[Nerdspresso] Marvel Scores with Fantastic Four!

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Looks like the fourth time’s a charm for the Fantastic Four. Marvel’s historic super group was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in 1961. They were the first superhero team for the publisher and often considered one of their flagship titles. Despite being hailed as Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four possess an awkward filmography. 

Their first cinematic outing was a Grade Z flick in 1994, produced by low-budget impresario Roger Corman, which was never even released theatrically. In those pre-internet days, this movie was something of a nerd urban legend, spoken in hushed tones at comic cons and viewed on black market VHS copies. You can watch it now on Tubi and Pluto TV. It’s an ignominious debut for such iconic characters.

A decade later, 20th Century Fox debuted a new adaptation with two films in 2005 and 2007. These movies had stronger production values and featured mid-level actors (including a pre-Captain America Chris Evans) as the fabled superheroes. They are watchable, but pale in comparison with some of the premier titles of the MCU, which would kick off a short time later with RDJ’s Iron Man in 2008. See for yourself on Disney+.

Michael Chiklis gets major props for his sincere take on the Thing. He’s buried under hefty prosthetics which would probably be outlawed today by the Geneva Convention. The rest of the cast is pretty unremarkable. Jessica Alba’s The Invisible Woman doesn’t get a lot to do but fares better than Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic. His name is more memorable than his performance. The most stretching his character does is to make us believe he’s the team leader. 

Julian McMahon (RIP) hams it up as a charismatic but shallow Dr. Doom while Evans overshadows everyone with his grandstanding as the Human Torch. He’s entertaining but obnoxious, like the loudest guy at a frat party. It’s hard to believe that this is the same actor who would so completely inhabit Cap’s heroic nobility just a few years later. These films are hobbled by cheesy lines, flimsy plots, and workmanlike direction by Tim Story (he did that taxi cab movie with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah).

The most interesting character in those Fox films is not even on the team, but the Silver Surfer, performed by Doug Jones (The Shape of Water and Star Trek: Discovery) and voiced by Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix). He’s riveting, but deserves a better franchise. These flicks fell victim to the Hollywood bias that moviegoers weren’t interested in comic book-accurate superheroes, so they tweaked origins, storylines, and costumes to make them “cool” for cinemas. 

While the Fox movies aren’t great, they shine compared to the reboot from 2015. The less said about that abomination, the better. I think the only thing similar to the comic book in this movie is the title. It is so bad that it doesn’t even warrant viewing as a guilty pleasure. This flick is now streaming on Disney+, but watching will just make you feel bad for this cast, especially Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick) and Michael B. Jordan (Sinners). You will feel shame by osmosis. 

Now the team is getting the full-blown MCU treatment in a blockbuster flick directed by Matt Shakman (who also did that trippy WandaVision show). It’s been a long time coming, but these comic book legends are finally getting the movie they deserve. Featuring a sterling cast, including Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian and The Last of Us), Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible: Fallout and The Crown), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear and Andor), Fantastic Four: First Steps offers a vivid and thoughtful superhero tale. 

Shakman and his team of screenwriters (Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer) wisely place this movie in an alternate universe to the established MCU. This setting gives the heroes room to breathe. They can tell their own story without a lot of heavy franchise baggage. You’re not constantly wondering when the Avengers are going to show up. This creative team serves up a nice combo of ambitious storytelling and smaller moments. 

This story is painted on a big canvas, but it never forgets its focus on the characters and their relationships. Each writer brings their strength to this material, guided by Shakman’s steady hand. Friedman penned James Cameron’s Avatar sequels, and Pearson is the scribe behind Thor: Ragnarok and the recent Thunderbolts* so they are no strangers to big-budget sagas. Kaplan and Springer, on the other hand, are the screenwriters behind heartfelt indie comedies like Bert and Arnie’s Guide to Friendship. 

They’ve crafted a film that’s both epic and intimate. Eschewing an elaborate origin tale, the movie presents the Fantastic Four as the celebrity defenders of a retrofuturistic planet Earth. The worldbuilding here is impressive. It rivals Black Panther in establishing a sense of place with sumptuous atmosphere. The Fantastic Four’s Manhattan is a colorful blend of high tech with a groovy 1960’s mod aesthetic. It’s Mad Men meets Star Trek.

One of my biggest complaints about the previous incarnations: their departures from the original comic book. The Fox movies were much better than the others, but even then the characters never felt authentic. They used the names and the powers and seemed to discard most everything else. This new flick feels very much like the comic brought to life. The team dynamic and their relationships seem genuine. 

The cast’s chemistry is next level. They really gel as these characters, especially Vanessa Kirby as The Invisible Woman. The best aspect of The Fantastic Four comics was always their strong sense of family. Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman are married, the Human Torch is her brother, and the Thing is Mr. Fantastic’s best friend from college. They are a tight unit with a rich history. While they may engage in banter, there’s no rivalry or sniping like you might see in the X-Men or the Avengers. The Fantastic Four is a unified front, which really comes across in this film.

In Fantastic Four: First Steps, they are faced with an insurmountable foe: Galactus, the devourer of worlds. This gargantuan space traveler with near god-like powers traverses the universe, consuming entire planets to feed his insatiable hunger. He has chosen Earth as his next meal and sent his herald, the cosmic Silver Surfer (played here by Julia Garner from Ozark and the recent Wolf Man reboot) to inform the populace of their fate. 

The core of this movie is how this team faces a challenge that might not be overcome and how that affects their relationship with the public. The movie does a great job of exploring the ramifications of celebrity and the co-dependent nature of superheroes in connection to the rest of society. Since the Fantastic Four are the only super beings on this Earth, no one is flying in with back-up. If they win, they could end up paying the ultimate price. 

The movie struggles with some big questions, which gives it a strong emotional center. There’s still plenty of popcorn moments to thrill and delight audiences, but this flick is much more introspective than most of its peers. It is not as fast-paced as, say, the recent Superman, but it does share some similarities with that blockbuster. Both put a human face on the folks in the costume, presenting heroes with strength, heart, and humor. 

Fantastic Four: First Steps is a feast for the eyes and the soul. The cast and visuals make this movie a must-see on the big screen. The MCU has stumbled since 2019, pumping out mostly meh entries since the conclusion of the Thanos saga. This flick, along with Deadpool & Wolverine and Thunderbolts*, feels like a major course correction. I’m now really looking forward to whatever comes next. Creator Jack Kirby would be proud of his babies. You will be, too.

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