The Fantastic Four hasn’t had the best track record with movies, but the fourth time (or fifth if you count the unreleased Roger Corman film) is the charm. First Steps understands that the best way to make this superhero ensemble work lies more in them being a family unit rather than how much funny stuff can be done with a man who can stretch his limbs and a woman who can turn invisible. And rather than run away from the 1960s era that spawned them, this film zips back to the past for a retro-futurism angle that feels like a fresh start for the foursome instead of trying to retool them for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Those not familiar with the four won’t have to dig up the old Jack Kirby comics, though. Told through a brisk TV montage, we hear about how this team gained their powers from a space mission that granted them powers. It gets the obvious power introductions out of the way quickly, so the film can focus on what defines their personalities. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) is a scientist who can stretch his limbs, believing he can accomplish more than one thing at a time as he stretches himself thin. His wife, Susan Storm (Vanessa Kirby), can turn invisible and create force fields, giving her control over the presence she wants to play in politics. Her brother, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), can light himself on fire and is obsessed with space, given that he can take off like a rocket and is curious about what lies beyond the stars. Reed’s pal, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), has a hardened body of rock, but is still a soft-spoken guy for his love of family and community, more inclined to crush garlic for pasta than clobber monsters for the thrill of clobbering.

The 1960s setting of a bright, dazzling, and wondrous retro-future for the heroes looks excellent, and it also plays well with the thematic core of this tale. The Fantastic Four are established not only as familiar superheroes to Earth who can handle villains on a regular basis, but also reason with them to build a better sense of unity. The heroes practically exist in a utopia where someone as smart as Reed can meet any challenge, big or small. So when the biggest problem emerges of the planet-eating Galactus (Ralph Ineson), heralded by the cold-hearted Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), there’s cosmic terror beyond Earth’s comprehension. An era where everybody felt safe under technological progress and superpowered innovators now has to grapple with the unknown, where there is no answer for the safety of Earth, making it easy for unity to crumble.

The greater existential threat to Earth works well for these heroes, considering they’re established as a warm family unit and an intelligent enough group to work together. Putting aside ego is easy for them, but debating the moral merits of utilitarianism and what matters most with family presents more of a challenge for a collective that battles villains like Mole Men and Wizard regularly. For a film drawing more from the past, it’s remarkable how mature it is to look towards something bigger for comic book heroes beyond what bad guy they can clobber next. Sure, they’re given that the largest antagonist to present another world-ending threat, but the fact is that Galactus has an ambition of perpetual growth that can never be satisfied, making his representation fit neatly into this tale, giving more catharsis for the carnage.

At just under two hours, First Steps breezes by so quickly that it’s honestly one of the film’s biggest faults. This is an entirely different world, beyond that it takes place on Earth-828 instead of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Earth-616. While the film doesn’t waste time on making clever references to the decade, it also doesn’t leave much room to explore its many facets beyond broad strokes. The most unfortunate casualty of this staging is Ben Grimm, who is more established as a neighborhood guy who loves impressing kids at a local school and tries to flirt with the local teacher, Rachel (Natasha Lyonne). Their first meeting amid gawking children is cute, and I wanted to see more of that, but their relationship always feels like it’s a safe distance away from the bigger plot of stopping Galactus and rallying Earth behind stopping the big cosmic villain. The lavish production design and lovely characters make this a world worth staying in for a few more scenes, leaving me thirsty to see if Rachel is also thirsty for Grimm’s gruff charms.

The Fantastic Four have it all in First Steps, a movie with retro-futurism, intelligence, and maturity for this colorful ensemble. In the same way that Marvel’s previous film Thunderbolts drew heavily from The Suicide Squad, this picture does take some cues from The Incredibles, given the familiar composer Michael Giacchino providing a fittingly throwback soundtrack. And while it’d be easy to dismiss that claim with the cyclical nature of where The Incredibles gained its influences, First Steps becomes more of its own thing that treats the ’60s with a more appropriate societal impact rather than being a flashy set dressing or something of the past to be mocked for its tackiness. The film works because it presents a lovable family worth hanging out with, smart enough to strategize against planet-eating monsters but dorky enough to squabble over how to install a baby seat in a car.