The aspect ratio switch
The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in a 1960s-inspired retro-future, so it’s fitting that the trailer starts in a 4:3 aspect ratio similar to what you would have seen on televisions before the introduction of HD widescreen in the 90s and 2000s. It makes a transition to widescreen a few seconds in, so it’s likely most of the film will use the standard 16:9 aspect ratio seen in most modern movies. But 4:3 is making a comeback in recent years with modern films like Nickel Boys, so I wouldn’t be surprised if First Steps had at least some segments in 4:3. The 4:3 segment shown has Pedro Pascal as Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, giving a tour of their home in The Baxter Building, the group’s home base. It seems like a deliberate choice to portray this idyllic domesticity in 4:3, then to transition into the 16:9 aspect ratio when superhero elements like The Thing show up, creating a contrast between the two tones.
