The Fantastic Four: First Steps, like Superman, skips the backstory part. The narrative goes ahead at a slow but steady pace and soon, one gets sucked into the retro-futuristic world. The conflict is grave and the manner in which the superheroes fight it out, while being trolled, makes for a great watch. The finale is nail-biting as well as moving. Two issues with the film are - the narrative stagnates in some places and secondly, no matter how much Marvel tries to give something different, it ends up giving a been-there-done-that feeling, as we have seen so many superhero films of late where the world is in extreme danger. The dashing Pedro Pascal delivers a subtle yet effective performance. Vanessa Kirby gets to play a cool character and she does total justice. Watch out for her in the climax. Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm) is adorable while Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben) and Ralph Ineson (Galactus) make their presence felt. Julia Garner (Silver Surfer) leaves a huge mark. All in all, The Fantastic Four: First Steps makes for a great watch, especially in cinemas.

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!