FILM OF THE WEEK: Fantastic Four: First Steps - Reviewed by Roe McDermott

The latest iteration of the Fantastic Four arrives as a refreshing recalibration of the superhero genre. Unburdened by the labyrinthine continuity of the broader MCU, it reintroduces Marvel's first family with a stripped-down sincerity and a sharp stylistic vision. The setup may seem familiar to longtime comic book fans - four astronauts transformed by cosmic radiation – but the execution is stylish and enjoyable.

Like James Gunn in Superman, director Matt Shakman (WandaVision, The Great) bypasses the origin template, dropping us into a world where the team is already established and adored. But this isn't the celebrity-inflected satire of The Boys or the anxiety-riddled introspection of The Batman. Instead, Shakman offers something closer to a retro-modern fairytale: a mid-century sci-fi Manhattan soaked in analogue futurism and optimism, where flying cars hover above the skyline and reel-to-reel computers predict galactic anomalies. It's a setting at once whimsical and weighty, evoking the spirit of Jack Kirby's original vision while updating it with cinematic elegance.

The plot of Fantastic Four pivots on an unexpected pregnancy and an impossible moral dilemma. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, everything on your TV and cinema screens right now), the stretchy super-genius known as Mr. Fantastic, and his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby, The Crown, Mission: Impossible – Fallout), aka the Invisible Woman, are expecting a child. As the foursome grapples with the implications of a super-powered baby, the cosmos delivers a dire ultimatum in the form of Julia Garner’s hauntingly serene Silver Surfer, heralding the arrival of Galactus, the infamous Eater of Worlds (Ralph Ineson, The Witch, Game of Thrones). The heralding of an impending creature set to upend your universe feels like an apt metaphor for pregnancy, and these two storylines – personal and galactic – collide in an emotionally-charged climax.

At the heart of this revitalised Fantastic Four are four performances that sell the premise not through spectacle but through chemistry. Pedro Pascal plays Reed Richards as a man trying, and occasionally failing, to balance genius with empathy, and brings his trademark ability to convey grit, tenderness and the weight of the world on his shoulders. But it’s Vanessa Kirby’s performance that is the film’s emotional linchpin. Her Sue Storm is less the sidelined female superhero of past versions and more the de facto leader: assertive, nurturing, and unshakably moral. She can turn invisible, yes, but this version of Sue refuses to fade into the background, becoming the heart of the film and driver of many of the action sequences.

Joseph Quinn (Gladiator II, A Quiet Place:Day One) brings a welcome reinvention to Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. Ditching the brash jock routine, Quinn plays Johnny as a thrill-seeking, attention-hungry younger brother who masks insecurity with swagger. His crackling flirtation with the Silver Surfer gives the film some of its most affecting scenes, culminating in a sequence where Johnny attempts to reason with a cosmic being not with weapons but with empathy. Meanwhile, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear, Girls, Andor) is wonderful if underused. His Ben Grimm is neither a brooding monster nor comic relief, but a soft-spoken, gravel-voiced everyman trapped in a rock-covered body. Moss-Bachrach infuses Ben with nobility and quiet humour, though it feels like his backstory was cut short.

Supporting players also shine. Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer is celestial in appearance, but painfully human in her doubts. Ralph Ineson lends Galactus a weary menace, more ancient god than comic-book tyrant. The CGI is thankfully better than in the trailers, and the production design by Kasra Farahani (Luce, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Batman), is impressive in its futurist mid-century combination of Mad Men by way of The Jetsons, where CRT monitors plot hyperspace jumps and vending machines dispense Yoo-Hoo beside blueprints for warp drives.

The film also works hard to reward longtime fans with sly callbacks and deep-cut references - from nods to Sue’s potential twins to lines cribbed from the old Hanna-Barbera cartoon - but never at the expense of newcomers. It’s the rare Marvel outing that doesn’t require a ten years of MCU homework to enjoy it.

In the end, Fantastic Four feels like a love letter: to the source material, to mid-century aesthetics, to characters who for too long have been sidelined or misunderstood. It’s not perfect. Pacing lags in the third act. Johnny and Ben could use more screentime. And while witty and with emotional arcs, it lacks Big Memorable Moments in the realms of humour, emotion and action, offering a quieter charm that risks feeling a little forgettable. But after many failed attempts of representing these characters onscreen, this version understands what makes the Fantastic Four fantastic: not their powers, but their bond. Like Superman's determination to highlight kindness, Fantastic Four: First Steps has a viewpoint, reminding us that family, both chosen and forged, still matters most.

Directed by Matt Shakman. Written by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer. Cinematography by Jess Hall.

Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss.

115 mins

• In cinemas now. Watch the trailer below.