The First Family of Marvel Finally Gets the Movie It Deserves

Yes, that's right. For fans of the MCU that don't have a background reading the comics, The Fantastic Four - Reed Richards, Sue Richards, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm, are considered the "First Family" of Marvel. Issues of the comic book confidently proclaimed that it was, "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" on the cover for years. So it's surprising that it isn't until now, with Fantastic Four: First Steps, did the FF finally explode onto the big screen the way that diehard fans have been waiting for for decades. Why did it take so long, you ask? Unlike the Avengers, most of whom had their own solo films prior to Avengers' release in 2012, the characters of the Fantastic Four don't exist without each other. They are colleagues, members of the same family, and share a common superhero origin story. In short, developing four characters over the course of a film, making each of them unique and likable, laying out their origin story, the ill-fated space flight that takes them through cosmic rays, show them learning how to use their powers and then, finally, developing some type of conflict for our heroes to overcome, is hard to fit into a two hour movie.

Fantastic Four: First Steps, side steps (pun unintended) these issues expertly in a "why didn't we think of that" stroke of genius, opening their movie with a well-established team of heroes, their origin story told in a montage leading up to a talk show appearance. Couple that with the fact the filmmakers set this story in the 1960s in an alternate version of America (and the earth, for that matter) in glorious, retro, technicolor detail, you have a couple of bold and risky decisions right off the bat that pay off in every way.

We meet Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben, fabled heroes and defenders of New York and the very world itself, their already turbulent lives about to be turned upside down by the fact that Sue (married to Reed) is pregnant. Vowing that nothing will change and that everything will be fine raising a child as a superhero family, the FF is forced to call this into question with the arrival of the Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus, informing them casually that their world has been chosen for consumption by the giant, celestial being.

Naturally, that doesn't sit well with Marvel's First Family, new baby or not, and the stage is set for an epic conflict.

Pedro Pascal, who has received criticism for having facial hair as Reed Richards, is excellent in the role, coming off as brainy and awkward as Reed is supposed to be, but also gentle and compassionate, a man who, though a genius and a superhero, is afraid to be a father. Joseph Quinn captures the rambunctious, reckless character of Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach adds humanity to the character of Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, while Vanessa Kirby remains the heart and soul of the family/team, just as she is in the comics. Though the Thing is made of rocks, she's the toughest one of all of them. The movie also gives fans a few subtle but noticeable moments where the Ben is self-conscious of his body of rock, something that comes up often in the comics.

At the end of the day, Fantastic Four is a summer superhero picture. It is big, loud, boisterous, and above all, a lot of fun, which is what these movies are supposed to be because that is what the source material is: fun. This isn't Shakespeare, nor is it Doctor Zhivago, and it isn't supposed to be. It does, however, manage to be probably the best straight up superhero movie Marvel has made in a while, and while the special effects, the action, and the retro vibe are cool, it is good because the filmmakers understood the humor, the undercurrent of goofiness, but above all, the loving and at times strained relationships between the characters as friends, colleagues, and family members, is why Fantastic Four is still published today, decades after first hitting the stands, and why fans have been chomping at the bit for a good movie about them ever since. I am one of those folks who actually enjoyed the other movies, I think there were good things in them, but they struggled to juggle all the aforementioned elements of the franchise, and Fantastic Four: First Steps, does it well, leaving fans wanting more. And yes, stay after the credits, for they set up more to come, and I'm sure the fans can't wait.