Pedro Pascal (left) and Vanessa Kirby (right) star in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Photo Credit: Getty Images).
(“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” trailer courtesy of Marvel Entertainment)
The superhero movie genre has recently reached a crossroads.
The formula has become too formulaic, and the results have not been super for Marvel.
However, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” successfully and solidly begins the mission of righting the Marvel ship (in this case, a spaceship), proving the studio has much more in the tank than some critics believed.
If novices are not hip to the prior exploits of the Fantastic Four, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” gives newbies a refresher course, which might actually have been longer than necessary.
Nevertheless, the four members of the crew gained fame as astronauts, venturing into outer space.
Some unexpected turbulence along the way changed their DNA forever.
Therefore, when they returned to Earth, they brought back superpowers.
The Fantastic Four quickly became the world’s favorite superheroes, using their powers to save lives and the entire globe.
However, due to the alteration of their DNA, the regular human goals they had might become unattainable.
Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal, “Eddington”) uses his ingenuity as a scientist to predict how the DNA will affect him, his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), his brother-in-law Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and any future additions to the family.
Like many married couples, Reed and Sue want to start a family.
But is that even possible with their altered DNA?
That question is answered fairly quickly when Sue surprises Reed with the results of her at-home pregnancy test, while the scientist desperately searches for iodine in their bathroom.
While Reed is often flustered and anxious trying to predict any future threats to the planet, the news that he will become a father makes him act more weirdly than the typical socially-awkward scientist.
While Johnny thinks Reed’s behavior is odd, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) knows Sue is pregnant from the moment the couple sits down for dinner.
Before Reed and Sue’s fateful trip to outer space, the news of becoming parents would have sent them to the Moon, figuratively.
However, with their altered DNA, will their baby be normal and healthy?
Or will the baby have complications because of their complications?
While the rest of the foursome begin child-proofing the house, Reed gets to work scientifically, trying to determine the best actions to ensure that Sue has a healthy baby.
If that is not enough for a couple’s plate, the couple and the other two members of the foursome must continue ensuring the safety of the planet from threats, foreign, domestic, and from other universes.
The funny thing about continued success is that it can lead to arrogance and apathy.
Although the superheroes might not have become arrogant or apathetic, the public might have become too confident in the Fantastic Four’s ability to keep them safe.
Honestly, who could blame them when their past battles made them seem as invincible as Mike Tyson before his fateful fight against James “Buster” Douglas in 1990?
But ask Tyson what happened when he did not take the underdog Douglass seriously and failed to properly prepare to defend his title.
To make matters worse, Earth’s foe is much more powerful than an underachieving but talented boxer.
Their next opponent is a force that is strong enough to devour planets and universes.
In “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” Galactus (Ralph Ineson) is a force unseen before.
Furthermore, Galactus is making good on his plans to swallow up entire planets and galaxies to quench his evil desires.
And in boxing terms, he is more like Muhammad Ali because, via his scout Silver Surfer, he warns his foes of how he plans to defeat them before he takes action.
In “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” Silver Surfer warns the foursome of the impending doom.
And on the outside looking in, it appears that Earth stands no chance against its tragic demise at the hands of Galactus.
But being the scientist and superhero that he is, Reed is determined to alter fate and save all humanity on Earth.
However, when Reed and Sue finally realize what they can do to save Earth, it might be too steep a price for the new parents.
Thankfully, a true superhero realizes that sometimes it is not a person’s brawn that always wins the fight.
But sometimes, a true hero will use their brain to save the day.
And no one has a brain quite like Reed.
And no other Marvel film in recent memory has that old school cool vibe of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
The movie captures the ambiance of the 1960s, with ladies often wearing dresses and gentlemen rocking suits with matching fedoras.
Despite looking like a period piece, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is not a history lesson, something that many movie buffs frown upon.
The movie is just a good old superhero movie with a cool storyline, effective fighting scenes and superb graphics.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” might lose some people for a minute with Reed’s science jargon.
But it will not cause moviegoers to lose interest for too long because it is too solid a movie.
The actors do their thing.
But none stand out over the rest despite Pascal’s star power.
It is a true team effort from a fantastic group of family members and friends.
The foursome approached a crossroad with an entire franchise hoping that they would choose the correct route.
Thankfully for Marvel fans, the Fantastic Four made a fantastic choice.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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