More than six decades after Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created a superhero team to rival the Justice League, the Fantastic Four finally get a worthy big-screen adaption in a spiffy ’60s-era romp, bathed in retro futurism and bygone American optimism,

As Reed, Pascal is convincing as the world’s smartest man who is nevertheless overwhelmed by the irrational flood of thoughts and emotions that accompany fatherhood. As written, Sue is a somewhat thankless character, but Kirby manages to add depth to the Invisible Woman with subtle performance choices.

It seems the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Fantastic Four needed one another. The creation of Marvel greats Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the latter quartet of heroes — Reed Richards/Mister