlings of virtually everyone on Earth. That is, until Invisible Woman takes a very unpopular stand that had she capitulated, the entire population of Earth would theoretically be spared. But as the saying goes, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”.

When Earth is confronted with total destruction by the aforementioned Devourer of Worlds named Galactus (Ralph Ineson), the Fantastic Four spring into action. With their collective DNA altered in a cosmic accident, the people of Earth have no one else to turn to for their survival.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, buoyed by a fabulous score from Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino (UP, RATATOUILLE), and a seamless production engineered by director Matt Shakman (‘WandaVision’ plus episodes of “Game of Thrones” and “Succession”) is grand entertainment.

Other cast standouts include Julia Garner as Galactus’ Herald, Silver Surfer/Shalla-Bal. She glides through space on what is essentially a silver surf board, but she is not completely devoted to Galactus. Paul Walter Hauser portrays Harvey Elder, aka Mole Man, ruler of Subterranea, and Sarah Niles plays Lynne Nichols, chief of staff for the Fantastic Four. My favorite cameo appearance of the story is none other than the “Poker Face” actor, Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman. She has a brief implied flirtation with The Thing.

A quarter of writers is credited for this highly-imaginative sci-fi venture (Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer) but editors Nona Khodai and Tim Roche may be the unsung heroes as their work is incredible covering all the fast-paced action.

There are some comic relief moments, especially in the beginning when Reed can’t find his yellow iodine (a staple of people 60 years ago to ward off infection) and Sue advises him from her seat in the bathroom that she will be out in 12 seconds. Hearing this, he murmurs “Hmm, that’s pretty specific”. Women in the viewing audience will know immediately what is going on ---  the men --- maybe not.

I must admit that generally I find Marvel movies tedious. Not so with THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. See it on an IMAX screen if possible.

Opinion:  See It Now!