Verdict: 4/5
I have to preface this review by saying I am not a superhero movie kind of person. Big fight scenes and loud explosions have never personally appealed to me, although they do to so many others.
Despite this, I have fond memories of the original films, so I checked this out to see how it compared in the world of reboots we now live in. I’m pleased to say it exceeded my expectations. Dare I say it was Fantastic!
Having seen the early 2000s films, I somewhat knew what to expect. The story follows a similar framework which is explained briefly in the beginning of the film.
Four astronauts ascend into space to face the final frontier and return to Earth with superpowers. They then use these newfound powers to defend the Earth from various threats, including the Mole Man and the Red Ghost and his Super Apes.
The Fantastic Four (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing) reside in the Baxter Building in a city reminiscent of 1950s New York, with some futuristic updates.
In this iteration, we meet the Fantastic Four as they prepare to enter a new stage of life. This is disrupted however, when the survival of humanity is threatened by a ravenous space-god known as Galactus, and his chrome-coloured herald, the Silver Surfer. The Fantastic Four must figure out a way to save the planet, while weighing impossible options against intensely stacked odds.
By far my favourite thing about this film was the casting. Each member of the awesome-foursome was cast spectacularly. Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic rivals Ioan Gruffudd’s original, and Joseph Quinn does an amazing job replacing Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. Each character has heart and charm, winning over the audience from the first scene.
Despite my aversion to 20-minute long fight sequences, I was on the edge of my seat in the third act of this film. Every scene was engaging and captivating and held my attention right to the very end. I laughed, I gasped, and I cheered, something I don’t think I’ve ever done in a movie theatre before.
I can’t recommend ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ enough.
See this movie at Hoyts Penrith.
