Sometimes the old heroes are the best….

In Marvel Studios The Fantastic Four: First Steps we finally take a moment to collect ourselves in the MCU to take a couple of steps back so that we can finally move forward in a positive way as this film results in one of their most positive theatrical efforts in years.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family — Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bacharach) — as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.

Almost as if it were lifted from the well-worn and read pages from this critics own comic book collection, The Fantastic Four: First Steps actually manages to honor the franchise and stay true to the canon as it builds towards something that we can finally get invested in rather than just random episodic nonsense.

Director Matt Shakman comes off of Wandavision allowing us to ride a similar visual esthetic with a story that finally gets somewhere.  While it may have been nice to get a few more minutes of character establishment in this film, it never insulted our intelligence and allowed for people new to the mythology to get just as wrapped up into these characters.  Wrapping it all up in style for days makes us feel like we’re actually taking a little break from the Marvel Cinematic Universe while actually existing inside of it all and moving towards something positive in these stories that we can get invested in.

Of course we’re in the middle of the Pedro Pascal-essance right now but that still doesn’t mean that he’s actually not the perfect choice to play the demur but brilliant Reed Richards who has to lead with his intellect in order to save humanity.  Vanessa Kirby is extremely well cast opposite him as Sue Storm Richards (aka Invisible Girl) and the delicate soul of Ben Grimm who is trapped as The Thing comes through thanks to Ebon-Moss Bacharach.  While it would have been nice for Joseph Quinn’s Johnny Storm to have a little more pizazz to him it’s understandable they didn’t want him stealing any scenes either.  On the flip side of it all Julia Garner commanded the screen in her brief time as the Silver Surfer and thank goodness Galactus is no longer just an amorphous cloud thanks to Ralph Ineson.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps thankfully course corrects the MCU back into territory that can be enjoyed by the casual fan and the ardent die hard one.  The years where people needed to start taking their doctorates in the intricate nature of all things Marvel are finally behind us.