The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Ever since "No Way Home" dropped, there has never been an MCU film that made me fall in love with the universe again and be eager to see what's next. After such a long time, I'm happy to report that "The Fantastic Four: The First Steps" is indeed the best Marvel since "Spider-Man: No Way Home," and yes, you heard that right! "The Fantastic Four: The First Steps" follows Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing who face their most daunting challenge yet as they defend Earth from Galactus and The Silver Surfer. 

What makes this film so fantastic is a lot of things! First off, I must praise the setting here. I absolutely loved the retro-futuristic rendition of New York in this film. Everything was so beautiful to look at and just so mesmerizing. You'll lose yourself in this world, and everything from the set design to the costumes helped bring this beautiful era to life! On that note, I need to praise the visuals of this film. Simply put, this is easily the best-looking Marvel film to date! Watching this in IMAX was a sight to behold! Secondly, what's so refreshing about this film is that you don't need to know a thing about the MCU to watch it, unlike previous phases. It was just so refreshing and interesting to see such a unique take on these classic characters, and not having to worry about "unexplained" things. 

Thirdly, I must praise the story here. While I think it went by too fast and was underdeveloped in parts, it more than made up for it with its family dynamics. Seeing all those four members interact together at the same time was the best thing about this film. It was just pure comic book goodness, and I wish the runtime was slightly longer because I wanted more from it. Furthermore, I'm happy to report that the stakes never felt higher since "No Way Home" until this film. Galactus was menacing, and he's such a great villain, but I wish we got more of him in this film. I'm sure Marvel has plans for him, but I wish he had more screentime. The Silver Surfer, on the other hand, despite having an interesting backstory, felt underdeveloped due to the runtime. Really, the only problem with this film is the runtime. Clocking just under 2 hours, this film feels rushed and thus makes a lot of the good stuff feel underbaked. Despite that, the stuff that we got is still more than great and just fun to watch unfold. 

Last but not least, we have to talk about the performances here. This film is stacked with some A-listers, and they do NOT disappoint. Everyone understood the assignment here and perfected their roles here. But the actress who stole my heart was Vanessa Kirby with her flawless and emotional performance. She's the heart and soul of this film, and she did one hell of a job as the invisible woman. Lastly, I must praise the score here by none other than one of the greatest composers, Michael Giacchino! Giacchino created such an iconic and catchy theme, and yes, it will be stuck in my head forever. Jokes aside, the score amplified every scene in this film, and you could feel the greatness of it. Overall, and despite having a relatively short runtime, "The Fantastic Four: The First Steps" is indeed a step in the right direction. It's simply fantastic and I cannot recommend it enough! Also, stay for that post-credit scene!