There’s a moment late in The Fantastic Four: First Steps where Galactus, a towering, planet-devouring cosmic being, arrives on Earth and glances over at the Statue of Liberty. He gives it a little smirk and keeps walking. At its best, the Marvel Cinematic Universe can project themes, humor, and a sense of wonder into its modern takes on these classic superheroes who previously only existed on the pages of comic books. 37 films into the MCU, it’s not surprising that I don’t feel as though that’s still always going to be the case. And yet, here’s a film featuring the retro ’60s-styled world of Marvel’s first family, and we get this utterly human moment from a larger-than-life world-drainer. At this film’s best, we are watching the family function as a unit of entertainment that reflects their abilities and personalities, whether in battle with other silver age villains or gathered around the table for supper. That the film can’t quite maintain this sort of energy for its entire runtime may speak to the challenges of these productions as of late, but that doesn’t stop Fantastic Four from taking enough of its first steps in the right direction.
Not unlike another recent film featuring a superpowered character that the world looks up to, this film throws us into an already established time where, following an unexpected encounter with a cosmic storm in space, the Fantastic Four exist and operate as a popular family/team of superheroes that fight crime and present good moral values to the generations who admire them. Pedro Pascal stars as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, whose enormous intelligence is matched with his abilities to stretch every part of his body. Vanessa Kirby is Reed’s wife, Sue Storm, aka Invisible Woman, who we learn is pregnant early in the film. Her ability to generate force fields is certainly one way to protect all whom she cares about. Joseph Quinn is Sue’s brother, Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch, whose ability to fly and control fire aligns with his attention-seeking behavior. And finally, there’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Reed’s best friend, Benn Grimm, aka The Thing, whose literal rock-hard body hasn’t stopped him from having a heart of gold.
See Also: ‘Thunderbolts*’ Review: Outcasts Outlast Self-Doubt
The key to any success with the Fantastic Four is both casting and utilizing that family dynamic for the sake of something fun to observe. We don’t need to discuss the Josh Trank-directed/studio-compromised disaster that was the 2015 attempt, but the two Tim Story-directed films from the 2000s were aware of what kind of tone to take, emphasizing the family-friendly nature of these particular comic book heroes. Now, not all of those casting choices worked, and 2025 is obviously a better time for realizing the sorts of visual effects needed to really showcase the different powers. Hence, it’s nice to see how this film embraces the chance to work just on that level alone.
Given the fast-forwarding past a more detailed origin story, director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) gets a lot of mileage out of an enjoyable montage featuring a multitude of greatest hits-type moments for the Fantastic Four, as they battle various notable villains, establish items like the Fantasticar and H.E.R.B.I.E., their helper robot. This is carried forward by allowing us to watch these people interact with the real world around them, as well as with each other, making it clear that this is an earnest film focused on the importance of family. So that does make one wonder if there’s any way this Fantastic Four would really be willing to upset that sort of atmosphere by making room for such a potentially devastating story about a messenger arriving on the planet to warn its citizens of the impending doom that is Galactus?
It’s here that I get hung up on the effort put into the story, or at least the resulting film’s handling of its chosen plot, and whether the stakes felt as large as they were visually presented. Yes, much like my joy of seeing fully-CG-rendered kaiju that were once depicted as people in elaborate rubber suits, many will undoubtedly get a kick out of seeing Galactus in all his glory (voided by Ralph Ineson) face off against our heroic four. With that in mind, while not nearly as ill-fitting a direction to go as a previous version of this story felt in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, I couldn’t shake the feeling of The First Steps not taking enough time to better have us set to appreciate the sheer grandeur of what was going down.
By that, I mean the limitations this film seemed to have. While there’s a pretty damn good final battle between the Fantastic Four and Galactus (including tests of stretching limits, the Thing as a cannonball, and a way of showing why Invisible Woman has always been the most powerful of the four), I felt as though the story was a bit too rushed in getting specific plot details out of the way. Additionally, when all is said and done, the movie also feels somewhat too contained for its own good. Whether this reflects the production’s size, the story beats cut out to save time, or other miscellaneous decisions, there is a sense that, while ambitious in other ways, Fantastic Four is not doing much to shake off the assemblage model utilized by most of the MCU features.
As many can likely tell, the truly inspired choices for this movie stem from its aesthetics. The retro-futuristic design of the world is quite impressive. There’s not much more to it than what is seen, but it’s something different, which reflects the fact that we’re in a different universe than the Avengers and all those folks (Earth-828, to be exact). It’s ultimately a thin layer, but it does a good job of keeping things simple yet excitingly fresh. In addition to this, however, is the spectacular score by Michael Giacchino. We have themes that literally yell “Fantastic Four” at the audience, firmly planting these melodies and more as some of the best to have emerged from the MCU.
Do these themes support the cast at the center of everything? Well, it certainly sets them up as people we want to get to know, and yes, the chemistry between everyone is terrific. Not necessarily a surprise, but Pascal really strikes a balance between Reed’s inherent nerdiness and our desire to enjoy watching a brainy character function. Kirby shines, particularly when she’s pushed to show just how powerful she can be when it comes to stopping any threats to her loved ones. Moss-Bachrach also excels here, stepping up when needed to convey a certain sense of loneliness without having to explicitly state it. If anything, while his banter with the others is fine, I had less enthusiasm for Quinn’s somewhat sanitized Johnny Storm. Given Marvel Studios’ resistance to leaning on sex appeal, this Human Torch really doesn’t even attempt to add much “bad boy” energy, which leaves the guy with some quips but little else to turn him into the “x-factor” that a film like this could really use.
Oddly enough, Paul Walter Hauser’s brief turn as the Mole Man is the closest this film gets to having something out of left field to appreciate. It’s purely rooted in acting choices, but an unexpected energy supported this small portion of the film compared to more notably featured players. Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), for example, should elicit something more than an acknowledgment. Yet, here, while effective enough, the astonishing wielder of Powers Cosmic, who could, at one time, travel at the speed of light, feels more like a requisite mark on the checklist as opposed to a being an amazing addition (and this is coming from a huge Silver Surfer fan).
As noted, this Fantastic Four does have plenty of personality. Speaking only to where I am with the MCU currently, film-wise, it’s not so much that there have been lesser efforts but just ones where I wish the attitudes and atmosphere would cohere in ways that build a stronger story and characters in the process. However, that shouldn’t cancel out what I consider to be several big winners either (Shang-Chi, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, BlackPanther: Wakanda Forever). With a film that is gearing up to serve as a starting point for whatever is coming next in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, I am pleased to see a big-budget spectacle that focuses on letting us watch a family unit attempt to figure out things like installing a car seat, alongside battling Galactus. Perhaps taking such a straightforward route for this entry wasn’t the best call in terms of sheer tension. However, I’m still more than willing to have seconds in the form of sequels when questioned during a Fantastic Four family dinner.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens in theaters and IMAX on July 25, 2025.
