The Fantastic Four: First Steps marks the fifth live-action adaptation to date: there are two versions from 20th Century Fox in 2005 and 2007, a reboot in 2015, and let’s not forget the 1994 low-budget Roger Corman version that never saw the light of day. I’ve only seen the 2005 version, though the most memorable aspect is that it’s Chris Evans’ first foray into the Marvel superhero franchise. Set in the retro-futuristic 1960s of New York City, the F4 team has been integrated into society for several years, and people are aware of their super abilities that enabled them to become Earth’s protectors. Just like the latest Superman movie, this one also forgoes the origin-story treatment.

The exposition is delivered via an amusing Ed Sullivan-type show (Mark Gatiss as host Ted Gilbert) celebrating the anniversary of the year the foursome heroes get their powers. During a space mission, cosmic rays render them superhero abilities: Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), the smartest scientist on earth has hyper-elasticity, his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) can create force fields and become invisible, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) can fly and control fire, while Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) gains super strength. Grimm, aka The Thing, is the only one whose physical appearance is altered as he looks like a heap of orange rock, though he still retains his gentle nature.

Both DC and Marvel seem to aim for making their heroes more relatable, and what’s more relatable than a husband and wife dealing with a surprise pregnancy after years of trying? Four years (natch!) following their transformations, Reed and Sue discover that Sue is pregnant. Marvel’s First Family has finally made their debut in the MCU, and they kick things off with a celebration as everyone is thrilled about the new baby. They share a meal together, accompanied by their robot helper Herbie, in the high-rise Baxter Building, until an unexpected danger disrupts their peaceful existence.

As the whole world is buzzing over the new baby, a silver-clad celestial messenger on a metal surfboard (Julia Garner, completely wasted here) arrives, announcing that her gravely-voiced master, Galactus (Ralph Ineson), is on his way to feast on Earth, and everyone needs to brace for impact. It seems this isn’t the first time the perpetually hungry giant munches on similar planets, and Earth is now on the menu. The reasons behind this are a bit murky, but it has something to do with keeping his life force going, yada, yada, yada. It’s all pretty familiar and formulaic, lacking any clever or thrilling twists.

So Reed and the gang come up with a plan to head into space and confront this massive threat directly through… um, diplomacy? To their surprise, they get the complete opposite of ‘an offer they can’t refuse.’ Given the incredibly high stakes for the family, it’s surprising that the emotional depth is lacking. The issue with the skip-the-origins approach is that we hardly get enough time to connect with the main characters. As someone who hasn’t read the comics and can’t recall much from the last adaptation, I barely know their character traits or personalities. I had no idea who Paul Walter Hauser is playing until later, when I found out he’s the Mole Man, a villain who becomes an ally. No idea why he’s called that, but I assume it’s not about a skin condition.

The team of four writers, Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer, is too busy crafting a rousing baby vs giant plot that they forgot to craft any compelling characters. The main characters come off as pretty one-dimensional, such a contrast to the character-driven Thunderbolts* (which was also co-written by Pearson). It’s a shame to see a charismatic actor like Pascal stuck playing a character devoid of charm, as Reed is either panicking or being confrontational, or just lost in his science talk. Kirby is a great actress who deserves way better scripts, and I’m not entirely convinced by Quinn as the cocky playboy. Gah, this is the second movie starring Pascal and Quinn (after Gladiator II) that ends up disappointing. Meanwhile, Moss-Bachrach portrays the most heartbreaking character, and I really feel for him as the forlorn Ben tries to connect with a local teacher (Natasha Lyonne), but that plotline is handled so glibly.

The visuals are eye-catching with the retro-futuristic vibe (flying cars, space-age aesthetic, and Googie architectures that remind me of The Jetsons). Matt Shakman is no stranger to period superhero projects as he executive-produced the terrific WandaVision and also directed some episodes. I especially love the blue uniforms by Oscar-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne. Now, as nifty as the visuals are though, they lack a sense of authenticity as their world doesn’t feel lived-in. Effective world-building is essential for engaging viewers in any narrative, particularly in a fantastical superhero film.

Now, I could overlook that flaw if the movie was actually enjoyable, but I found myself zoning out halfway through as another humorous attempt fell flat, and the action got more frenetic. The camera spins around to show all the city chaos and more explosions, and honestly, the more bombastic it becomes, the more tedious it gets. Most superhero movies rely on extensive green screen effects, but the CGI overload is really palpable here. I laugh and roll my eyes as the enormous baddie stumbles around Manhattan looking for the baby, perhaps not the emotion they’re going for. It’s also scored within an inch of its life by Michael Giacchino. I enjoyed his orchestral score initially, but it becomes overbearing as the movie progresses.

As the official start of Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this one doesn’t really spark excitement to keep watching. In fact, as we catch a sneak peek of Avengers: Doomsday, I can’t help but think about how far Marvel has fallen from its glory days.

Have you seen the latest Fantastic Four movie? Did you like it more or less than I did?

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