„The Fantastic Four: First Steps,“ in theaters Friday, is no fun as it never gains control of its tone. For starters, it’s not even the team’s first steps.
July 22 The Fantastic Four: First Steps, in theaters Friday, is a confusing reintroduction of the comic book superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Failing to balance its tone, the movie is just no fun.
The movie opens with Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) already four years into being The Fantastic Four. So it is not their „first steps“ at all. The title also alludes to Sue and Reed’s baby, but it’s hardly more relevant to him.
In fact, a TV montage of the team’s past adventures features scenes that look like they’re from a much more fun movie. It also covers how a space accident rendered the four team members with super powers.
On Earth 828, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) brings word that Galactus (Ralph Ineson) will devour the planet and nothing can be done. So the Fantastic Four try to figure out how to negotiate with and/or stop Galactus.
It appears to be the 1960s on Earth 828, although a date is never given. It could be that the world just features ’60s-style architecture and technology, and that those rock n‘ roll oldies are the current top 40. Most of the Marvel movies take place on Earth 199999.
The idea of a retro-futuristic Fantastic Four sounds fun.
