The Fantastic Four: First Steps charts a promising new course for Marvel, but doom still looms

I n the opening moments of Matt Shakman's fun yet flawed The Fantastic Four: First Steps , we are treated not to some big galaxy-hopping space battle or yet another desperate brawl to save planet Earth from complete annihilation. Both of those do come later, striving to inject what remains a struggling Marvel franchise with just enough of a new spark, but this film also has other things on its mind. Specifically, it's preoccupied with new life and the responsibility that comes with it. In this case, it's the mysterious child of superhero power couple Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm aka the Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), who we learn are on their way via a clunky though still cute little scene where the latter breaks the news to the former. It's a charming