‘Fantastic 4: First Steps’ has been hotly anticipated by Marvel fans – and even some people who aren’t necessarily devotees of the franchise.

• The three principal actors from the 1994 version of Fantastic 4, which was never formally released (Alex Hyde-White, Rebecca Staab, and Jay Underwood), have small cameo roles in this film.
• The film’s director, Matt Shakman, tried to use as many practical (i.e. non-CGI) effects as possible, in order to maintain the actors’ emotional connectedness to the story.
• Catch Tat Wolfen’s entertainment commentary on The Sandton Times Hour, every Monday at 7pm on 91.9FM.

The pre-release buzz was good with this movie, which is always helpful, certainly in terms of box office potential. Publicity materials promised something fresh to audiences who have been struggling with “Marvel fatigue” – a malaise which, I suspect, has plagued me for longer than most current moviegoers.

If you’ll indulge me, I’ll get a little moaning out of the way, before hitting the highlights. Firstly, as is the wont of present-day Hollywood movie makers, there’s the standard nod to ‘woke culture’. In this case, the renowned character of the Silver Surfer has been gender-swapped to that of a woman (Julia Garner). Also Pedro Pascal, Tinseltown’s current Token Latin Star, who’s currently in everything on cinema and TV screens except for the jam ads, stars as Mister Fantastic. That said, they do well in their respective roles, although I’ve always found diversity hires to be a somewhat patronising gesture.

I’ve never been a fan of Pascal’s, with his smug, self-satisfied swagger that reads “the chicks out there all dig me”. In fairness, however, this time around he’s managed to sublimate his Royal Pascalness, and miraculously allows the character that he’s playing, to surface.

Whinging aside, I now present you with the four fantastic elements that bring the fantastic to this Fantastic 4:

1. Good and Clean and Fresh:
As far as the new-generation MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies are concerned, this tale offers us a fresh narrative and new Marvel characters; at least for Disney. Yes, there was the now-legendary Roger Corman-produced version from the mid-1990s (which was hidden from public view and has only been available on bootleg) and a subsequent trilogy from 20th Century Fox (before Disney swallowed the studio), but this current F4 re-imagining is the first since Disney acquired most of Marvel’s intellectual property (i.e. 2020s).

2. More efficient brawls:
The film’s conflict sequences are mercifully shorter than they’ve typically been in Disney’s Marvel movies. As I’ve always said: “Have your fight – bim-bam-boom – let’s see who emerged the victor, and let’s get on with the story!”

3. The 3-D (appropriately enough!):
Whereas all 3-D movies used to be shot in what the industry calls “native 3-D” – that is, shot with proper two-lensed 3-D camera rigs – in the last decade or so, the 3-D has been done in post-production. In other words, the movie’s shot and completed in 2-D, and is then converted to 3-D by computer-graphic whizz-kids. Maybe because this is usually done with some haste, the results haven’t always been that impressive. I’m happy to report, however, that this film is worthy of being experienced in 3-D (and IMAX 3-D or Scene Xtreme 3-D would be a treat).

4) The ‘look and feel’:
For one, the film’s entire colour palate is lighter and brighter. It takes its tonal lead from the featherweight cyan of the superheroes’ costumes and it’s less dark – visually and narratively – than the recent batch of Marvel films. The film’s designers have gone for a look that emulates a 1960s vision of the future, which is novel, quirky, and sometimes amusing. Although it didn’t quite live up to my high expectations, it’s still a worthy go.

Bearing in my mind that superheroes movies aren’t my thing, Fantastic 4: First Steps was a breath of fresh air, after the last 15 or so years of cookie-cutter Marvel movies. And for that, I was truly grateful.

Tat Wolfen is a multimedia communicator, entertainment commentator and leisure journalist. Tune in for Tat’s razor-sharp takes on the latest on stage and screen, every week on The Sandton Times Hour – Mondays at 7pm on 91.9FM or on a fine selection of the world’s leading podcast platforms. [Disclaimer: Views expressed by reviewers/contributors are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sandton Times and its ownership or management.]

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