The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
A fun retro throwback vibe and great visual effects make The Fantastic Four: Next Steps a nice addition to the MCU.
We finally have a good Fantastic Four film! And compared to what was produced previously, “good” is a success.
Feels fresh for a cinematic Marvel movie. We have had throwbacks before, but director Matt Shakman offers a unique, 1960s look and feel that makes this stand out from its peers.
NO
The cast’s chemistry takes a while to gel, and Pedro Pascal seems wooden and stiff for much of the film’s running time.
The character development with this quasi-origin story seems to lag behind the inventiveness and creativity on display in other parts of the film.
I found this to be a good movie. But does it seem hard to create a great Fantastic Four movie? Is there just something about these characters that doesn’t make it possible? Is this just a snake-bitten franchise?
OUR REVIEW
Movie #37 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the latest attempt at launching Marvel’s “First Family” into the multiplex and finding them a home among all the existing superheroes we see in theaters and on Disney+ as part of an always-growing MCU.
For longtime fans, there is a lot to celebrate. First Steps is a fun trip to the movies and easily the best of the Fantastic Four movies, though some issues remain. These characters don’t immediately leap off the screen, for example. And we need our interest in these characters to match our interest in the creativity which surrounds them. Still, for a movie that positions itself as an origin story, a summer blockbuster, and a kick off to the sixth phase of the MCU, it fulfills its purpose just fine.
Admittedly, there’s a low bar to reach here. Despite making a lot of money at the box office, Tim Story’s 2005 film, starring Michael Chiklis as The Thing and Chris Evans and Jessica Alba among the cast, never clicked with audiences or critics. There was no chemistry with the characters and the movie never formed into anything substantive. A 2007 sequel made less money and never corrected itself.
In 2015, Josh Trank’s abysmal effort at rebooting the franchise, with Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan in the cast no less, saw him fighting with 20th Century Fox over final cut and then publicly trash the movie on social media on the eve of its release.
As such, trepidation around another Fantastic Four movie seems merited. First-time feature director Matt Shakman, the visionary behind the creative Disney+ limited series “WandaVision,” is at the helm. He takes us back to the 1960s with bright colors, a retro-futuristic look to things, and a dive into the nostalgic vibe of the era. Shakman utilizes a television news program introduction as a means with setting up the family’s back story and he wastes little time in diving into the conflict that will place the foursome against a menacing entity from the universe, Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson).
The cast offers great promise for success. Pedro Pascal, starring in his fourth theatrical release of 2025, plays Reed Richards, the brilliant scientist married to Sue Storm, portrayed by Vanessa Kirby. As she provides the emotional center for the group, her younger brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) is somewhat self-aware and tries to embraces his heroism. Reed’s best friend, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is “The Thing,” the man with the orange-rock covered skin who utilizes his trademark phrase, “it’s clobberin’ time!”
As astronomers, we learn that an ill-fated trip resulted in them coming home with genetically altered bodies and superhero capabilities from exposure to cosmic rays. Reed can stretch his body to extraordinary lengths. Sue has the ability to generate force fields and become invisible whenever she chooses. Johnny is literal fire and has the ability to fly, while Ben’s skin condition allows him to be nearly indestructible and superhuman in terms of his strength. Like many movies in the MCU, Shakman positions these four superheroes as everyday celebrities - public figures seen as doing a greater good in serving to protect the world.
While Shakman’s film has a fun look and vibe, with good pacing and feels more light on its feet than you may be anticipating, this isn’t a flawless introduction. I am not sure if it is their personality types, but it remains an apparent struggle to adapt these people into compelling big screen characters. This Fantastic Four takes a while to generate those First Steps.
Pascal, who like so many of you I completely adore, seems to be the slowest to settle into his character. As a brainy scientist, always thinking and calculating formulas, and fiercely protective of his family, he feels a little stiff and cold to the touch. Though he swoons with excitement over the fact that he and Sue are expecting their first child, Sue seems to be the one who holds everything together as the group find themselves tasked with attempting to save Earth from a creature who literally devours planets - the aforementioned Galactus.
With five credited writers collaborating on the screenplay and story, Shakman seems to be juggling a lot of balls in the air. He scores with a great VFX team, as the visual effects work here is impressive, including the fact that Moss-Bachrach’s performance as “The Thing” was produced through motion capture and CGI. The superhero moments, when we get them, are dazzling, exciting, and what we have come to expect from Marvel at its best.
Julia Garner adds an element of danger and mystery as Silver Surfer, a messenger of sorts for Galactus, and a character whose backstory lends itself to further development than what we get here. Although it takes a while, once this cast clicks and finds their groove together during a thrilling battle sequence, you start to envision these four actors making The Fantastic Four meaningful within the MCU.
It is not a spoiler to share that Sue gives birth to Baby Franklin, and the Fantastic Four unofficially become the Fantastic Five. Franklin gives the family additional reasons to fight for preserving humanity, saving mankind, and accomplishing all the things superheroes have to accomplish.
Most will find The Fantastic Four: First Steps fun and entertaining. I just hope one day we can synchronize the thrilling action sequences with compelling, charismatic characters. Pascal, Kirby, Quinn, and Moss-Bachrach are a vast improvement over the ensembles of the past. Yet, it feels like Shakman is too cautious with them, when he should let them be more loose and carefree.
There’s a saying that goes something along the lines of “don’t let good get in the way of perfect.” Maybe that’s what we have with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This is good. And after everything we have endured watching this particular franchise in the past, “good” feels like a great success.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Ralph Ineson, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Ada Scott
Director: Matt Shakman
Written by: Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer (screenplay); Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Kat Wood (story)
Based on the Marvel comic series “The Fantastic Four,” created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Release Date: July 25, 2025
Walt Disney Pictures