Character-driven and a lot of fun, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is hopefully a sign of things to come from the MCU.
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Sometimes waiting to review a movie pays off. Not necessarily because a movie becomes more relevant over time (opening weekend is still prime time to get into the discussion), but because sometimes the story around a movie evolves in weeks two or three of its release versus week one. That's definitely the case for Fantastic Four: First Steps which, in yet another apparent hit job piece from Variety (who at this point should be investigated for trying to undermine the industry), noted a steep drop off from the movie's first week to it's second week at the box office (about 80%). Which has prompted many people to use this to comment on the relevancy of the MCU and whether or not there's any gas left in the tank for Marvel movies or superhero movies in general.
And almost every take has irritated me. Not just because box office numbers don't always tell the full story of where a studio or genre is at, but also because it is incredibly easy to cherry pick data points to support your argument.
So here's a couple of things to think about and unpack when it comes to analyzing the box office.
- Who says a movie making $200 million dollars at the domestic box office isn't successful? I think the pervasiveness of Marvel's overwhelming success for almost twenty years has skewed what people think a successful movie is. Because as of right now, Marvel has three movies in the box office top ten for the year including Fantastic Four and it seems primed to surpass Captain America: Brave New World. That's in spite of being released shortly after Superman and with a number of family friendly movies and comedies biting at its heels like The Bag Guys 2 and The Naked Gun.
- Marvel is earning back good faith. When Marvel first started out, a lot of their movies weren't barn-burning successes. They made around, would you look at that, $200 million if they didn't feature Iron Man up until The Avengers which exploded enthusiasm for the genre and Marvel. Hence why their first female superhero led movie made $400 million dollars.
It's also wild to me that one of the tweets going viral about the "state of superhero movies" and points to a year with Captain Marvel and Avengers: Inifnity War and Shazam! coming out close to each other and making bank as demonstrative of the genre, when Shazam! didn't crack $150 million domestically and Marvel was leading up the culmination of their ongoing Avengers narrative.
There's always more context. - The movie business is still recovering. COVID did a giant number on the movie business. It led the closure of multiple theaters, emphasized digital releases over the theater going experience, and generally got people out of the habit of going to the movies.
The peak for the domestic box office was around $11.9 billion in 2018. The peak since then was 2023, the year of Barbenheimer which featured a $8.9 billion in total grosses. So even at its best, that's a 25% drop in revenue for the domestic movie business. So of course even pretty successful wide releases like The Fantastic Four: First Steps aren't going to see old school Marvel number, regardless of strong word of mouth. - And also the biggest thing. Who the f*** cares. As much as I want solid movies to do well at the box office, the measure of a movie's relevance or value is not just in the box office. If audiences and critics seem to like it, this is still a good thing for Marvel in the long run. It means more subscriptions to Disney+, perhaps more butts in seats for whenever the next Avengers movie comes out, and a general vibe that the studio might know what it's doing again.
The Setup
Well into their career as heroes, the Fantastic Four's married couple Sue and Reed Richards get an unexpected bit of good news, Sue is pregnant. But the joy is only temporary as the team quickly face a threat that could destroy their entire world and possibly tear apart their family from the inside.
So because this movie isn't like a typical Marvel movie, while also being a Marvel movie, I wanted to highlight its most appealing elements and differences. So let's talk theme and character first.
Themes and Characters
One of my favorite observations about Pixar's rise to prominence, is how the studio's early projects focused on very adult themes. Finding Nemo is a colorful journey that teaches a father how to stop being so over-protective of his precious son. The Toy Story movies are about growing up and moving on. And Monsters, Inc. is all about the need to change broken systems instead of investing in said systems even harder (maybe a hot take but a real easy one to defend).
I bring this up because that's where Marvel seems to be going as well. Thunderbolts* is basically a movie-long reflection on depression or the horrific weight of your own failures and Fantastic Four: First Steps is all about the panic inducing experience of becoming a parent and how it will inevitably destroy and reshape your world.
I bring this up because that's where Marvel seems to be going as well. Thunderbolts* is basically a movie-long reflection on depression or the horrific weight of your own failures and Fantastic Four: First Steps is all about the panic inducing experience of becoming a parent and how it will inevitably destroy and reshape your world.
Which the movie makes even neater by tying the arrival of Galactus, and Earth's literal destruction, to the Richards' soon to be born son Franklin.
As a metaphorical/thematic baseline this is really solid for a team that's always been defined by family dynamics and coming up with wild solutions to equally wild problems. This is also why starting long after the Fantastic Four got their powers and have become Earth's defenders works really well here. They, presumably, have had things figured out for some time. And now multiple giant changes are coming that each of them responds to in character appropriate ways that may or may not rub each other the wrong way.
And while the competition wasn't fierce before, this is also the first live-action adaptation that really understands the dynamics at play within this group. Johnny Storm is a perfect example.
The immediate image people have of Johnny is that he's a literal hotshot that lives up to his powerset both in temperament and actions. Which isn't a complete picture and can become very one note. As some folks have correctly identified, as much as Chris Evans take on Johnny works in a clip, in a full movie it's grating.
This version of Johnny has the younger brother effect (i.e. he wants people to take him seriously) and defines himself by taking action. He has a very good heart, but because he doesn't have Reed's mind or the maturity of Sue, so instead he takes all of that energy in trying to solve a different problem. Which is exactly the energy I'd expect from an expectant uncle that doesn't know what he can do to support his sister, but really wants to help anyways.
This version of Johnny has the younger brother effect (i.e. he wants people to take him seriously) and defines himself by taking action. He has a very good heart, but because he doesn't have Reed's mind or the maturity of Sue, so instead he takes all of that energy in trying to solve a different problem. Which is exactly the energy I'd expect from an expectant uncle that doesn't know what he can do to support his sister, but really wants to help anyways.
But the core of this movie is ongoing conflict between Sue and Reed. Sue and Reed are true to their comic book counterparts, in that Sue is emotionally entuned and self-aware while Reed is defined by a restless mind always looking for answers seemingly devoid of emotion.
Which means that often times when all Sue wants is Reed to say "everything is going to be ok, we'll figure it out and nothing will happen to our baby," Reed gives a callous statement about the "logical" answer. Hence why he needs Sue to ground him and remind him of what his priorities are.
The Marvel movies have dabbled in these arenas before, but while Tony Stark's breakdown was a combo of anxiety and ego clashing, Reed is just straight-up anxious.
That's well and good, you might be saying, but where's the fun stuff? Where's the action and humor? Well let's start with the action.
A Different Kind of Action
Director Matt Shakman has a great feel for how the Fantastic Four actually work vs. the public perception of how they work. Because in theory, the Four are a impossible to defeat fighting force with complimentary powers that are amplified by their family bond. They've even got fun catchphrases when they're about to use said powers like "Flame On" or "It's Clobberin' Time."
In reality, The Fantastic Four are explorers and problem solvers, which is what makes them distinct but also means that the big set pieces don't have the same "beat up a bunch of goons" or "face off against a bad guy" element everyone might expect.
In reality, The Fantastic Four are explorers and problem solvers, which is what makes them distinct but also means that the big set pieces don't have the same "beat up a bunch of goons" or "face off against a bad guy" element everyone might expect.
Basically the Four tackle an Avengers level threat that they have no possibility of taking on in a direct show of force so it requires their teamwork and an ingenious idea from Reed to win the day.
First Steps definitely follows in this vein, which is a welcome change of pace, both for the genre and for Marvel. It means each action beat is like a problem the team is working to solve, or often, three massive problems they're trying to deal with at the same time while keeping each other safe. While it didn't excite me as much as Superman did in its biggest moments, it's growing on me the more I think about it.
Hopeful and Humorous
A lot has, understandably, been made about the 60s retro-futurist aesthetic of the movie which includes fun "high tech, low tech" features like Johnny putting transmissions on a literal gold record to listen to and decipher. It's nice way to make the movie visually distinctive amongst the sea of other Marvel properties.
It's also a great era to invoke thematically. Not just because the original Fantastic Four comics were being released in this era, but also because you can tap into the fascinating combination of hope and anxiety that defined the era.
Sixties America is mostly celebrated for its major technical achievements and societal progress, which First Steps is definitely invoking via the Four. This includes landing on the moon, major progress in the Civil Rights movement for black Americans, the explosion of rock n roll, and the establishment of social welfare institutions. It was also an era of rampant paranoia and tension due to the Cold War where numerous incidents threatened nuclear annihilation.
What makes this movie hit harder the more I think about it is how much the Four's society differs from our own. There's an understandable tension in the Four's world because, as far as their world sees, the Four have never faltered or let them down and have even worked to turn enemies into allies. But what stands out is how the Four is able to rally this society together via co-operation versus fear. The fear is there, but the reactions are a more hopeful approach.
There's always another way to figure things out. A new ally, a new solution to the impossible problem, another well of strength to be found when the world needs it. It's a different kind of optimistic, but a welcome one.
What makes this movie hit harder the more I think about it is how much the Four's society differs from our own. There's an understandable tension in the Four's world because, as far as their world sees, the Four have never faltered or let them down and have even worked to turn enemies into allies. But what stands out is how the Four is able to rally this society together via co-operation versus fear. The fear is there, but the reactions are a more hopeful approach.
There's always another way to figure things out. A new ally, a new solution to the impossible problem, another well of strength to be found when the world needs it. It's a different kind of optimistic, but a welcome one.
This is also helped by the movie's generally upbeat tone including a lot of humor and jokes, based around the characters. As much as this movie is dealing with, literally trying to think up a way to save a baby and the world at the same time, it never feels dour.
The Verdict: A Great New Direction
Character-driven and a lot of fun, First Steps is hopefully a sign of things to come from the MCU. 7/10
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