Marvel’s family reset

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NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, July 25th.

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Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It:

The summer movie season gets another dose of superhero spectacle.

EICHER: With Warner Bros. scoring a win from its Superman reboot, Marvel now enters the ring with Fantastic Four: First Steps the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thirty-seventh! Let that number sink in. It may be the most memorable thing about what feels like a vanilla film. Here’s WORLD arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino.

COLLIN GARBARINO: For the last five years, the once-mighty Marvel has had a pretty spotty track record. But the studio is hoping the introduction of Marvel’s first family into the MCU will add some spark to the flailing franchise.

SILVER SURFER: Are you the protectors of this world?

SUE STORM: Yes, we are.

SILVER SURFER: Your planet is now marked for death.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in an alternate universe steeped in a retro-futuristic mid-century modern aesthetic. The primary heroes in this reality are Reed Richards, his wife Sue Storm, her brother Johnny, and their friend Ben Grimm. The foursome gained super powers after being exposed to cosmic radiation on a space flight. Reed gained the power to stretch his body. Sue can turn herself invisible and create force fields. Johnny can light himself on fire and fly. And Ben became a hulking rock monster.

Despite using their powers to keep humanity safe, the four try to maintain a healthy home life.

JOHNNY STORM: You’re late.

SUE STORM: What do you mean?

JOHNNY STORY: What do you mean, what do I mean? You’re late… for dinner.

SUE STORM: Oh, yes, we are. We’re late for dinner.

But things are about to change.

JOHNNY STORM: Why are you being weird?

SUE STORM AND REED RICHARDS: We’re not being weird.

JOHNNY STORM: You’re doing that weird thing with your face.

SUE STORM: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

BEN GRIMM: Are you pregnant?

Reed and Sue are about to become parents. It’s a complication to the superhero life that we haven’t seen before in the MCU.

JOHNNY STORM: And you are going to be the best dad. Just kidding. You are out of your depth. But we are going to be the best uncles ever.

The new parents must try to figure out how to balance their responsibilities with the prospect of a new baby. Reed is worried the baby might have some strange mutations. And Sue is worried that Reed worries too much. He’s the smartest guy on the planet, but he can’t understand that some things are out of his control.

For example, you never know when a cosmic entity might show up to eat your planet.

SILVER SURFER: Your world will be consumed by the devourer. There is nothing you can do to stop him.

Having a baby on the way is stressful enough, but then a mysterious silver woman on a surfboard shows up to announce that a space-traveling giant named Galactus is coming to destroy Earth. The superheroes try to head him off. And Galactus offers them a choice. But it’s a no-win situation for Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben.

SILVER SURFER: I herald the beginning. I herald your end. I herald Galactus.

On the whole, this Fantastic Four film is much better than most of Marvel’s recent movies. But let’s be honest… the bar is pretty low right now.

Here are some things the movie gets right. The retrofuturistic setting is really fun to look at. It’s New York City in the 1960s, except Reed drives a flying car. The Jetsons’ vibe really works. Also, the casting works. Pedro Pascal makes a fine Reed Richards. And I’m a big fan of Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm. Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn also fit their parts as Ben and Johnny. And as I said, seeing the characters navigate a growing family feels fresh. The heroes also wrestle with a moral dilemma, choosing the side of life. And for a PG-13 movie, the language is pretty mild and family friendly.

BEN GRIMM: Is this guy good or what? I’m gonna add a couple cloves of garlic. Not because it’s not delicious. I just want to add a little bit of zip. OK?

But despite some cool visuals, the movie isn’t quite “fantastic” enough. Each member of the team has their little moment, but their character arcs are a little lazy. Reed is brilliant, Sue is passionate, Johnny’s impetuous, and Ben is a rock. OK. That’s fine, but it feels a little shallow. For example, why isn’t Ben wrestling with being a big ugly rock monster? And did we really need to gender swap the Silver Surfer to give Johnny an interstellar love interest?

SILVER SURFER: Use this time to rejoice and celebrate, for your time is short.

The storyline also includes some trite moments. Sue has to stand up and give an impassioned speech that changes the mind of an angry crowd. I’m really tired of impassioned speeches in movies that change people’s minds. That never happens in real life. It’s as unbelievable as getting superpowers from cosmic radiation. Also, the final showdown between the heroes and Galactus felt predictable. And of course Marvel continues its girlboss trend by having Sue save the day. Although, an angry mom with superpowers would be pretty scary.

Anyway, this Marvel movie isn’t bad. It’s just vanilla. But it’s vanilla with some cool vintage sprinkles, so I’ll give it a thumbs up. Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part. Since Fantastic Four takes place in an alternate reality, it’s unconnected to the 36 movies and 14 TV series that came before it. So, no homework required.

I’m Collin Garbarino

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