First Steps marks the fourth attempt to translate the original comic book characters of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing to the silver screen. This time, the action will take place in an alternate history/parallel universe set in the ’60s.

As Reed, Pascal is convincing as the world’s smartest man who is nevertheless overwhelmed by the irrational flood of thoughts and emotions that accompany fatherhood. As written, Sue is a somewhat thankless character, but Kirby manages to add depth to the Invisible Woman with subtle performance choices.

Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby lead a solid cast in this comic-book throwback that doesn't rewrite the genre but celebrates it.