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.

It seems that First Steps is finally the one that has done it right, and we’re going to unpack the elements on which the critics seem to agree. That said, we’re going to avoid any particular plot details, instead focusing on what critics find to be the film’s general weaknesses and its general strengths.

Despite strong performances by Pedro Pascal and others – and for all its "breezy competence and flair" – this retro vision of the future from Marvel doesn't have enough suspense.