Fans on social media expressed their appreciation for The Fantastic Four: First Steps' presentation of the Human Torch with an extra flair.
The Fantastic Four are finally bound for the MCU. Marvel's First Family will land the Fantasticar in cinemas this summer with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. To tide audiences over while they wait, the studio put out an attention-grabbing trailer on February 4.
Fantastic Four Goes the Extra Mile for Human Torch's Special FX
In the teaser trailer for Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the start of what looks to be a hair-raising action sequence is glimpsed. Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, engulfs his body in his signature flames and blasts off into the night sky.
This is far from the first time a version of Johnny has done such in live-action (flaming on is kind of his thing), but in this instance, Marvel's visual effects team poured in extra tender love and care.
When Johnny combusts and flies off the balcony, bits of dirt, grime, and dust spatter onto the camera lens (as pointed out by F4Updates on X). Seeing as actor Joseph Quinn didn't catch fire on set, the debris was a digitally rendered addition.
Needless to say, fans are pleased with The Fantastic Four's attention to detail.
@LeBrawnGainz praised the effect as "peak immersion," while @domwallflower pondered whether there were in-universe cameras following the team around to "document" their super-powered abilities:
"My guess is there's some kind of tech around them, that Reed put out, in order to document the F4 members and their progress with adapting with their new abilities and lives."
@BrauneckerCole crafted a theory that suggested a link between the camera smudges and the trailer's "Presented in Fantastivision" card:
"At the end of the trailer when it shows the release date, the bottom of the screen says "Presented in Fantastivision". I'm assuming these kinda of details are what that is referring to. Pretty inventive!"
And @StanLeesPancake joked that Joseph Quinn did light his body ablaze while filming the movie, accounting for the dirty lens:
"That's because Joseph Quinn can actually do that. They had to replace several cameras throughout the filming process because of this."
As more footage is released, it will be interesting to take notice of the presumably many other ways that the crew brought the world of the Fantastic Four to life.
A Fully Realized Marvel World
As has been repeatedly seen in the marketing for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the film's aesthetic can easily be summed up with one term: Retrofuturism.
Retrofuturism is a style that presents far-out, futuristic concepts through the thinking and ideas of bygone eras, similar to the aesthetics of The Jetsons or Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Rosie the Robot and Maria are intended to represent a high-tech vision of the future but are still inextricably rooted in the time they were depicted.
As culture has moved past the '50s and '60s, retrofuturism has taken on a different essence. If a modern film or series looks like it simultaneously takes place in 1956 and the far-flung future, retrofuturism is what immediately comes to mind.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in the past (signs point to 1963). But this is a notable twist on the '60s, where Reed Richards' genius has seemingly led to a profound leap ahead in technology.
The New York City skyline is gleaming with many space-age touches, and the Fantastic Four even has a robot sidekick, HERBIE. This confirms that First Steps is not a part of the mainline MCU's Earth and that the team resides in an alternate world within the Marvel Multiverse.
In addition to the film's eye-catching visuals, the team at Marvel Studios appears to have done things right with its design and production values. Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm has stood out in all his ever-lovin', blue-eyed glory.
Little moments, like Johnny's firey blast smudging the camera and Sue Storm's forcefields refracting the light around them, add to what is sure to be an immersive, engaging experience for MCU and filmmaking enthusiasts.
Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25.
