As the filmmaker’s three-year journey wound down on the project, he realized a key moment was missing, and managed to shoot it just a few months before the film opened.

After two other versions of classic comic book characters failed to deliver, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" corrects that.

At the core of First Steps are Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Reed Richards, Sue and Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. Each slips easily into their role like a customized astronaut suit, but special praise has to go to Kirby and Moss-Bacharach for giving the ensemble its real heart.