The Mosley Review: Fantastic Four: First Steps

It truly has been a long time since I've felt anything like this. I was genuinely surprised that for once, we have a film in the MCU that was focused on a singular plot and felt truly grounded. Earlier this year, Thunderbolts* brought back the handling of deeper themed storytelling, but this film felt like a contained yet pivotal plot point for Marvel. The earlier adaptations of Marvel's first family haven't been the greatest, but this one finally got the tone and feel of the characters right. What I truly enjoyed was the mixture of the classic 60's meets post modern futurism in its design and tone. From the start, we get that taste of their super stardom and not even a second later, we get to know the team as the family that they are behind closed doors. For some that may have been too fast, but it was done so well that you didn't need the drawn out origin story. Not only was this film stunning and the stakes felt dyer, but I was whole heartedly invested in the characters themselves in. That is a feat that has not been reached in quite some time.

Pedro Pascal is great caliber of an actor and as Reed Richards, he nails the personality and heart of the character. Reed is cursed with the ability to constantly work out equations even in his most intimate moments. Its his true super power and I loved that it is displayed as both helpful and detrimental. Ebon Moss-Bachrach was great and relatable as Ben Grimm / The Thing. I liked the approach that Ebon did by making him feel like a hero that always gave back to the community. He was a neighborhood kid that grew up and never forgot about the people or where he came from. Natasha Lyonne was a surprise and as Rachel Rozman, her blooming love story with Ben was something very sweet and the start of something I would like to see expanded upon. Joseph Quinn was excellent as Johnny Storm. He nailed the thrill seeking and adventurer nature of the character, but I do wish he had more time to play up the womanizing hot head he truly is. His chemistry with Ben was outstanding and they truly felt like brothers. Paul Walter Hauser was so much fun as a constant nemesis of the team, Harvey Elder / Mole Man. He was a fun villain of the week type that surprisingly was humble as the film progressed. Julia Garner was outstanding as Shalla-Bal / Silver Surfer as she delivers a layered performance for such a important character. I loved her portrayal of the torment, guilt and overall emotional toll that takes her over with every world she delivers the news of death to. Her scenes with Johnny really bring that out and it was wonderful to witness. Ralph Ineson was perfect as Galactus. This was truly his first appearance on screen and he is fully realized with Ralph's immense presence and voice. I loved that we get to explore a bit of his reasoning behind his consumption of worlds. Now the true MVP of the film was none other than Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm. Not only was she the emotional backbone of the team, but Vanessa brings the perfect amount of strength, reason and stabilization to her new family. I loved that she was the balancing half of Reed's analytical mind and was not afraid to challenge him on one of the biggest moments of the film. The raw power of her abilities and motherhood is showcased in the finale and it was outstanding to witness.

The score by the magnificent Michael Giachinno was every bit of the definition of the word. The elegance and retro feel of the score was the beating heart of the film and I loved how the "Fantastic Four" theme was incorporated. The score was fantastic but visually, this was epic and the best looking Marvel film to date. The outer space travel sequences were astounding and the sheer scale of Galactus was fully realized. There were moments where the Silver Surfer was terrifying and I loved it. For the longest time, I have defended Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer as my favorite film adaptation. Even though this film has similar plot lines and ending, this is by far the superior Fantastic Four adaptation. This was truly the best MCU film and if the quality of films that follow are on this same path, we may finally see a return of quality storytelling we've sorely been missing. Do stick around for the 2 end credit scenes. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!