MOVIE REVIEW
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ reintroduces Marvel’s First Family with style and substance
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.
Superhero fatigue may have been setting in, but 2025 is shaping up to be a turning point. After Thunderbolts surprised audiences with its tonal pivot, Marvel’s latest outing, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, doubles down on sincerity, delivering a refreshingly heartfelt and visually ambitious origin story.
Directed by Matt Shakman, First Steps reboots the iconic team with a confident blend of retro sci-fi aesthetics and modern emotional stakes. Set in a stylized 1960s backdrop, the film follows Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as their ill-fated space mission transforms them into Marvel’s first family of superheroes.
Rather than retreading familiar ground, the film injects new urgency into the origin story. Just as the team begins adapting to their new abilities, Sue discovers she’s pregnant — a development that’s immediately complicated by the arrival of Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner), herald of the planet-consuming Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson). What follows is a race against time that tests both their powers and their bond as a family.
The cast delivers across the board. Kirby anchors the ensemble with a grounded, empathetic performance, while Quinn’s take on Johnny Storm adds levity and charm without undercutting the stakes. Garner, as a gender-swapped Silver Surfer figure, brings a serene intensity to a role that could have easily leaned into exposition. The chemistry among the central four feels lived-in, elevating the team dynamics beyond standard superhero banter.
Shakman’s direction leans into bold visual choices — vibrant production design, sweeping galactic vistas, and an energetic, era-appropriate score — all of which contribute to a distinct visual identity. While the CGI occasionally wavers, the film’s stylized approach and confident world-building minimize the impact of those brief stumbles.
What sets First Steps apart is its refusal to rely on nostalgia or multiverse gimmicks. The narrative is focused, self-contained, and emotionally coherent. Each character arc serves a purpose, and the screenplay resists the urge to shoehorn in broader MCU connections. Instead, it uses its runtime to rebuild trust — not just in these characters, but in Marvel storytelling itself.
The film doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it doesn’t need to. It simply remembers what makes these stories work: stakes that matter, characters who feel real, and a universe that’s still worth believing in.
