Marvel's first family rockets into the MCU, leaving it forever altered by virtue of cosmic rays, breathtakingly beautiful visuals and stellar performances.
Following in the footsteps of the world's greatest comic magazine, Matt Shakman, adopts a story of the week approach, eliminating the viewer's need for required reading and facilitating an instant understanding of a world rich in connection, depth and colour! Utilising a combination of practical sets, physical props (H.E.R.B.I.E) and history etched into every thread of wardrobe. Impactful bursts of original score, mixed perfectly within the immersive soundscape of retro-futuristic 1960’s New York, create an air of comfort and trust, deliberately encompassed and devoured by the billowing, other worldly, inescapable presence of Galactus and his herald Silver Surfer. As your chair rocks and your jaw drops, the truly insurmountable odds of scale, ability and ethical conundrum about the universe’s survival will dawn upon you.
As the 'Fabulous Foursome' begin to comprehend the mortality of their universe, channelling Lee, Kirby, Waid and Hickman, their dichotomised personalities, outlooks, and power-sets create a grounded, yet fantastical spectacle of wit, heart and sacrifice.
Ben Grimm 'the Ever Lovin' Blue Eyed Thing' (Evan Moss Bachrach) splendidly projects warmth, anchored power and isolation via his boundless beryl eyes despite his thick rocky exterior.
Johnny Storm, 'the Human Torch' (Joseph Quinn) encapsulates the raw, yet unpredictable nature of the flames coursing through and across his skin, a ladies man determined to prove his worth to not only his family but himself.
Although skeptical upon the initial casting news, Pedro Pascal brings such brilliance, sensibility and guilt to the ever conflicted man of science, Reed Richards, 'Mr. Fantastic’.
Dexterously portrayed by Vanessa Kirby, balancing motherhood, leadership and the literal weight of the world on her shoulders with prowess and grace, Sue Storm, ‘the Invisible Woman’, is the heart of this Fantastic Four iteration.
Paraphrasing the incredible Julia Garner’s Shalla-Bal, I herald a new beginning, I herald your excitement, I herald… Fantastic Four : First Steps.
Reading Recommendations :
Fantastic Four : Life Story - Setting the lives of the FF (Fantastic Four) in real time across the years! Amid the backdrop of the Cold War and the Space Race.
The Coming of Galactus (1965) - One of the most impactful and iconic stories ever done by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, the birth of Galactus and the Silver Surfer
Waid/Weiringo's : Imaginauts - Perfect FF Adventures, Giant bugs! Living equations! Exploding unstable molecules!
