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The Fantastic Four: First Steps comes at a time of curious re-invention for Marvel Studios. Six years after conquering the whole world with Avengers: Endgame, the franchise has struggled to find its footing and appeal to its audience. I don’t think there was genre fatigue as much as there was a lack of artistic merit – Marvel movies, once a product of talented writers and filmmakers working with aesthetic prowess within the confines of production guidelines, suddenly fell under the control of a board of directors keeping the machine rolling between films and TV shows. In other words, Marvel films weren’t cinema anymore; they were content.

However, diminishing returns have a consequence, and as the interest cooled down, so did the engagement with both streaming apps and the box office. The solution from Kevin Feige, the mastermind of this bloated juggernaut, was not to scale down the production per se but shift his plan for the upcoming five years to centre around recognisable intellectual properties. So, Marvel has prepared the upcoming Avengers film (Doomsday, coming December 2026) by centring it not on the planned new generation (The Marvels, Eternals, new Captain America) but on the laurels of the past and the introduction of two successful franchises – X-Men and Fantastic Four.

Production practices remain, though. It’s the same old Marvel again, now playing with toys we know and love.

That’s partially unfair of me regarding The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Director Matt Shankman, who before had helmed that delightful Wandavision show on Disney+ (perhaps Marvel’s last genuinely interesting piece of media), makes some bold choices that pay off in the grand scheme. For starters, the film isn’t constrained by the stifling rules of the Universe in which it operates. The first thing on screen is a reveal that this is set on a different Earth than the one from the other films. There is no chance for any other non-Fantastic Four character to drop in a forced cameo. Even the aesthetic is different: inspired by the 1967 Hanna-Barbera cartoons, it’s a far cry from the weightless grey palette of recent Marvel movies. Even the score, by Michael Giacchino, is pure Hollywood grandiosity instead of the usual generic orchestra. It’s still a corporate-approved product, but it’s at least good. It has personality.

Almost 400 words in, and I haven’t even talked about the plot, but at this point, what do you need to know? It’s the third adaptation of the Fantastic Four characters (not counting the unreleased Roger Corman-produced film in the 90s) and by far the best of them. The first interesting thing Shankman does is to start the action in media res, admitting this is an already established setting.

Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) has the power of elasticity, his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) turns invisible and creates force fields, her brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) flies and turns into fire, and Richard’s best friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is The Thing, a creature with super strength made of rocks. They protect planet Earth against a collection of amusing golden age villains like Moleman (Paul Walter Hauser), the leader of an underground civilisation who tried to steal an entire skyscraper. See? It’s like we’re watching the film that follows two seasons of tongue-in-cheek cartoons. They even have a robot living with them named H.E.R.B.I.E. Adorable.

But this peacefulness is interrupted by the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), who warns the world that Galactus (Ralph Ineson) is coming to consume planet Earth unless the Fantastic Four are willing to make an unreasonable sacrifice. So, public opinion changes about the heroes. Richards tries to do everything he can to protect the world and his family, Johnny Storm tries to appeal to the compassion of the Silver Surfer, and The Thing flirts with a local teacher (played by Natasha Lyonne).

The Fantastic Four: First Steps isn’t a bad superhero film because the bar of its legacy is so low. Remember the old films? The two made with Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chicklis were bad even by 90s standards, and that car crash from 10 years ago with Miles Teller, Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan signalled the end of the grim dark superhero genre. Shankman inserts more charm and personality even when the film sometimes remembers that it is still a piece that needs to fit a large corporate tableau. It’s when he embraces that light-hearted golden age comics magic that First Steps becomes noteworthy, even if ever so often it reverts to business as usual.

Bafflingly, the concern for a lighter blockbuster seems to be by design. A lot of the film was left on the cutting room floor. Famously, all the scenes in which John Malkovich as Red Ghost were cut, but I wouldn’t be surprised that whole subplots for the main characters were cut to keep things focused on the main plot. And for once, I question that decision – while the four main characters have a lot of chemistry, it all has the weight of cardboard to the point that the big decision they must make at the midpoint doesn’t have the dramatic importance it should. Richards is reduced to a man obsessed with his task, even when his responsibilities change. Johnny and Grimm aren’t well fleshed out beyond their love interest. And Sue Storm, who is structured to be the heart and soul of the story, stays in the background until the plot needs her energy.

Beggars can’t be choosers, though. Big bloated blockbusters will forever exist and, at the end of the day, better to be something with wits and charm like The Fantastic Four: First Steps instead of content as boring and jingoistic as that horrid Captain America: Brave New World film. Feige lives to see another day, and his franchise earns a new chance.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5
Not the best superhero out there, but the best Marvel film in two years and the best Fantastic Four film ever made. Which is not saying a lot, but at least it’s something.

Ticket giveaway – The Life of Chuck

LSJ and STUDIOCANAL have 10 double passes for a special preview screening of the upcoming Tom Hiddleston fantasy drama, THE LIFE OF CHUCK. A life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz. Written and directed by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep, Midnight Mass), with Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. In cinemas on 14 August. Watch the trailer here.

To attend this special screening on Wednesday 13 August at the Palace Norton Street Cinema in Leichhardt, email journal@lawsociety.com.au with the subject line THE LIFE OF CHUCK.