A sleek experience that’s not quite fantastic

THE LAST three decades have each seen an iteration of the Fantastic Four, and it’s safe to say that the latest provides the most sleek and smooth experience yet.

Fantastic Four: First Steps, directed by Matt Shakman, benefits from the vibrant, 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world it’s set in, making it a breath of fresh air compared with other superhero movies of recent memory. Though an easy watch, perhaps what makes it less fantastic and memorable than its campier iterations from the 2000s and 2010s is how fast-paced it is.

Each of the four members of Marvel’s “First Family” gets to shine mainly in the group dynamic, with few moments of interaction with at least one other member. The film is tightly structured, and the moments to breathe for each individual are few and far between.

It begins with Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm (played respectively by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach) already four years into being superheroes, their little family established as the center of this version of Earth. They regularly appear on television newsreels to the adoration of mankind, battling both human and planetary threats, and still find time to sit down together for Sunday dinner — until Reed and Sue get pregnant with a child who may or may not be super-powered, and the enigmatic alien Silver Surfer arrives and heralds the coming of a space god called Galactus.

The four leads do a great job embodying these people as a group facing insurmountable challenges, and it only makes one wish they each had a bit more time as individuals.

Pascal does his job as the handsome yet anxious scientist Reed, and he gets his key moment speaking to his infant son about his sense of guilt and shame being a flawed genius. The rest of his screen time is unfortunately not as moving. Kirby is engaging as Sue, her heroic choices as a mother making her the strongest of the cast, simply because the baby is central to the plot. Together, the couple displays the most memorable dynamic.

Quinn, as charismatic as he is, doesn’t get enough time to showcase Johnny’s full range as an impulsive hothead who sometimes has good ideas, and his chemistry with Julia Garner’s scene-stealing, mysterious Silver Surfer breezes by so quickly. On a similar note, Moss-Bachrach as Ben is the most under-utilized, his loneliness as a gigantic hunk of rock, juxtaposed with light moments with the family, coming across as boxes that have to be ticked along the way.

Again, this all just means that the ingredients for this strange, lovely tale of family unity among unique individuals are all there, but are not put together caringly enough, as if they wanted to keep the runtime short and hurried up the pacing as a result. A version of this film where we have time to breathe with the characters would improve it greatly.

In terms of the movie experience, it definitely helped to see all the science-fiction set pieces and larger-than-life action sequences, along with hearing immersive sound effects and Michael Giacchino’s majestic score, come to life in TriNoma’s A-Giant cinema.

The last time I watched a movie at TriNoma was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Back then, the screens were already noticeably old and the sound system was no longer of good quality. Now, with plush seating and the upgraded Dolby Atmos complementing the renovated screens, it seems the A-Giant cinema has finally been given a long-overdue update.

Fantastic Four: First Steps may not be perfect, but it was enjoyable to see “movie science” used to beat up a planetary bad guy, with a solid cast of characters coming together to teach the world about the importance of family. It was cheesy, it was fun, and it was a smooth experience. There are just too many Marvel superhero movies to keep up with, and self-contained stories like this one are a bit of something to chew on for those no longer willing to hop on the blockbuster trainwreck of unending franchises — and having a good-quality cinema to watch it in does help savor the meal.