Expectations were high for Marvel's Fantastic Four: The First Steps but it looks like Pedro Pascal's new big screen adaptation has nailed it.
The first reviews emerged ahead of its July 25 release, and it has unanimously been branded a success.
"#FantasticFour is visually stunning, stylish, self-contained, and easy to jump into," wrote film critic Ash Crossan. "I had such a good time with this one. The retrofuturism is such a snack. My stand out is Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm babe I will die for you, you are perfect."
Another X user called it "a masterpiece," referencing the visual effects and the score as a "HUGE stand out".
"It's emotional and gives you hope. It beats you off and doesn’t stop. STAY Until the END CREDIT," they added.
"A pitch-perfect script backed by great performances — particularly from Pedro Pascal — turns what could be a simple superhero movie into a sharp commentary on our society that makes its nuance palatable for those that may not take it at face value!" added another.
"Combined with Matt Shakman’s snappy, confident storytelling, this is an intriguing & satisfying first step for Marvel’s new team (easily the best depiction of this quartet on-screen to date) as the MCU continues to regain control of the ship & steer it closer to Doomsday," tweeted Matt Neglia, editor of Next Best Picture.
"The cast & characters work well enough in #FantasticFour but Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm is the movie’s heart & soul," shared entertainment journalist Brandon Davis.
The film is the third reiteration of the comic book series, and stars The Last of Us' Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby as Reed Richards, aka, Mister Fantastic, and Susan Storm, aka, the Invisible Woman, respectively.
Joseph Quinn will play Johnny Storm, aka Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is Ben Grimm, aka The Thing.
Fantastic Four: The First Steps will follow the Marvel superheroes as they are "forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond [as] 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."
The film is directed by Matt Shakman, who told Variety that he had also cast John Malkovich in a key role as Red Ghost, but was later cut out of the film.
"When we were building a ’60s retro-future world, introducing all of these villains, introducing these four main characters as a group, as well as individually, introducing the idea of a child — there was a lot of stuff to balance in this movie and some things had to go ultimately in terms of shaping the film for its final version," he said.
