THE FANTASTIC FOUR : FIRST STEPS - Tuesday 29th July 2025

I saw the PG Rated 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR : FIRST STEPS' this week at my local multiplex, and this American action adventure Superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics Superhero team The Fantastic Four. It is the 37th film in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and is the first film in Phase Six of the MCU. This is the second reboot of the 'Fantastic Four' franchise, with the first two films coming in 2005 with 'Fantastic Four' and its sequel in 2007 'Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer' both Directed by Tim Story, with the first reboot coming in 2015 with 'Fantastic Four' this time Directed by Josh Trank. Those first three films in the series grossed a total of US$803M at the global Box Office from combined production budgets of about US$350M, although the 2015 offering tanked both commercially and critically, resulting in a planned 2017 sequel being removed from the production schedule. This film is Directed by Matt Shakman in only his second feature film offering following 'Cut Bank' in 2014, although he has Directed numerous episodes of TV series since 2002 right up until 2023. The film was released in the US last week too, has grossed so far US$250M from a US$200M production budget, has generated largely positive critical reviews, and a sequel is already in the works.

We learn early on that this film is set on Earth 828 and it is 1960 when Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), his best friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Sue's younger brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) begin a mission into outer space, during which they are all exposed to cosmic rays. Upon returning to Earth, they all have new found superpowers with Reed assuming the mantle of Mr. Fantastic and can stretch any part of his body to great lengths. Sue becomes the Invisible Woman and can generate force fields and turn invisible. Ben, as The Thing, whose skin has been transformed into a layer of orange rock, granting him superhuman strength and durability, and Johnny as the Human Torch can control fire and fly. 

Collectively they become the Superhero team known as 'The Fantastic Four'. Four years later, the team have become celebrities and are highly regarded as the world’s protectors, engaging in philanthropic and diplomatic efforts through the Future Foundation, which was established by Sue Storm and which has achieved global demilitarisation and peace. One evening over a family dinner, Reed and Sue reveal to Ben and Johnny that they are expecting a child.

The Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives on Earth and declares that the planet has been marked for destruction by Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a gigantic planet-destroying God-like cosmic being - the sole survivor of a dead universe that existed before the creation of Earth-828. Reed studies the disappearance of other planets to verify this claim, and the team decides to find Galactus before he comes to Earth. 

They track the Silver Surfer's energy signature and use faster-than-light (FTL) travel to reach a new planet. As they arrive, the planet is destroyed by Galactus's ship from the inside out, and the team is captured. Galactus reveals to them that he has a voracious hunger which has driven him to consume planets for millennia. He senses that Reed and Sue's unborn child has enormous cosmic power and would be able to take on Galactus's hunger, which he has grown tired of and wants to be free. Galactus offers to spare Earth in exchange for the child. The very thought of this induces Sue to go into labour. The team naturally refuses and escapes from the ship. They are followed by the Silver Surfer, who destroys their FTL system. They use the gravity from a black hole to delay the Silver Surfer in hot pursuit, and slingshot themselves back to Earth. Sue gives birth to a boy whom she names Franklin, on the way. 

The Four (sorry, now five) return to Earth a month later. Reed speaks of their encounter during a press conference. Their decision to save one child over the billions of other people on Earth leads to a public outcry, with many calling for Franklin to be sacrificed to Galactus. Johnny begins to decipher the Silver Surfer's native language, using his interactions with her, and some deep space transmissions Reed intercepted from her planet, and others that Galactus destroyed. 

As Galactus approaches and protests against the Fantastic Four escalate, Sue takes Franklin to meet with a large crowd of protesters outside their HQ - the Baxter Building. She explains that they will not sacrifice their child, but they will also not give up on the rest of humanity. Using a teleportation system that he has been working on, Reed devises a plan to build large teleportation bridges across Earth so they can transport the entire planet to another solar system where Galactus cannot reach them. Through the Future Foundation, Sue rallies the world's nations into building the bridges in every major city, and in rapid time, while conserving the energy ultimately needed to power them up.

With Galactus arrival imminent, Reed activates the bridges across the globe. As they are almost fully activated, the Silver Surfer returns and begins destroying them. Johnny and Ben stop her from destroying the last bridge in Times Square. He uses her native language to identify her as Shalla-Bal which catches her off-guard. She explains that she chose to become Galactus's herald in exchange for his sparing her world, Zenn-La. Johnny plays transmissions from the planets she helped Galactus destroy, and Shalla-Bal flees. 

Using Franklin as bait, the team plans to lure Galactus to the last bridge and teleport him away instead to a galaxy far far away. But, they only have 37 seconds to do so from when the portal first opens up to when it closes. Sue negotiates with Harvey Elder aka Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser), a former enemy turned ally of the Fantastic Four, to evacuate the citizens of New York City to his underground city of Subterranea. Galactus makes his way through the city and captures Franklin, avoiding the team's bridge trap. 

Sue uses all of her power to push him towards the portal with a force field while Reed rescues Franklin. Johnny attempts to sacrifice himself to give Galactus a final push into the portal, but is stopped by Shalla-Bal. She pushes Galactus in herself, and the portal closes behind them. Sue dies from her supreme efforts, and is grieved over by Reed where she fell. Reed places Franklin on her chest, and she is revived. As she holds Franklin close, Sue comments to Reed that their son is more powerful than the two of them. The world celebrates their victory. 

Remain in your seat for a mid-credits scene set four years later, which sets the tone for the next time we'll see the Fantastic Four in 'Avengers : Doomsday' set for release in December 2026.

I have to say that I went into 'The Fantastic Four : First Steps' with fairly low expectations given the previous instalments, but came out having been pleasantly surprised. Positively, the fact that Marvel have decided to not go for the traditional origin story but instead have cast this Superhero team as fully formed and globally accepted heroes from the get go is a plus, as is the departure by Marvel to set this film in a futuristic retro 60's style aesthetic. And to this end the costume design, the set design elements, the production values and the music score all compliment each other. This film also has an underlying message of parental love, the ties that bind a family together, the sense of teamwork that exists between the four and the larger global community, and an unwavering feeling of hope and optimism that will conquer even the darkest of days. The principle cast have all been well chosen for what they individually and collectively bring to their roles, and they all seem to bond well as Marvel's 'first family of Superheroes' with each given their own time to shine and contribute to a package that is greater than the sum of its parts. Whilst the plot follows fairly traditional beats, the ending where good thwarts evil against the odds is all too predictable and our team of Superheroes live to fight another day, here Kevin Feige and the guys at Marvel Studios have delivered us probably the best entry in the MCU in recent years, and that's a reassuring turns of events from a studio that had appeared to have lost its way.

'Fantastic Four : First Steps' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE VVITCH : Tuesday 29th March 2016

THE VVITCH - is the Directorial debut from Robert Eggers and is Written by him too, and with the  critical acclaim since its world premier at Sundance in January 2015, and its Special Presentation screening at TIFF in September last year, I was keen to give this film a go, so saw it two weeks or so after its Australian release earlier this week. This film went out in cinema release in the US in February this year and has so far made US$29M off its meagre US$1M or so budget. Hailed as 'A New England Folktale' on the title screen, Eggers was determined to craft a personal film based on his childhood fascination with witches. Based in New England, Eggers was also determined to film in rural New England but for a variety of reasons couldn't find a suitable forest edge location, so ended up well & truly off the map in Kiosk, Ontario, which certainly sets the mood, the tone and the sense of foreboding this film presents.

Set in 1630 New England, this is the story of a relocated family from northern England who as the film opens are in the process of being banished from a Puritan Christian community plantation where they reside with their four children from young twins to early teenage years, because husband and father William (Ralph Ineson) has shown once too often 'prideful conceit'. The family is exiled and so ride off into the sunset on their horse drawn carriage carrying all their worldly belongings and family with them in search of a new place to establish a home. They find that ideal place where there is clearing beside a brook to provide running water and on the edge of a forest. They give thanks to God for bringing them to this place.

After several months the homestead is established, corn is growing in the field and mother Katherine (Kate Dickie) has given birth to the fifth child - a young boy, Samuel. One day when Katherine is attending to household chores, she asks young teenage daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) to look after the young baby. Thomasin does so willingly and ventures to the forest edge to play with Samuel and keep him amused. In so doing, the baby vanishes. Taken by a witch and carted off into the depths of the forest - never to be seen again.

Katherine is distraught by this news and spends several days crying, restless and mourning sorrowfully whilst praying to God. William and son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) venture into the forest in search of food when their crop of corn starts to fail, and with winter drawing in, a stockpile of provisions is increasingly becoming a necessity. On the farm the young twins Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson), play with one of the family goats, Black Phillip, whom they later claim speaks to them.

The next day Caleb awakes early to go into the forest on the family horse to check on the animal traps set the previous day. Thomasin interrupts him and insists that she be allowed to go with him, and so they venture off with the family dog, Fowler, in tow. Along the way, they are distracted by a hare that Caleb and William had seen the previous day, and with Caleb giving chase and leaving Thomasin alone, the horse bolts knocking her to the ground. She regains consciousness later as night draws in. She hears distant voices and is reunited with her father, but there is no sign of Caleb who has ventured off and stumbles across a woodland house, from which emerges a beautiful big busted woman who embraces the young lad with a passionate kiss to the lips, only to reveal a withered gnarly aged witches hand holding him tightly.

With the baby now missing for a week or so, Caleb now mysteriously vanished, the twins claiming that Black Phillip talks to them, the family dog also not returned, and a failing crop, Katherine in her anxiety begins to talk of witchcraft and how God is punishing them for their sins. William meanwhile seeks the mercy of God, asking for his forgiveness and seems to be blaming everyone else but himself for the predicament the family now finds itself in. He seems to take some comfort in chopping wood to build a Winter stockpile during which he can gather his thoughts, repent of his sins, and talk to God.

Later that night Thomasin offers to tend to the goats before turning in, and while outside in the moonlight hears a noise that distracts her - it is Caleb, miraculously returned, but stark naked, bloodied, dazed and in a stupor. He is brought inside and rests, tended to by his mother, but not able to speak. As the remaining family gather around, the twins reveal that they believe their sister Thomasin to be a witch, Thomasin counter claims that it is the twins who are in fact witches because Black Phillip talks to them, and with it Caleb awakens - his body writhing and contorting as if possessed, and indeed it is! He dies soon afterwards but not before praising the Lord and bestowing his body unto Him, and with it the twins also go into a writhing attack, followed by a catatonic state immediately afterwards. Katherine is thrown into a further frenzy claiming witchcraft, and ungodly forces working against them all. William confronts his daughter demanding her to recite prayers and welcome God back into her life. He boards her up in a stable with the two young twins who have since come around and Black Phillip so that they can be rid of any demons and come to their senses overnight through prayer, forgiveness and divine intervention.

Overnight Katherine hallucinates that Caleb and Samuel have returned, and while William sleeps events take a turn in the stable. He wakens early the next morning and in venturing outside is greeted by a destroyed stable, the twins gone, the goats butchered and Thomasin lying nearby with bloodstained hands. For how this plays out you'll just have to watch the movie!

In this film which garnered Director Robert Eggers a Best Director Prize at 2015's Sundance Film Festival, he has weaved an original story recreating a God-fearing 1630's New England where black magic, demonic possession, and witchcraft were very real predating the Salem Witch Trials of the late 17th Century. He has meticulously researched his story to ensure its authenticity right down to the language used of that era, and his production team have faithfully bought his vision to the big screen in every detail. His chosen cast of two lead Actors in Ineson and Dickie is first rate and keep an eye out for emerging talent in Taylor-Joy and Scrimshaw who equally carry this film every step of the way with their adult counterparts. This film is not big on scares, but it re-establishes the genre with a truly original piece that is a slow intense burn, with a solidly crafted, well told and well acted story that will have you gripped from the opening scene right through to the revealing and shocking end. A Director to watch and a film to see - with some truly disturbing scenes that are not there just for effect but add to the context of the film and what the family is experiencing. It will hold your attention throughout, and keep you thinking for a long time afterwards.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-