THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS

It's safe to say we haven't had a good film that has done justice to Marvel's First Family, The Fantastic Four, which seems a bit strange when you think about how saturated the market is with superhero films each year. You get the sense that Kevin Feige has been itching to introduce these iconic characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a while now, it's just a matter of where and when would they best fit in to the sprawling franchise. The answer is the start of Phase Six of the MCU - delving further into the Multiverse Saga in the lead up to both Doomsday and Secret Wars, and the results are easily the best Fantastic Four film to date. 

On Earth-828, four years have passed since Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) gained superhuman powers from cosmic ray exposure and became the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four. When the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) heralds the arrival of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), the family must fight to save Earth from its inevitable fate at the hands of the space god.

What is apparent throughout this film is just how much attention to detail there is in creating such a beautifully crafted world for Matt Shakman to introduce these iconic characters to the MCU. If you're going to do it, do it right. The production design is outstanding on this retro-futuristic setting, providing a breath of fresh air in the franchise. Marvel has also been accused of rushing projects out and not giving visual effects teams enough time to get films looking as good as they should. Safe to say the visual effects here are stunning and play a major part in making this one of the best MCU films to date. The Thing, Galactus, Silver Surfer and Human Torch designs are all elevated by the visual effects - not easy to make a man on fire look that believable - and it's great to see Mister Fantastic's stretchy powers not look gimmicky at all, which was definitely a worry going in.

There's a distinct feel to this film from the off, buoyed by Michael Giacchino's outstanding score - quite possibly his best work to date - it's a superhero film drenched in family drama and dynamics that just light up the screen. Recently becoming a father has given me a new outlook on certain themes in films now and there were quite a few moments that really got me emotional, one towards the end doing an absolute number on me. The strength is in the writing and the film sings when the family are firing off one another, even throughout some of the pulsating action sequences - their close encounter with a black hole a true highlight. It makes the action hit harder when care is taken with the characters - much like we saw in Thunderbolts* earlier this year - so more of this please, Marvel.

For months there were rumours and many a fancast flying around at who was set to bring these iconic characters to life in the MCU, and the four chosen certainly don't disappoint in any regard. Pedro Pescal brings a calm nature to Reed Richards, before the lack of options in their predicament leads to that starting to slip a little, Vanessa Kirby is confident as Sue Storm in a portrayal that does true justice to the character, Joseph Quinn has the playful nature of Johnny Storm down to a tee, while Ebon Moss-Bachrach delivers a heart-warming turn as Ben Grimm - who might just be the heart and soul of the group.

Up against the heroes we have the villains of the piece in Silver Surfer and Galactus, played by Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson respectively. Garner brings such weight to the character of Silver Surfer, even if she feels demure at the same time through Garner's portrayal - her presence throughout the film really felt. It's been exciting to wait for Ineson's portrayal of Galactus, mainly for his voice, and he does not disappoint. He makes Galactus feel like such an unstoppable threat, and in the process one of the standout MCU villains.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps heralds a new era for Marvel's First Family and maybe the whole of the MCU as we know it. It will be fascinating to see how these characters are used going forward - a major presence expected surely - and someone like Matt Shakman is someone who should definitely be kept around after his work here and on WandaVision. What a great start to Phase Six!

Verdict: ★★★★½