Rating of
3/4
The Fantastic Fourth Time's a Charm
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/18/25
The MCU continues to course-correct after some rough waters. I loved Thunderbolts and with First Steps, Matt Shakman has done the seemingly impossible - make a good Fantastic Four film. The history of the Marvel's first family is storied - from the never-released but cult favorite 1994 film to the solid, if unremarkable 2005 Tim Story attempt (the sequel, not so much) to Josh Trank's rather disastrous 2015 version - but none of these versions ever felt quite right. First Steps, however, managed to weave a compelling story AND give us a memorable villain along with a solid cast giving leaving the future of the MCU in much better footing after some shaky steps.
What sets apart First Steps first and foremost is that it is set in an alternate universe where our heroes are the de facto team to save the world - no Avengers, no Mutants - just some astronauts who happened to be blasted by a space wave and gained remarkable powers. The world's smartest man, Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) is now also super stretchy. His wife (and soon-to-be mother), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) can turn invisible and create powerful force fields while her brother, a real-hot head (Joseph Quinn) can get his flame on and fly - as well as absorb the heat and finally, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bacharach) may be a bit hard-headed but he also has the biggest heart. The four face their biggest challenge, however, when an other-worldly silver surfer (Julia Garner) arrives as the herald of Galactus (Ralph Ineson) - the world-eater, who has chosen Earth as his next meal. Faced with an unprecedented threat - and a baby on the way - the family must come together like never before to save not just their planet, but their future.
First Steps has one of the best villains in a long time for an MCU film. And because this takes place on a different Earth altogether, the threat seems much more ominous and actually threatening. I also like that much of the effects in this film are more practical - yes, there is still plenty of CGI to go around, but it's not as heavy as some of the other films in the series. While it's not quite as grounded as the previous Thunderbolts, it's still nice to get a better mix rather than have everything done on a green screen. I also like the aesthetic of the retro futuristic look. Much like Fallout, it has a great feeling of living in the past yet having all this surprisingly high-tech gadgetry to go around.
My biggest complaint for the film, however, is that despite a knockout cast - I wish we had been given some more character development. While Pascal and Kirby do the heavy lifting, it means we don't get as much out of Quinn or Moss-Bacharach. There is a hint of connection with Grimm and local teacher Rachel Rozman (played by firecracker Natasha Lyonne) but it really doesn't go much of anywhere. Also, for some reason despite his meager screen time, Paul Walter Hauser, as Harvey Elder aka Mole Man - also gets the best one-liners of the entire film - so, good on him. Meanwhile Quinn is used mostly for comic relief, even though he is pretty damn smart himself. In fact, if there is one reason I might rank this slightly behind this year's other huge comic book hit, Superman, it's because that film had more well-rounded characters IMO.
Still, First Steps is bar far and away the best adaptation of The Fantastic Four on the big screen. It also has some excellent music, a great look and a lot of emotion to go along with some bombastic action. As for the MCU, it seems to be back on the right track even if the returns are still middling. I'm hoping for some big payoff with the next few films so we'll see if the series can continue to impress.
