Matt Shakman
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Filmography
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It was like watching the early volumes of Fantastic Four or even the cartoon world of The Jetsons come to life before your eyes.
…the film’s look is part “Mad Men,” part “Jetsons,”…
…particularly since the light tone was in perfect harmony with the retro-futuristic style of the 1960s, a la Marvel's The Jetsons.
Googie architectures that remind me of The Jetsons…
Production designer Kasra Farahani, who previously did insanely detailed and beautiful work on Loki, strikes a balance between Mad Men and The Jetsons.
It feels like a mashup of “Storm of the Century” (1999) and “The Wandering Earth” (2019) meets “The Jetsons” à la “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011).
First Steps, like James Gunn's Superman – which will be referenced a lot in this review, considering they bear similarities in thematic and narrative story beats – immerses you in a world that has already been established…
The exception being the new Superman movie.
…with both “Superman” and “The Fantastic 4: First Steps” showing glimpses of just how beautiful and transportative these movies can be.
They turn against the FF just as earthlings turned against Superman in Gunn’s film.
They compare First Steps to DC’s Superman (2025) and discuss how each film hit them this summer.
It also just edges out comic book banner rival, DC Studios’ Superman, which began with a $56.1 million opening day, two weeks ago.
The Incredibles (2004)
Directed by Brad Bird
influenced The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Themes Visuals Music Characters Plot
Their signature themes of family and their retro 1960s vibe even helped shape the tone of Pixar’s The Incredibles…
…it’s strange how no live-action Fantastic Four filmmaker has figured out a way to use Mr. Fantastic’s stretchy powers half as dazzlingly as Brad Bird’s animated The Incredibles from more than 20 years ago…
The look is reminiscent of Pixar’s “The Incredibles,” and a group of movie geeks could stay up all night debating who influenced who.
Michael Giacchino's breathtaking orchestral score, which occasionally nearly rivals that of The Incredibles…
…his weirdly funny turn, channeling some serious “Incredibles” energy…
If this is all sounding a lot like Pixar’s The Incredibles, take heed, True Believer! That animated hit was heavily influenced by the Fantastic Four comics, and if you loved it, then you will love The Fantastic Four: First Steps, too. They have quite a lot in common from relationships, storyline, and tone.
…the film’s look is part “Mad Men,” part “Jetsons,”…
Production designer Kasra Farahani, who previously did insanely detailed and beautiful work on Loki, strikes a balance between Mad Men and The Jetsons.
The period costumes, namely the “off duty” wardrobe of the quartet, wonderfully harken to the “Mad Men” era’s “vibe”…
They compare this new Fantastic Four to previous live-action incarnations…
…how it stacks up against the previous iterations of the Fantastic Four…
Previous adaptations – 2005’s Fantastic Four, its 2007 sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the 2015 remake – were defined by stilted dialogue, clichéd characterization…
…two mediocre Tim Story-directed blockbusters, Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, made decent money but failed to launch the characters into a similar cultural space as Spider-Man or the X-Men had found in previous years.
There were two not-horrible movies, in 2005 and 2007, with Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis in the lead roles. (That one was referenced in “Deadpool and Wolverine.”)
Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four (2015)…
Godzilla (1954)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
influenced The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Visuals Music
…has more than a whiff of Godzilla about it, and not in a good way.
A soaring score by Michael Giacchino that has nods to greater goings before, from Jupiter Ascending to Godzilla.
…with a dash of Lost in Space (CBS, 1965-1968)…
The team’s family dynamics echo the colonists of Lost in Space, and so do their adventures.
Kasra Farahani's amazing retrofuturistic production design, which combines Tomorrowland elements with Art Deco architecture in enticing blue hues.
…especially with their art deco, retro-futuristic aesthetic that feels like it walked out of Disney’s Tomorrowland…
In this way, the film is reminiscent of early MCU entries. Ones that refused to take themselves too seriously.
…it reminded me of the pre-Avengers (2012) era when you’d leave the cinema imagining that movie’s characters mixing with ones we’ve already seen…
Ever since mega-producer Kevin Feige and the braintrust at Marvel Studios enacted their master blueprint with The Avengers thirteen years ago…
…the likes of “Spider-Man,” the “X-Men,” and the “Avengers,”…
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Directed by Tim Story
influenced The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Plot
They compare this new Fantastic Four to previous live-action incarnations…
The gigantic armoured man as a character was obviously too rich for the tastes of 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, as in that movie, he is shown as a malevolent cloud that eats planets.
…two mediocre Tim Story-directed blockbusters, Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, made decent money but failed to launch the characters into a similar cultural space as Spider-Man or the X-Men had found in previous years.
2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer presented classic villain Galactus as a glowing cloud in space, rather than risk losing audiences with a giant purple alien in a silly hat.
Three previous big-budget Fantastic Four entries were produced at Fox, from 2005 to 2015.
…followed by its 2007 sequel “Rise of the Silver Surfer”…
…the intimidation born from their scale reminds one of Star Wars…
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Directed by Rob Cohen
influenced The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Themes
Dom Toretto would probably be hesitant to tell you that it takes more than just assertions of familial ties to make a family, and the dynamic between our central foursome clears that hurdle much higher than any of the relationships within the Fast Fambly.
As much as “Supernatural” had an iconic fraternal dynamic, it is strange for grown people to have zero life outside of each other.
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
Directed by Joe Russo
influenced by The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Plot
…just as I'm looking forward to The Fantastic Four returning in Avengers: Doomsday…
…which for this foursome appears to be Avengers: Doomsday…
…an older Franklin appears destined to play a part in the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday” movie.
…as we catch a sneak peek of Avengers: Doomsday, I can’t help but think about how far Marvel has fallen from its glory days…
…with First Steps making me even more excited for what’s to come next with Avengers: Doomsday and beyond!
…as we gear up for Avengers: Doomsday, a product that no one is very excited about anymore if we’re being honest with ourselves.
Twilight (2008)
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
influenced The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Visuals
…the CGI used to bring them to life could give the digital baby in Twilight a run for its money…
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
influenced The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Visuals
X-Men: First Class did a lot more to evoke some of the pop culture whiz-bang joy of this Silver Age setting 14 years ago…
Interstellar (2014)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
influenced The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Visuals
This is a film in which our heroes have to rattle around in a spaceship, Interstellar style, to travel through a wormhole, while other characters can traverse the far reaches of the universe with a surfboard.
It’s the best first day kick-off for a Marvel Cinematic Universe entry since “Deadpool & Wolverine” dominated the box office 12 months ago.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the best MCU film since Deadpool & Wolverine…
…unlike recent MCU films like Thunderbolts or Deadpool & Wolverine, which required viewers to do homework…
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Directed by Joe Russo
influenced The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025)
Themes
…despite the post- “Avengers: Endgame” slump…
“The Fantastic 4: First Steps” is charming on its own, and a sign that Marvel is bouncing back after the doldrums caused by the inevitable decline after “Avengers: Endgame.”
Tony Stark’s post-Blip daughter Morgan in Avengers: Endgame…
Many called it the best superhero film since Avengers: Endgame.
…how much bigger and extraordinary would Infinity War and Endgame have been…
The Fantastic Four: First Steps feels very Leave it to Beaver (CBS, 1957-1958, ABC, 1958-1963)…