Marvel Studios may have stumbled in recent years, but The Fantastic Four: First Steps delivers a refreshing return to form, blending retrofuturism, heart, humor, and family into a genuinely fun superhero adventure.
Coming off a lengthy singular multiverse story, The Fantastic Four: First Steps leaves Earth-616 behind and transports us to Earth-828. Here, Marvel embraces gleaming retrofuturism, a world where families gather around televisions to watch space launches, celebrate scientific breakthroughs, and idolize the Fantastic Four as cultural icons. Director Matt Shakman infuses every frame with a sense of wonder, inviting audiences to experience a world untouched by the internet, influencers, or social media. It is an Earth where adventure, optimism, and heroism feel genuinely aspirational.
Rather than dwell on a lengthy origin story of how Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) became Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Thing, and The Human Torch, respectively, the film cleverly introduces the team as already-established heroes. A late-night talk show segment quickly delivers the necessary exposition, highlighting their historic space mission and how the cosmic storm gave them their incredible powers. For the fantastical Reed, it’s the ability to contort, extend, and twist his body far beyond human limits. The protective Sue can bend light itself, turning invisible and generating powerful, protective force fields. A hotheaded Johnny blazes to life as a living flame and flies. And the gruff Ben is transformed into a hulking, rock-skinned powerhouse with strength to match his heart.
While the film offers glimpses of their heroism, including a fun showdown with Giganto that pays homage to their first comic book cover, it also reveals what life looks like when they are not saving the day. Reed spends his time deep in scientific research and experiments. Sue acts as a skilled diplomat, negotiating peace agreements with Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser) and an underground society skeptical of progress. Ben remains a beloved local hero, staying closely connected to his community. Johnny thrives as a carefree socialite and celebrity. They may be astronauts turned superheroes, but at their core, they are family, and that family is about to grow now that Sue is pregnant.
Naturally, Reed’s preparation for fatherhood and baby-proofing the Baxter Building with the help of Ben, Johnny, and their robot Herbie is equal parts scientific — like tracking criminal organizations led by The Wizard, Puppet Master, and Diablo — real emotional moments, and slowly coming to terms with the wild unknown ahead. But when the Shalla-Bal aka Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives as Galactus’s (Ralph Ineson) herald to deliver a dire warning of Earth’s impending doom, the Fantastic Four are forced to reckon with threats beyond anything they’ve experienced.
At its core, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a meditation on family not just as a group bound by blood or circumstance, but as a chosen, imperfect unit that supports and challenges one another. Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny are more than superheroes. They are a found family learning to balance individual fears, hopes, and responsibilities with their collective strength. Reed and Sue’s journey toward parenthood adds a tender, humanizing layer to the story, reminding us that even those with extraordinary powers wrestle with deeply relatable moments of uncertainty and hope. Reed is filled with overwhelming anxiety, so much so that it consumes him to the point where he distances himself from the family he already has. In response, Sue helps Reed overcome his anxiety through emotional support, grounding, and gently confronting his tendencies to overthink. While Ben and Johnny feel a bit underutilized, they still provide the emotional support Reed and Sue need through playful teasing and humorous banter.
In short, by introducing the Fantastic Four as an already established family who got their powers, the film doesn’t need to go through the painstaking process of origin storytelling or slow relationship-building. Instead, it dives right into the heart of their dynamic by showing how they work together as a superhero family unit. This means seeing their teamwork on the battlefield and how they maintain their family relationships.
The theme of family comes into sharp focus when the Silver Surfer presents a chilling ultimatum: sacrifice Reed and Sue’s unborn child to spare Earth from being devoured by Galactus. Naturally, the couple refuses, choosing their family over the world’s safety. This decision ignites a powerful public backlash, with people around the globe reacting in fear, anger, and betrayal. It’s a poignant exploration of the impossible choices parents must face and the moral complexities of sacrifice, love, and duty. For Reed Richards, facing the unknown is deeply intertwined with his impending fatherhood, fueling profound uncertainty and anxiety. As both a scientist and a father, he struggles with the cosmic implications of his son Franklin’s existence alongside the dire threat that Galactus represents.
These rich family dynamics and emotional stakes are brought vividly to life by a talented cast, whose performances anchor the film’s heart and humor. Where the film doesn’t pack as much of a wallop in the action department when compared to other superhero films, it makes up for it through the performances.
Individually, the cast do their best with what they’re given. Pedro Pascal brings a grounded, weary energy to Reed Richards, a far but welcome departure from the charming and confident characters we’re used to seeing him play on the big screen. Kirby continues to shine as Sue Storm, delivering a performance that blends quiet authority with emotional nuance. She is just as powerful on the battle field and in space as she is handling conflicts that requires diplomancy. And while Ben and Johnny, are a bit underwritten, they each support the film in their own unique ways with Ben making the most of every heartfelt moment by hoisting cars over his head for schoolkids, while Joseph Quinn injects Johnny Storm with playful charm and chaotic energy, ensuring the team’s lighter moments still land with his antics.
Garner’s Silver Surfer serves as a tragic mirror to Sue’s journey. As Shalla-Bal, she faced the impossible choice of letting her planet be devoured by Galactus or sacrificing herself to serve as his herald, ensuring her world’s survival. That sacrifice stands in direct contrast to Sue’s refusal to give up her family for the greater good. This tension is further explored through Johnny, who learns of Shalla-Bal’s painful past. She is a cosmic surfer traveling the stars, watching countless worlds perish under Galactus’s hunger. Ralph Ineson’s Galactus is a towering, ominous presence. While the character remains intentionally one-dimensional—he consumes planets without remorse—his sheer scale and power loom large over every scene, creating a constant atmosphere of dread that reinforces just how high the stakes really are. And the way that he picks apart these heroes just how powerful he really is.
Much of the sets and locations are practical, adding a tactile authenticity that grounds the film’s fantastical elements. From H.E.R.B.I.E. buzzing around Reed’s lab in the Baxter Building to intimate family dinners and cozy bedrooms, every space feels lived-in and genuine.
The VFX visually stun as well, particularly when it comes to Silver Surfer, who is much more than a herald—she’s a battle-hardened soldier, with her metallic form reflecting the scars of her journey across the stars. The chase and battles with the Silver Surfer are intense, fast-paced, and takes place both on Earth, inside Galactic, and in space. She quite literally shreds, especially in space where it looks like something that was inspired by “Interstellar.” The way she takes to shredding through molten lava or wormholes is both breathtaking and visceral, showcasing not only the film’s impressive CGI but also the sheer physicality and relentlessness of her character. These sequences feel immersive and pulse-pounding, elevating the stakes whenever she appears on screen.
Michael Giacchino’s score for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” brilliantly channels the film’s retrofuturistic aesthetic, while offering a fresh twist that sets it apart from his previous work on The Incredibles. Whereas The Incredibles leaned heavily into jazzy, spy-thriller vibes evoking 1960s action-adventure, here Giacchino embraces a more optimistic, space-age soundscape. He captures the vintage feel by blending choir and lush orchestration with futuristic synths and electronic textures, perfectly complementing the film’s blend of nostalgia and forward-looking wonder.
However, despite the strong performances and rich family themes, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” occasionally falters under the weight of dense technobabble and narrative shortcuts. Sometimes the film’s explanations feel like desperate attempts to tie together complex sci-fi concepts without fully earning them, leaving the audience wading through jargon rather than engaging with the story. These moments interrupt the film’s otherwise steady pacing and can make key plot developments feel contrived rather than earned.
Still, there is a lot to like about The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Much of the film’s charm lies in Shakman’s heartfelt exploration of family, Kasra Farahani’s vibrant retrofuturistic world-building, and Giacchino’s transportive score. These elements, combined with strong performances and effortless cast chemistry, come together to deliver a refreshing, optimistic adventure that is less about superheroes saving the world, and more about a family navigating extraordinary circumstances.
9/10
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters July 24, 2025
