Fantastic Four (4): First Steps - Movie Review and Commentary

The problem with blogging is that you have to strike while the iron is hot, meaning you have a limited window to act on something you want to write about before the urge diminishes or a new concept emerges to take its place.  It's one reason why this blog has been dormant for so long, life simply happens and dedicating a specified time that overlaps with the desired post can be quite elusive, or you simply move on.  And I have to admit, I'm struggling somewhat this morning because I've been wanting to write about this movie (in detail) since I saw it two weeks ago, but I can already tell the window is starting to close both on desire and time.  It doesn't help that I actually was able to sleep in until 0700 this morning - when I usually do my writing way before dawn.  And there are a few other ideas that I have brewing around, which I won't even mention because if I do, it'll be like crossing them off the list...

Tip #1: If you want to be a rank amateur blogger like me, the above preamble writing is essential to focus your mind on the actual topic.

If you read yesterday's two postings, you'll know that I loved the new Fantastic Four (4): First Steps movie, and I've seen it three times already.  Now, let's delve into why:

I purposely didn't use the term analysis this time, like I did for the Superman movie review, because that's too much like work (and too ambitious with the temple trap door closing quickly on my fedora, so to speak).  But there is another reason too.  I left the first viewing of the Superman movie, entertained but not totally loving the film (yet), so I needed to study it more.  For FFFS, I immediately knew that I thought it was great.

Tip #2:  If you want to be less distracted, don't keep hitting the Preview button for the post - like I did yesterday... over and over again.  It really slows you down, and I'm slow enough already!!

Expectations

Initially, I was cautiously optimistic (1960's setting!), but also deeply concerned about some of the choices made (Reed's mustache, female Surfer), not to mention the "woke" rumors (boss Sue, wimpy men, etc.).   And the optimism was really starting to lessen, not increase with the release of new trailers.  However, something happened a few weeks before the movie came out (maybe it was the soaring success of Superman), but I was starting to get excited about the movie again, which is why I was wanting to see it even after approximately 777 miles of driving across Iowa and Nebraska.

Findings

Instead, I found all those "rumors" to be totally unfounded, and the choices made not a problem at all.

There will be spoilers ahead, at this point, two weeks out, I shouldn't even have to mention it.

Reed Richards

Let's start with Pedro Pascal and that mustache.  I would say that it isn't very era-accurate for the 1965-ish setting, especially for professional men - at least that's what black & white TV shows have taught me.  Remember when Alex Ross used The Professor from Gilligan's Island as his model for Reed Richards in Marvels (1994)?  And I have a long standing issue with my heroes sporting improper facial hair or simply not shaving often enough.  If only Charlie Cox would shave that full beard - he'd look perfect as Daredevil!  And I cannot stomach the Ryan North mustached version of Johnny Storm in the current FF series.

Maybe it's too early to mention this, but Pedro's mustache is a clue to a secret ingredient to FFFS's appeal.  It's a modern movie, only wrapped in a retro shell.  The characters and writing are very inline with today's portrayals of "real" people with complex emotions.  The Fantastic Four (and Marvel) was lauded for showing character's with problems, but I've been rereading some of those early issues (in facsimile editions) and their main emotions are anger, pettiness, and sulking.  What you get in the film is a (dare I say it) better version of some of the characters than has ever appeared in the comics.  Like Chris Evan's bringing Steve Rogers/Captain America to life.

Which brings us back to Reed.  The fact that I can think of him as Reed, and not Pedro is huge.  But this isn't the normally cold scientist of the comics, who constantly tried to shield Sue from danger, and honestly rarely treated her as an equal in the early days until she came back to the team after their separation. Nor is it the wimpy nearly incompetent Reed of the previous films.  This is a heartfelt man, a strong leader but not a micromanaging jerk, who is grounded by his family, which keeps him from being tortured by all the thoughts that are running through his head.  His lapses in memory and decision stem from those things being trivial by comparison, or the problem being too overwhelming.

Some of my favorite moments are when he tells Ben that he's scheduled his panic session for later, tells Sue that "this is better", and in hindsight his colossal blunder of being brutally honest about their refusal to surrender Franklin to Galactus.  I mean, he couldn't help himself.

Sue Storm

Another nod to what I feel is anachronistic of the era, is Sue keeping her maiden name.  She's not Sue Richards.  But whatever.  She's great (and sorry if I don't bother with learning the other actor's names for everyone).  I think it was brilliant the way they started the movie with such a humanizing and relatable scene of the pregnancy test, both the elation from a positive result, and the implied heartbreak of previous negatives or miscarriages. I'd say Sue, especially in the Byrne-era, was one of the more fully fleshed out characters in the comics, and Vanessa Kirby (see I'm not always lazy) perfectly imbodies her: strong, motherly, supportive, etc. (The husky voice took a little to get used to.)  About the only out-of-character moment, and I blame this on the contractions, is when she yells at Johnny to "Kill her!!!", meaning the Surfer.  She's often been shown as the strongest member of the FF, and it's fitting that she ups her power-level "when [she] grows angry or outraged" enough to position Galactus inside the bridge. A mother-bear giving her life for her child.

Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. 

Proverbs: 17:15 

Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open; like a lion I will devour them— a wild animal will tear them apart.

Hosea 13:8 

I really like the scene where she confesses to Reed, "sometimes you being you, hurts me". Anyone who is married can relate to one partner unintentionally causing harm to the other.

I was talking with my osteopathic doctor yesterday and he remarked about how pro-life the movie was.  "She was unwilling to give up her unborn child to save the world."  And I had another thought later -- Thankfully, God wasn't of the same mindset:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

  Isaiah 55:8

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

 I John 3:16

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

 I Timothy 1:15

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:12-13

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Romans 5:10

Like Reed, I can't help myself, it's in my new nature.  Check out this post for more details.

Johnny Storm

When Joseph Quinn was cast as Johnny Storm, I thought he was a fine choice.  And it turns out he may be my favorite character in the film.  Sure Chris Evan's portrayal of Johnny was hot-tub humorous, but the womanizing, childish Johnny isn't my favorite take.  I also love that he wasn't a hot-head emotionally as he's often shown in the comics.  His interactions with Ben were natural, not contrived.  Key to this is his longing to go back in space, his frustrated attempts at getting Reed to work on the new suits, and his search for something more that neatly coincided with deciphering the Surfer's language. He's smart, capable, and a team player.  Of course, we're four years into their formation as a team, and you can assume or imagine that many of the ups and downs depicted in the first 47 issues of FF may have occurred in some form before now, meaning growth of character.  And he was funny but in the way you are in real life, not delivering one-liner jokes, but just being yourself. "Johnny loves space.  Johnny loves women.  Now, there's a literal naked space woman and Johnny thinks he shared a moment with."  

Now Quinn is 31 years old.  A true late-stage millennial.  And his delivery reminded me so much of the 30 (almost 31 I think) year old co-owner from my local comic store, Cosmic Comix, David.  I mean, I was like, I've seen David talk just like this when explaining things. It was uncanny.  I mentioned this to David via e-mail and he simply remarked, "Flame On!".

Ben Grimm

Ben looked great as The Thing, perfect rock-brows.  And I'm guessing the decision to barely show his chest and legs without covering stemmed from CGI issues.  Or...it's because this Ben Grimm is a man first, not a monster, so he clothes himself as a man.  We only get one glimpse of his dissatisfaction with his appearance when looking at his pre-transformed self on TV.  But otherwise, he seems to be largely content being The Thing.  He doesn't have a short-fuse either (quite the opposite really), he's not continually blaming Reed for his misfortune, and he's more like a gentle wise-sage than a powder-keg.  "Kind." "Warm."  The facial expressions are subtle, and definitely enhanced on the larger IMAX screens. Ebon Moss-Bachrach does the character justice, and I prefer the more "comfortable with himself" version of The Thing.

His Jewish heritage is highlighted, but not his Jewish faith. "I'm good", when asked if he's seeking spiritual guidance.  You'd think with all the unknowns, and space-gods, they're encountering, he could embrace the Jewish teachings on Almighty God.  It really isn't explored enough to be sure of where he's at.  But at least there is faith on Earth-828.  But that brings up an interesting idea on how that would work across the multiverse.  Would things be repeated ala Star Trek's "Bread and Circuses"? Biblically, that wouldn't be accurate (Hebrews 9:25-26).

Speaking of Star Trek, and especially Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which I love, but man, do they really go out of their way to deny any type of faith or existence of God in their reality.  The hubris, mostly from Spock.  I can still love Star Trek without succumbing to their humanistic belief system. 

I feel like many of Ben's scenes were left on the cutting room floor.  And I would love to see more of his character as long as it didn't deviate or contradict from/with the finished story in any way.

Silver Surfer aka Naked Space-Woman

I'm fine with the gender swap only because it was so crucial to Johnny's scenes and motivations.  The story jived well with the original, in that Surfer's contact with someone (Alicia in the comics), helped turn the tide of battle.  And it was a good decision to banish her not on earth, but with the big-G, because we're not going to have/need/want a film of her waxing philosophic on the edge of Earth's atmosphere.  Another comic-story arc potential denied, but this time for the greater good.  She served her purpose and doesn't need to come back.

Galactus

Finally, an accurate depiction!  A nice mesh of Kirby and Moebius.  He seemed a bit more petulant, than god-like, but I guess he was just weary and hangry  You can't imagine the FF ever being "friends" with him later on.  And it's funny and a bit ridiculous how he managed to slow-role his attack so that the FF had time to come up with a strategy in hopes of defeating him.  That and the impossibility of him NOT damaging the remaining bridge structure, when he was crumbling into everything else around him.  However, the focus on Franklin as the solution to save the earth, and ease his suffering was a great one.  One, they were embracing the cosmic near-unlimited potential of Franklin, deal with the slim possibility of Reed choosing to sacrifice Franklin for the sake of the world (something he did do in the comics), and even give Galactus a reason for getting down and dirty with the group, taking matters into his own stomping feet.

Powers

Wow, certainly the most comic accurate we've seen on film to date.  There were a few glitchy CGI sequences that seemed too abrupt, but mostly, I think everything was done well.  I especially liked Sue's light bending rainbow rays, and the Human Torch's flames.  He really did look like he was on fire, not some sort of plasma hybrid. We get to see Reed really stretch and more than just his arm or doing something silly (like reaching for toilet paper).  And they give us some great fan-service at the beginning during the TV show montage, showing them in action, because really most of the film is down to earth "every day life" until they go in space after the Surfer.

Story

The pacing was really good, and probably was tightened up more cohesively with the cuts.  But the final act suffers some from the confusing time shifts.  A lot more is occurring between scenes.  My main quibble is with the fast construction of the bridges across the world, but I liked how the Surfer dismantled them so quickly. The light ending with the car seat was a fun way to finish the film too, leaving the viewer with a good vibe (and that's what you want).

Soundtrack

I mentioned in a the previous post how much I love their theme song, which has variations throughout the score.  It's much more memorable than Superman's and worth getting on vinyl or CD one day.  The fun FF notes are absent when they finish the first FTL jump, and we're into traditional high-stakes super-hero fare, at least until they're nearing the final victory.

Worldbuilding Style

Simply, incredible.  So inventive while rooted in history.  I want to see more and I want them to stay in the past.  The movie opens in 1965, four years after their origin in 1961, add a year for building the bridges, and Galactus comes along in 1966 (just like the comics).  The end credit has us 4 years after that, so 1970 (a very great year for people to be born).  It would be cool to see a futuristic blend with the 70's fashion.

Future Foundation

No, not the UN-like organization in the movie.  I mean the future of the FF franchise of which this is the foundation.  Despite the online doomsayers that FFFS is a flop, I disagree.  Maybe financially, it isn't the mega-hit that the studio was hoping for, but it's a hit just the same, showing that strong characters, good writing/acting, and faithful homages to the comics is a winning formula. Everyone I know who has seen the movie liked it, and it currently scores a 91% on rotten tomatoes, which is unsurprisingly (to me) the exact same score Superman has too! TIED! 

But, I'm not really excited at the prospect of the FF having a cameo role in Avengers: Doomsday.  While I want to see these characters again, I don't want them diluted with the rest of the MCU, nor do I want to see a multi-versal version of them either.  I'm really not sure how they'll end up proceeding from this point...but so far it is easy to believe that first steps could quickly become missteps if they're not careful.

But even if this were a one-in-done, I'm happy to finally have a great version of the FF to watch again and again!