Kelsi is the outreach and access services librarian at Virginia Wesleyan University and a co-director for the university’s WesBridge Scholars Program. She has spent the last two summers being tortured by blockbusters via WesBridge, making her totally qualified to write reviews such as this.
Photo: Kelsi Dunman | Courtesy
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (FF:FS) hit this summer as the studio’s latest attempt at beating a dead Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) horse. Surpassed in meme-worthy content only by Ryan Reynolds’ first iteration as Deadpool in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009), FF:FS continued to miss the mark while making the studio millions of dollars.
As a casual viewer with minimal knowledge of the comic series, I found this movie a bit tone-deaf in today’s sociopolitical climate and wondered if the themes of upstanding, good morals and universal camaraderie weren’t a bit too cheesy and overplayed. Our main characters were less than fantastic, all pushed through the plot with no real depth, development or room for viewers to connect.
While difficult to develop all four leads within the space of one film, the elaboration of Shalla-Bal’s story unbalanced the scales enough to make viewers such as myself connect more with the villain-turned-hero rather than our main group of saviors. Even the normally arrogant and neglectful Reed Richards was portrayed amicably by Pedro Pascal throughout, with the complexity of his character glimpsed only in brief interactions with Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn).
As for the story itself, I left the theater with more questions than answers. Why wouldn’t the Fantastic Four sacrifice a baby for the salvation of an entire people, and why were the citizens (with a little persuading on the part of Sue Storm, of course) on board with such a gamble? Is Earth-828 really so different? Why did every country on the planet buy into the idea of moving the planet somewhere else, without knowing where they’d end up or how long they’d be safe? Why did the Fantastic Four decide to lure Galactus into a triangle they outlined on the ground that was visible from outer space and think he would be tricked by it? Moreover, why was Galactus impressed by such an obvious ploy? And, most importantly, why did the baby alternate between CGI-mode and a real baby throughout the duration of the film?
Decisions were definitely made for this latest installment, and while I was confused and unenthusiastic about this particular film, I did enjoy the mixture of the ‘60s style with futuristic elements; it felt fitting for a movie that had everything and nothing at the same time. “The Incredibles” (2004) continues to be the best Fantastic Four movie made, with no real need for comparison. Long live “The Incredibles,” and thank you to Brad Bird for making something out of what continues to be the least impressive MCU franchise.
By: Kelsi Dunman
kdunman@vwu.edu
