“Fantastic 4: First Steps” (F4: First Steps) is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU’s) rendition of Marvel’s first family. Fans, myself included, await the release of a film that could make or break Marvels’ image as a whole. Having three feature length films beforehand with no connection or ties to the MCU, there are some obstacles to overcome, being that all three previous iterations were met with negative critique, and fans were not happy with the portrayal of some of their favorite superheroes.
Set to release July 25, F4: First Steps brings Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing to life, played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach respectively. This truly is a stacked cast, and with every great hero, their villain must come. Ralph Ineson was cast to play Marvels’ cosmic food connoisseur, Galactus.
From 2005 – 2007 (before the MCU), Marvel released two Fantastic Four movies, the first being titled the namesake and the second being subtitled, “Rise of the Silver Surfer” which featured Laurence Fishburne as the voice of the Silver Surfer. Some fans have shown dismay at the casting for the Silver Surfer for First Steps, being Julia Garner. The director of the movie, Matt Shakman, has stated the character is based off of the female Silver Surfer from Marvel comics, Shalla-Bal.
The 2007 movie, Rise of the Silver Surfer, would go on to disappoint many fans with its portrayal of Galactus, that being a big cloud in space as opposed to his iconic blue and purple armor, enormous stature and two-pronged helmet. Thankfully, the MCU’s newest iteration has Ineson in full comic accurate attire, towering over the city of New York in the trailers.
Some fans are expecting a possible return from previous Fantastic Four actors, notably Ioan Gruffudd, the original Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic. Additionally, Miles Teller has been rumored to show up as a twisted, almost evil version of Mr. Fantastic, known as The Maker. Miles Teller played Reed Richards in the 2015 release, separate from the original two movies, and MCU’s upcoming movie.
The 2015 movie fans dubbed, ‘Fan4stic,’ was met with even lower reviews than the original movies. While the early 2000’s movies focused more on cheesy action and comedy, the 2015 release was a lot grittier, with the iconic catchphrase “It’s Clobberin’ Time” said by Ben Grimm, The Thing, being the result of his older brother saying that line before taking a bat and beating a young Ben Grimm. Fans were not impressed with the dark route Fan4stic took, and with them getting their iconic powers halfway through the movie, many saw the movie as boring. It is currently sitting at 9% on rotten tomatoes.
Through trailers, rumors and some leaks, the new F4: First Steps movie appears to be heading in the right direction. The MCU has listened to its fans by bringing Galactus properly to the big screen. The movie is also set in a parallel universe to the MCU, being set in the 1960’s yet having a retro futuristic design and environment. On top of that, this new movie will be bringing many other gadgets and inventions of the Fantastic 4 to the big screen that past iterations may have thought would be too “cartoon-y” for a movie. Not only are they bringing to life their hover car, made to split into four separate hover cars, but also their robot companion, H.E.R.B.I.E!
This new rendition of the Fantastic 4 looks promising, and with it being the adaptation of Marvels’ first family, there is a lot riding on this movie succeeding. It better be fantastic.
