The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) Movie Review

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) Movie Review: Simply Fantastic

Superhero films are making a comeback in 2025, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps proves that Marvel is starting to find out how to deliver crowd-pleasers once again. As the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Six, it sets a bold tone for what’s ahead, blending pacing, emotional depth, and a refreshing retro-futuristic style that makes it one of the MCU’s tonally-different and distinct entries to date.

Set in an alternate 1960s, Marvel’s first family composed of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) are celebrating four successful years as superheroes. But one day, a mysterious entity appears and herald the end of Earth and its citizens. The Fantastic Four must find a way to stop this unstoppable cosmic force before it arrives in their doorstep and in doing so, they learn what it truly means to be human before being heroes.

Visually, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a knockout. Director Matt Shakman leans into its retro-futuristic fully and utilizes the aesthetic to provide a package that is both nostalgic and fresh, evoking the same sense of wonder of the time back in the real-world space race in our opinion. CGI effects were used sparingly, avoiding the visual fatigue common in previous superhero outings. And the visual effects in general were well made so much so that scenes feel like an accurate representation of what they felt like in the pages of a real comic book.

The cast shines across the board, with each actor capturing the nuances of their characters. Pascal and Kirby bring warmth to Reed and Sue especially in the contrasting nature of how they tackle parenthood, while Quinn’s Johnny is layered in a surprising manner. Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm, however, feels slightly underserved as his arc hints at deeper emotional beats but it was never fully delivered.

We did notice that the film had a couple of additional missteps. The opening rushes through the team’s backstory, skipping potentially more significant character and world building. While the climactic showdown with Galactus was fun and emotionally charged, it lacks the scale and awe one might expect from Marvel’s ultimate cosmic threat. Still, these flaws don’t overshadow what The Fantastic Four: First Steps achieves. This is a superhero movie with heart, charm, and its own distinct identity and The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the best superhero film of the year so far for us.

Rating: 4 and a half reels