‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Breathes New Life Into the MCU (Non-Spoiler Review)

 

A movie title like The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens itself up to all kinds of punny headlines:

·        The Drastic Bore: Worst Steps

·        The Plastic Chore: Missteps

·        The Bad, Sick Sore: Burst Triceps

 OK, they’re not all winners.

Fortunately, none of the above apply to Marvel Studios’ latest film, in theaters this weekend, which delivers a bright, colorful and charming family story that makes the Marvel Cinematic Universe feel fresh for the first time in years.

Although technically, this isn’t the MCU that we’re used to. Set in an alternate version of Earth (Earth-828), First Steps introduces us to Marvel’s First Family as the sole protectors of their world, which is a retro-futuristic wonderland full of flying cars, whimsical gadgets and the occasional robot (H.E.R.B.I.E, I love you). If you aren’t up to speed on the latest MCU films or TV shows, don’t worry. This film requires zero homework.

Directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision), First Steps brings the curtain up on our titular heroes on the four-year anniversary of the space flight that gave them superhuman abilities, with the origin breezed through via a television broadcast. As revealed in the trailers, Reed and Sue Richards (Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby) find out early in the film they are expecting a baby – much to the delight of Sue’s brother Johnny Storm and Reed’s best friend Ben Grimm (Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, respectively) – but a visit from The Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) heralding the imminent arrival of The Devourer of Worlds Galactus (Ralph Ineson) throws their plans of familial bliss into disarray. Galactus presents our heroes with a planet-saving proposition, and it’s their difficult decision which takes the film to its thrilling finale.

Like this summer’s Superman before it, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is unapologetically a comic book movie. Certain elements are goofy – bordering on absurd – and the film is all the better for it. I actually enjoyed the quieter moments with the titular family even more than the CGI bombast. However, given the film’s lean-for-the-MCU running time of one hour and 55 minutes, there are less of those moments than I would have liked. And the fact that we’re getting the characters’ next appearance in the packed-to-the-gills Avengers: Doomsday means that we’re not going to spend much time exploring The Fantastic Four’s family dynamics anytime soon. An additional 20 minutes would have brought First Steps from very good to … wait for it … fantastic.  

Movie of Steel: James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Is Powerful in All the Best Ways

Superman can seemingly do it all. He’s capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound, battling giant monsters the size of said buildings and fighting back armies with his heat vision. We see him accomplish all these extraordinary things in James Gunn’s’ Superman, now in theaters, and yet it’s the character’s humanity that struck me most in his first solo outing in 12 years. This Man of Steel bleeds. He gets angry. He sheds tears. He gets scared. But whenever he gets knocked down, he gets right back up, simply because it’s the right thing to do. He’s Superman, and people are counting on him. 

Gunn made the world care about Marvel’s once-obscure Guardians of the Galaxy across three films during his Marvel Studios tenure, but we all wondered how he would handle one of the most popular and recognizable characters in all of fiction. How would he grapple with nearly 90 years of lore? How would he make Superman matter in 2025? What would he need to do to differentiate his vision from Richard Donner’s 1978 film, Zack Snyder’s grittier Man of Steel and the numerous TV takes on the character over the years? In a lot of ways, Gunn throws it all in a blender, tosses in a dash of punk rock sensibility and, in keeping with Lois Lane’s coffee preferences, spoons in ample amounts of sugar to keep things sweet and energetic.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of here, but fortunately the cast is stacked with talent, up to the challenge of bringing a comic book to life – this truly does look and feel like a live-action comic in all its goofy glory – but also seems to be having a lot of fun. David Corenswet is Superman, bringing The Big Blue Boy Scout to life just as spectacularly as Christopher Reeve did in the 1970s, but in a way that’s entirely his own. There’s a “golly-gee” earnestness to the performance throughout, balanced out by Rachel Brosnahan’s no-nonsense Lois Lane, and there’s a tremendous amount of chemistry between the two that I can’t wait to see more of in future films.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is just irredeemably evil in his quest to ruin Superman both physically and reputationally, and there’s something undeniably satisfying about a villain that will not only incite war between two distant nations but imprison an ex-girlfriend in a pocket dimension of his own design. This is straight-up comic book Lex, and I’m here for it.

I was initially worried there were too many other heroes sharing the spotlight with Supes in his first solo outing in the revamped DCU, but I found myself loving every member of the “Justice Gang” (although that’s not their official name). Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is the smarmy tough guy you always want in your corner, while Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl has one of the most badass moments of the film which I won’t spoil here. And speaking of badass, we need to talk about Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific, who gives us one of the coolest fight scenes in the film. I’m also a big fan of Anthony Carrigan’s shape-shifting Metamorpho, who is introduced later in the film and is someone you truly wind up rooting for in the bombastic third act. I hope we see more of him elsewhere in this universe soon.

But perhaps the most endearing supporting character of the film is Superman’s canine pal Krypto, a fully CGI savior/troublemaker who steals many a scene and never gives them back. Because he’s kind of a bad dog, but we love him anyway.

Superman is a triumph, and although Donner’s aforementioned Superman: The Movie has long been considered the cinematic benchmark for the character, this film just might surpass it. It’s packed to the brim with warmth, heart, action, humor and all the things we love about the character. And that’s just, well, super.

Rawr! ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Brings Franchise Back from Extinction

 

Jurassic Park is one of those perfect Steven Spielberg movies. The visuals, the score, the performances and its playful mix of terror and wonder make it an all-time summer blockbuster classic. The sequels, however, for the most part, have lacked the “Dino DNA” that made that first walk in the park so special. I would even be so bold as to say that Jurassic World Dominion is one of the worst major franchise sequels we’ve gotten in the last decade … and that’s saying a lot!

Three years later, the bar was set low for Jurassic World Rebirth, Gareth Edwards’ follow-up that serves as a soft reboot for the 32-year-old franchise. But thanks to some intense action scenes, creepy new creatures and a solid cast, this film ably clears that bar like a Titanosaurus stepping over a Compy. So yeah, it’s pretty good.

But let’s get the negatives out of the way first. The opening few minutes are rough. The inciting incident during the prologue is silly in a bad way, and the opening scenes setting the plot in motion (to create a new heart disease treatment, our heroes must collect DNA from three massive dinosaurs which just so happen to be located on and around InGen’s abandoned R&D island) feel like a bad video game intro that doesn’t let us hold X to skip.

Once things get going, though, Rebirth grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go, combining elements of Spielberg classics like Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark – plus a smattering of Park throwbacks – with new thrills and creatures. I wasn’t sold on the idea of mutant dinosaurs initially (flying raptors?! And what the heck is a Distortus rex?), but it all works here. And even when the film slows down to show us a majestic herd of titanosaurs or a cute and marketable baby dinosaur named Dolores, it’s still a joy to look at. Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla) has a knack for combining human beings with digital creations, and shooting everything on location really helps make us feel like we’re right there with these characters, narrowly avoiding the jaws of a massive Mosasaurus or hiding beneath a raft to evade the gaze of a hungry Tyrannosaur.

Speaking of which, the fact that we get the raft sequence from the original Michael Crichton book translated to the screen in this film is such a joy. If you thought a T. rex was scary before, just wait until you see what they can do in the water!

Humans are typically a side dish in Jurassic sequels (mostly literally in the eyes of its true stars), but I’m happy to say that leads Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali do more than just gawk at dinosaurs and run for their lives. Joining them are a shipwrecked family (plus a boyfriend) played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono and Audrina Miranda, who add some interesting dynamics and heart – yes, heart – to the perilous proceedings.

No Jurassic sequel comes close to the original, but in terms of scale, intensity and sheer summer blockbuster joy, Rebirth roars. Check out my updated franchise rankings below:

1. Jurassic Park
2. Jurassic World
3. Jurassic World Rebirth
4. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
5. Jurassic Park III
6.  Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
7.  Jurassic World Dominion