REVIEW | ‘Fantastic Four’ finally gives us a Marvel movie with family

A lot has happened since Superman (1978), Batman (1989) and Spiderman (2003). All three were powerhouses that have come to define what a comic book adaption can achieve.

Marvel Studios saw incredible success with Avengers: Endgame in 2017 and was able to catch lightning in a bottle thrice with its follow-ups in 2018, thanks to the success of Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame. A success that has come to define the expectations around the genre that prizes profit over storytelling.

The biggest flops, such as Catwoman and The Incredible Hulk, were victims of poor press before release, criticisms over casting choices and creative choices admonished for a lack of effortless execution.

The arrival of Fantastic Four: First Steps makes it the herald of its new phase in the multiversal storytelling format, particularly in its cast led by Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), who has become a pop cultural iceberg owing to his varying roles and virality. Next to him in popularity is Stranger Things alumn Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm), who garnered massive fan appeal during its fourth season. Vanessa Kirby has long been a fan favourite and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm) became a household name thanks to the critically acclaimed The Bear.

There is no denying the brilliance with which Marvel was able to build its motley crew through an entire decade and changed cinema trends for good and bad. However, increased pressure to make movies that fill cinemas continues to add pressure on its storytelling. While the new Superman is unabashedly political at a time when this is overly scrutinised, Marvel has often tread a cautious road with digestible characters who don't rock the boat. This was particularly seen in the fall of the Avengers teams that has led to characters such as Wanda Maximoff becoming a dangerous villain, a key characteristic amplified by the loneliness each member of the team felt under the autocratic patriarch Captain America.

In Fantastic Four, they take a new direction where family is key. We see it in the warmth each cast member brings to their lavish penthouse and the fierce drive to protect and hold each other accountable. This is not limited to the core four characters who must save the day at times of peril. It seen in the everyday people. In building a utopia, the team is more concerned with how everyone else can be responsible to protect themselves and others. Rather than brute force being a resolution, it foreshadows the great efforts made in the big final battle. We also see a stronger Sue, who becomes a political powerhouse in this rendition not defined by her relationship with the nerdy Reed. While more time could have been spent seeing her in action, much of the plot's directions benefit from the relationships and trust she has built with other countries and villains, perhaps opening doors to a reimagined connection with Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta in Black Panther 2), who is a key figure in her interpersonal relationship in the comics.

While Sue's rousing speech sets the tone for the movie and daring efforts to combine global efforts against the main villain are awe-inspiring, First Steps might frustrate moviegoers in the moments if they are not familiar with comic book storytelling. They have moving parts that are offered in chunks before concluding in one big showdown. The resolution is uninventive and lacks a breath of fresh air due to it simply being an introduction for what's to come, a storytelling method that has made several Marvel productions a disappointing watch or unnecessary revisit.

Rather than tell us a compelling story, the infallible Marvel families are groups of highly respected intellectual property who feel less relatable and more like revered gods to be handled with kid gloves. With no dire consequences in the story, First Steps showcases the mechanics of a utopia, how it works and who its key members are, rather than tell a compelling tale about humanity and what we are all willing to do to keep those we love alive.

With box office numbers being a ruling force on what happens to the characters and how we will see them again, the ball is in the court of audience appeal and whether Marvel has made a great gamble in paying Robert Downey Jnr millions to again help them trap lightning in a bottle.