‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Review: Marvel’s First Family Finally Finds an Enjoyable Stride in their Fourth Portrayal [B]

There’s a fitting irony in 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel’s latest cinematic take on its so-called “First Family.” It marks the fourth attempt at a film adaptation, following a string of misfires: Roger Corman’s unreleased low-budget ‘90s production, Tim Story’s mid-aughts, pre-MCU blockbusters, and Josh Trank’s studio-sabotaged 2015 fiasco. Despite its title, First Steps is anything but an initial stride — it bears the heavy responsibility of proving this team isn’t doomed to the cinematic failures they’ve already encountered… just as the MCU faces its own creative stumbles.

That’s to say that First Steps has an exorbitant amount of weight to carry: finally proving the Fantastic Four as a viable live-action property, and hopefully getting audiences excited about an interlocking cinematic universe that feels like it reached an Endgame about six years ago. It’s an undue set of expectations for just about any movie, but maybe it’s the type of burden that would force the Marvel suits to step back and find a creative brain who would do this justice as a movie first and a piece of brand-building second — much like how DC proved correct in thinking they should hand Superman, and their greater superhero universe, over to James Gunn.

There’s a bit of creative synergy between director Matt Shakman’s stab at this material and Gunn’s interpretation of Supes, released only weeks apart: both movies look to synthesize greater expanded universe world-building with a film that can just as easily act as a stand-alone showcase of its central focus. First Steps is even more contained than Superman, resisting any attempts to incorporate additional heroes to fight alongside our main team. Both movies also take the savvy approach of eschewing an extended origin story altogether — as uttered by Mark Gatiss’ television host, who introduces the team for an interview segment early on: “We all know the story.”

This is how First Steps is able to streamline itself to get right to the heart of what makes the Fantastic Four as a team — and therefore as a movie — actually tick. We’re dropped into a world (Earth 828, to be exact) where four years have passed since the astronauts who were sent into space and exposed to cosmic radiation returned to our atmosphere with superhuman abilities, and where they have since established themselves as a heroic group, dealing with the oscillatory bickering and unwavering support of one another that entails. Though First Steps pits the characters against a colossal intergalactic threat, the script by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer ultimately zeroed in on the emotional and operational bonds between the Fantastic Four as individuals.

Those individuals, of course, are Reed Richards as the stretching scientist Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm as the self-explanatory Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm as the hot-headed fire rod The Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm as the only name anyone could possibly think to describe his mutated rock form, The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). This ensemble of performers makes for the most fitting collective to be seen on screen thus far, supported by a screenplay that’s refreshingly light on strained quips — largely opting for more organic laughs — and a visually fleshed-out, impressive world. For once in a very long time, Marvel has a film with a distinct and memorable look. First Steps’ alternate Earth, retaining a vivid sense of retro-futurism, allows the film to express itself through production design, lovingly crafted by Kasra Farahani and set decorator Jille Azis, as well as costuming by Alexandra Byrne. Artificial Volume backdrops and CGI renderings of New York City are abandoned for a world that feels much more tactile and lively, with vibrant sets filled with inviting pastel colors, vintage televisions and computers, period-accurate cars and outfitting, and funky little robots, namely the team’s plucky little assistant H.E.R.B.I.E. (Matthew Wood).

Having a world that feels like it was crafted with an actual point of view allows our principal actors to feel more immersed in their environment and their relationships with each other. First Steps’ characterizations of the team aren’t surprising or particularly profound — Reed is still the buttoned-up straight man; Johnny is still acerbic and headstrong; the entire team has small scuffles but ultimately comes together to support each other when it counts. But it’s how contained they feel within the context of their movie that makes them feel more alive than they have in the past, and often more likable than characters from other recent MCU efforts.

That’s not to say that First Steps is totally absolved of the MCU-ness of it all. Our team is faced with a big bad just like their peers in the franchise: early on, Earth is visited by the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), heralding the arrival of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a cosmic colossus who devours planets and has Earth next up on the menu. An attempt to negotiate between the Fantastic Four and Galactus ends poorly: Earth will only be spared if Sue and Reed give up their soon-to-be-born child, whom Galactus believes wields unimaginable power. 

Much to the chagrin of the soon-to-be-eaten civilians of Earth, the team rejects this proposal, instead utilizing the length of the runtime to outsmart Galactus with brains as opposed to brawn. It makes for a movie that feels admirably small-scale despite its world-saving stakes and interstellar adventuring: two action set pieces anchor the film — a fun mid-movie chase through space and a climactic confrontation with Galactus — but otherwise the team must contend with how they can save their own family and the world’s population through clever science. Eventually, they deduce that they should move the Earth, a perfectly preposterous idea to hinge a superhero movie this lighthearted on.

And First Steps is indeed lighthearted, both in tone and in ideology. Apart from watching a team of idealistic heroes in bright costumes amid jaunty ’60s-inspired sets deduce how they can most honorably save the day, it also harbors an upbeat perspective of humanity, depicting a world where society can agree to come together and make collective sacrifices for the greater good. Even an already-defeated villain, Mole Man, has a contribution to make in ensuring the safety of Earth, via an amusing, small standout performance from Paul Walter Hauser. There’s something retro and quaint about a superhero movie that opts to return to a time when the genre existed within reveries illustrating the hopeful optimism of mankind’s potential. 

The movie, predictably, loses a step once a bunch of things eventually have to get smashed up for the climax, though First Steps takes admirable strides to ensure that the action sequences don’t feel like complete CGI mush, as they cleanly track keen methods of deploying each hero’s power, backed by Michael Giacchino’s swelling score. But, as ever, we’re left with the inevitable future of this Fantastic Four being tied to an upcoming Avengers film that feels like it’s being cobbled together with a rockier foundation than the Thing himself. It’s all too fitting that once the MCU has a relative winner on their hands, and the Fantastic Four have a decent movie, the characters will be immediately forced to support an unceasingly bloated mess of franchise expansion. There’s an alternate Earth where we can regularly return to this world for adventures that continue the trend of actually working to serve the stories of their central characters. For now, First Steps is an entertaining vision of a world where superhero movies clearing the thresholds for making engaging blockbusters is something of a rule, rather than an exception.

Grade: B

Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios will release Fantastic Four: First Steps only in theaters on July 25.