The Fantastic Four First Steps review (2025)

With The Fantastic Four First Steps the main question every fan of Marvel’s First Family wants to know: is the fourth time the charm?

After the Roger Corman’s ill-fated 1994 film, the two 20th Century Fox films from Tim Story and the let’s not ever mention it again Josh Trank 2015 version there was enough evidence to question if the FF would ever get a high-quality movie. If the Marvel Studios’ version failed chances were pretty good the Fantastic Four would never again headline their own film.

Not only does First Steps deliver in a major way, but it’s unquestionably one of the Top 15, maybe Top 10 best films from Marvel Studios. As fun as it was watching the Avengers, Spider-Man and even the Guardians of the Galaxy get their repeated moments in the spotlight, it felt wrong that the characters that ushered in Marvel’s domination of the comic book charts were left sitting on the cinematic bench.

The wait was worth it considering the mammoth, epic scope of the film. Director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) doesn’t hold back in giving the Fantastic Four First Steps the kind of sprawling, mega-blockbuster scale event that’s been reserved for Avengers films. It feels important early on and is every bit the blockbuster worthy of a comic book that was proclaimed “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine.”

Marvel Studios hadn’t enjoyed the mega popularity it once did at the height of The Infinity Saga. Yes, there were still some hits, but the misses and misfires were growing in number. Take away the two Spider-Man films and the final Guardians of the Galaxy movie and this new Multiverse phase has been even rougher for Marvel Studios.

Fantastic Four First Steps should dramatically buck the trend with a film that finally feels like everyone onboard understood the importance of the FF to their fans, but the overall health of the Marvel Studios brand. With another so-so box office outing and critical reception, the boy’s “wolf” cries of comic book movie fatigue were only going to get louder. Comic book rival Warner Bros’ Superman did a stellar job of reigniting the blaze for the genre and Fantastic Four First Steps flames it on to a necessary next level for Marvel Studios.

To answer any pesky Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity issues, the events in Fantastic Four First Steps all play out in Earth 828. There are various Easter Eggs throughout First Steps, but this Earth’s specific designation is one that is explicitly spelled out in a really heartwarming way.

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Since First Steps is the third big screen film featuring the family, screenwriters Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer (with Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson providing some script tweaks) gloss over the origin. There is a brief segment explaining how Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) gain their powers, but it doesn’t take up a third of the film.

Their abilities are pretty easy to understand — Reed stretches, Sue can make objects invisible and extend her powers in an offensive/defensive manner, Johnny can fly and shoot fire while Ben is super strong.

The cursory origin gives Shakman more time to show the FF fully celebrated in their world like superhero icons. Earth 828 is styled like a 60s mod fashion world that’s far more enlightened — segregation is nonexistent — and its inhabitants heartily embrace their protectors. This also allows the world’s smartest man, Reed Richards, to seem far ahead of his time with gizmos and tech that are commonplace in 2025.

When First Steps begins, the Fantastic Four have already had countless adventures. Reed and Sue are set to embark on a new challenge — parenthood. The joyous moment doesn’t last long as the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives with bad tidings. The planet devourer, Galactus (Ralph Ineson), has Earth on the menu and he’s ready to chow down. With all of Earth rallying behind them, the FF prepare to meet Galactus head on and save the planet.

Shakman arranges the visual spectacles in a mesmerizing way to make the Fantastic Four underdogs in the face of the formidable Silver Surfer and imposing Galactus, whom Marvel Studios had the good sense not to make a menacing dust cloud. It’s obvious Shakman has a love for the source material as he conveys the sense of perilous danger comes from the unknown and the exhilaration of exploring supplants a long and potentially dull series of battles.

Unlike some recent Marvel Studios films with some questionable CGI, the digital production in First Steps is seamless whether showing Johnny as a fully flamed Human Torch, Reed stretching his limbs out or Galactus moving around. This is a high-quality presentation.

Fantastic Four First Steps also benefits from its tremendous cast. All four leads perfectly embody their respective characters so trivial gripes like Pascal not shaving his mustache and beard or Moss-Bachrach not making The Thing sound gruff enough have zero impact. What really matters is how the script captures the various nuances of the characters and how each of the four leads shines throughout. Kirby and Pascal bounce off each other beautifully with their characters’ mix of heart and analytical personalities balancing each other out when one needs encouragement and vice versa. Quinn and Moss-Bachrach nail the playful brother interactions of Johnny and Ben.

After watching The Fantastic Four First Steps, easily the biggest ‘what if?’ is how much bigger and extraordinary would Infinity War and Endgame have been with this incarnation of The Fantastic Four. At least we don’t have too long to wait to see how their interaction with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe will play out as the FF will be taking part in Avengers: Doomsday next year. Until then, there’s plenty of time to watch First Steps for a second, third…or even fourth time.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Photo Credit: Disney

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