Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’. Picture: X/@ComicBookNOW
Remember when “Fantastic Four” first landed in cinemas in 2005? Some of us were just kids, barely 10 years old, renting the film from Vee’s or Mr. Video, but were absolutely obsessed with it.
And let’s be real - even the grown-ups knew it was a hit.
The Human Torch (played by a Chris Evans) had everyone wanting to say “Flame on!” while Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) made “It’s clobberin’ time!” an instant catchphrase.
Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) gave us force-field goals, and Ioan Gruffudd’s Reed Richards stretched superhero science to its limits. And who could forget Julian McMahon’s Doctor Doom? That metal mask and sinister voice gave us chills.
Nearly 20 years later, fans are in for a treat. Marvel has dropped the first trailer for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” and it’s clear we’re in for a fresh take.
A new name means a whole new vibe! Of course, it’s hard to move on from the original cast that gave us so many unforgettable moments, but we’ve got to embrace the change.
The new film stars Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) as Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (“Napoleon”) as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) as the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”) as The Thing.
And the rest of the cast? Stacked. Ralph Ineson steps in as the mighty Galactus, Julia Garner plays the Silver Surfer, and we’ve even got Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and John Malkovich in mystery roles.
The trailer evokes nostalgia while setting the stage for something new. We get glimpses of each hero before and after they get their powers, setting up the emotional depth that made the “Fantastic Four” great in the first place.
But at its core, this is still about the “Fantastic Four” as a unit. “Whatever life throws at us, we face it together - as a family,” Kirby’s Sue Storm says in the teaser.
The trailer offers a look at Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and The Thing, as well as a glimpse at supervillain, Galactus.
Starting off with dinner at the Baxter Building, the trailer provides our best look yet at “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” 1960s retro-futuristic setting, as well as a tease for what looks like an upcoming battle in New York.
We see Ben Grimm before and after he becomes The Thing, alongside the Fantastic Four's Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics, a.k.a. H.E.R.B.I.E. They both seem keen on cooking.
Elsewhere, we see Sue Storm briefly in action as Invisible Woman, and Johnny Storm flying about in Human Torch form. But oddly enough, no stretchy Mr. Fantastic moves from Pascal just yet.
Could Marvel be keeping some surprises up their sleeve?
∎ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is set to hit cinemas this July.