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Fantastic 4.5 out of 5

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Ralph Ineson

M

4.5/5

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a smart, exciting and deeply affecting superhero drama, and the best MCU film by far in a strong year for comic-book movies.

The Fantastic Four, a group of astronauts who gained superpowers after a cosmic accident, must contend with the world-ending foe Galactus.

Set in a vibrant retrofuturistic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is equal parts sweet, sad and triumphant, drawing much of its conflict from the Four struggling to remain strong as a family under impossible odds and public expectations.

The film still has a healthy serving of action spectacle, however, with the centrepiece being an incredibly cool second-act chase sequence with elements of Interstellar, H.R. Giger and the first Star Trek film.

The tightly-written plot wields several clever pulp sci-fi concepts, and unlike some superhero ensemble pieces (including a couple of the Avengers films), every member of the core quartet is well-developed and has an active role to play.

Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) is the team’s analytical but kind leader, his wife Sue Storm/Invisible Woman is the emotional anchor, her brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) is a hot-head skilled in languages, and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is the team’s rocky muscle but with an aura of lonely sensitivity.

Julia Garner brings a tragic note to Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer, Galactus’s subtly-conflicted herald, and the towering, booming-voiced Galactus himself (Ralph Ineson) is a truly scary antagonist.

Like Superman, First Steps is another piece in a vast comic-book movie franchise, but both films are very self-contained and can be enjoyed with no prior experience.

Unlike Superman, which had slightly obtrusive humour, First Steps’ humour is more restrained.

A thrilling superhero film full of heart and brilliant ideas, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is playing in most Victorian cinemas.

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