If *Thunderbolts proved to be something of a return to form for Marvel, the the launch of The Fantastic Four into the MCU runs with it and brings it home in style. Even though it covers the basic story of 2007's adequate Rise Of The Silver Surfer, First Steps is a considerable upgrade all round. Thankfully sidestepping a full-on origin tale (dealt with deftly in an early TV tribute montage for 'Four Years of The Fantastic Four'), Marvel's big theme of family is dealt with head on, not least with Sue and Reed's baby and the inter-familial relationships of the Four themselves, playing into a threat that is both global and very personal, and also making the characters more human and less one-dimensional than previous iterations, which also surprisingly applies to Galactus and Silver Surfer here. It is effortlessly watchable and engaging, the story is tightly written and flows wonderfully, the retro-stylings give the whole film a wonderful aesthetic, the core characters' performances and interactions are excellent, and Michael Giacchino's score is sublime (again, one of his best). This film is also evidence of Marvel's push for better quality control, as the VFX sequences are both ambitious and very well-realised throughout, standouts being an extended hard-sci-fi space sequence and the action-packed finale. Also to relish is the incidental detail director Shakman brings to scenes (one can only wonder what his late-abandoned fourth Kelvin Star Trek movie could have been after seeing this), as he handles both enormous-scale scenes and smaller character work with aplomb. There are mid- and end-of scenes with the end credits that presumably nod to the upcoming Avengers movies (the mid-credits scene is particularly ominous). This is superhero storytelling at its best, pitched just right for both the younger and older audiences, and the quality of the production as a whole sees Marvel aiming for the top once again and pretty much hitting it.
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