Warning: spoilers below

As a longtime fan-slash-collector-slash-blogger of the Fantastic Four, I had anticipated the new movie — the first FF film produced by Marvel Studios — with a mix of optimism and dread. Optimism because Marvel understands its own characters and generally does right by them, even if they veer off from the original source material of the comics. Dread because the three previously released FF movies ranged from mediocre to terrible, dread because the trend of recent Marvel movies has been decidedly downward and dread because the universe doesn’t want us FF fans to have nice things.

I am pleased to report that the dread was misplaced and the optimism justified. The movie wasn’t perfect, and there are lots of things for fans of the comic to quibble about, but it got the main things right: The Fantastic Four are a family, they are scientists and explorers, and in contrast many costumed heroes, their identities are very public.

Unlike other adaptations, the movie doesn’t start with their origins on an ill-fated space flight, but takes up their story four years later. They are at this point established heroes, universally beloved, and Reed and Sue are expecting their first child.

The story is roughly based on the Fantastic Four’s first encounter with the world devourer, Galactus, from issues 48-50, but with many significant differences. There is no Watcher warning the team (and violating his oath not to intervene in human affairs), there is no ultimate nullifier, the Silver Surfer doesn’t discover the goodness in humanity via blind sculptor Alicia Masters (who puzzlingly is not in the movie) and Galactus doesn’t vow to leave Earth alone. But in many ways, this version is just as good as the Stan Lee / Jack Kirby original. Once warned of his approach by the Silver Surfer (who is unnecessarily gender swapped in the movie), the team flies into space to confront Galactus. This cinematic Galactus is vast and terrifying, and the offer he makes the Fantastic Four to spare Earth — Reed and Sue must hand over their unborn son, whose powers are enormous — creates an agonizing dilemma for the team.

Unfortunately, that sequence — and the subsequent birth of Franklin while the FF flee the Surfer — mark the high point of the movie. For the remainder of the film the team struggles with ways to thwart Galactus’s plan while conscious that their choice to protect Franklin endangers all of humanity. The final confrontation, where the team tries to bait Galactus into a teleportation device, seems a bit too obvious a plan for the world’s smartest man. But it is Sue who ultimately defeats the bad guy, creating a satisfying reversal from her Lee / Kirby depictions as the team’s weakest member to now its strongest.

Much as been made of the retro-futuristic world this story is set in, and in many ways it’s the logical place to stage this movie. It pays homage to the Fantastic Four’s 1960s origins, it means the film can reference villains like the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes without appearing (too) ridiculous, and it creates a bubble of isolation from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so this story can be told without wondering why Iron Man isn’t lending a hand. But it’s also frustrating choice, because it’s the same one so many comic creators make. They are so smitten with the Lee / Kirby past they seem to forget that the Fantastic Four is about the future. Hopefully the next film appearance of the FF escapes that trap.

Despite that failing, there’s a lot to like. The performances are excellent, the characters feel both real and true to the comic, and the family dynamic that makes the FF unique is at the center of the film. The movie also includes a nice homage to Kirby, a much-belated official recognition of his contributions to the Marvel Universe.

This movie version of the Fantastic Four isn’t the same as the one in the comics, but that’s OK. If we’ve learned anything after 60 years and nearly a thousand issues, there are lots of ways to tell a great Fantastic Four story.