The Fantastic Four: First Stepshas revealed the first look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, and while I was not a fan of it, I think that her comments about the movie’s story balance it nicely, making me excited for theMarvel Cinematic Universefilm despite the character’s unimpressive visuals. I’m happy that we are finally getting to seewhat Marvel’s First Family looks like under the MCU, with the first of theFantastic Four moviesto come from Marvel Studios set to debut in a few months. Some impressive characters will play a role in the film.
That includes the corecast ofThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well ascharacters like Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson’s Galactus. So far, Marvel Studios has only revealed snippets of the latter, with the first full look at Galactus likely reserved for when fans are seated in theaters for the2025 MCU movie, which I think makes sense. However, thelatest trailer forThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsfinally showcased Silver Surfer, showing us how the CGI character looks and how her design compares to another Marvel movie, which I found to be disappointing.
I Think Silver Surfer’s CGI In The Fantastic Four: First Steps Looks Off
Galactus' Herald Is A Hard Character To Get To Look Right
As we have come to know, with superhero movies, bad CGI can be a project’s downfall. That has happened in the past few years, with2023’sThe Flashfrom DC being the perfect example of how not to handle VFX in superhero films. Not only did many of the movie’s backgrounds look fake, but key sequences, such asThe Flash’s major multiverse moment, were botched by graphics that seemed to come out of a PS2 game. I don’t think the CGI in the Fantastic Four movie trailers is anywhere as bad as it was inThe Flash.
However, as the DC movie got criticized for its visual effects, I have to do the same here when I find something to be disappointing. That is the case with the first look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer. I have absolutely no problem with the fact that the MCU’s Silver Surfer is a woman. In fact, it makes perfect sense based on howThe Fantastic Four: First Stepstakes place in another universe. However, with Shalla-Bal came the decision to add hair to the Silver Surfer, which I think added to the uncanny valley look of the character.
I don’t thinkThe Fantastic Four: First Steps' Silver Surfer looks good. I do find the character’s design to mostly work when she is in motion or at a distance, but close-up shots or static looks appear to be somewhat off. My main problem with the design is just how uncanny the character’s face looks when we are up close with her, and it can prove distracting in a film wherethe Silver Surfer appears to have a key role. Getting the chrome look right is tricky, and I think the MCU still needs to make it feel natural.
I’m Convinced Silver Surfer Looked Better In Live-Action 18 Years Ago
The Previous Fantastic Four Movies Got Some Characters Right
One of the main reasons why I was so disappointed by how Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer looks is the fact that Fox managed to get the character to look much better almost two decades ago, and it happened in a movie that is not even close to the best Marvel live-action adaptations. The film in question is 2007’sFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which featured Doug Jones as the physical actor playingthe Norrin Radd version of the Silver Surfer, while Lawrence Fishburne voiced the character. Silver Surfer looked pitch-perfect in the movie.
I think the two main points that have me favoring the original Silver Surfer movie design over the MCU’s are the face and the hair. I thinkNorrin Radd looked more naturaland had less of an uncanny valley feel to his face than Shalla-Bal does. Adding to that, the hair on the MCU’s Silver Surfer looks off and adds another complex reflective surface to the character. I felt like the bald look of Fox’s Silver Surfer was more uniform with the character’s design, proving itself easier to get right in motion and static shots.
Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer Story Tease Makes Up For The Character’s Divisive Design
Shalla-Bal Will Not Be A One-Note MCU Character
While I might not be a fan of how Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer looks inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, I’m still interested in seeing her in action and discovering Shalla-Bal’s story. To that end, I became more excited about the film after I heard Garner’s latest Silver Surfer story comments (viaEntertainment Weekly). While the actress was cryptic about what role she plays in the movie, Garner revealed that Silver Surfer has an “ambiguous energy going on of whether she’s good or not,” andfans will be left questioning whether he is really siding with Galactus or following orders.
Ben Grimm/The Thing
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
The MCU actress also commented on the character’s mysterious nature by claiming that Silver Surfer’s mysteries will slowly be unraveled throughoutThe Fantastic Four: First Steps' story. While I might not find the MCU Silver Surfer’s CGI perfect, I’m a fan of the backstory Shalla-Bal has in the comics, and based on Garner’s comments about where her character lies and Silver Surfer’s many mysteries, I feel like we could see that origin story play out through flashbacks. In the comics,Shalla-Bal became Galactus' herald to save her planet, Zenn-La, and find her love, Norrin Radd, but had her memories stripped.
I’m Hopeful Silver Surfer Will Look Good In The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Marvel Studios Has Done Right By Another CGI Character In The Movie
While I might not like how Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer looks at the moment, there is a chance that her final look for the movie will be better than it is right now. The reason for that is due to howMarvel Studios continues to work on polishing CGI up until the studio’s projects are released.The Fantastic Four: First Stepsarrives in theaters on July 25. As such, there are still roughly three months left for the MCU movie to premiere, which gives enough time for the Silver Surfer’s complex CGI to look more polished.
The latest trailer for the film eased my concerns, making Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm look pitch-perfect.
When the first trailer for the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot was released, I also did not fully like the way the Thing was depicted. I felt his CGI needed work to make him look good in motion. However, the latest trailer for the film eased my concerns, making Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm look pitch-perfect. Based on that situation, I think thatall Marvel needs is timeto make sure that Silver Surfer looks as good as possible inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, so I remain hopeful that with three months to go, the CGI will look great in theaters.
