The Fantastic Four: First Steps Review

Marvel’s first family finally joins the MCU and takes their first steps with a solo adventure in a new cinematic.

Four years ago, The Fantastic Four revealed themselves to Earth-828. Their appearance ushered in a golden age of peace and scientific progress. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) find out they’re expecting their first child. However, the world receives a threat from beyond the stars from the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), the herald of Galactus, which forces the superhero team to go into space to face the intergalactic being.

The Fantastic Four have had poor luck with their cinematic offerings. Their first film in 1994 was an ashcan film, which was made quickly and cheaply and never released. The first two Fox films were made during the superhero boom of the noughties, but weren’t well received, and the production of the 2015 reboot can be best described as a shitshow. Marvel fans were excited about the Fantastic Four being in the MCU, although the film had a greater weight of expectation than originally intended.

Following Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has experienced more ups and downs. There was a higher volume of projects, with projects like Secret Invasion, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania receiving a mixed reception. Thunderbolts* has been considered a box-office disappointment despite having positive reviews.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was comparable to James Gunn’s Superman. Both were adapting lighter, more optimistic comic books, which were bright and colourful, and setting up new worlds. Both films skip the origin story and show the comic book characters in established worlds. Superman (2025) embraced Silver Age zaniness, whilst The Fantastic Four: First Step embraced a retro-futuristic look where superheroes had a positive impact on their world. Due to The Fantastic Four: First Steps being set in an alternative universe, it meant prior knowledge of the MCU wasn’t required, and it worked as a standalone film.

The big issue with the previous Fantastic Four films was tonal. The noughties films were too light-hearted and were targeted at a young audience. The 2015 film was a dark body horror experience that completely missed the point. Fantastic Four: The First Steps was the Goldilocks film since it got it just right. It was set in a world where superheroes had a positive impact on the world; they didn’t just solve issues by fighting, and there was a focus on the family dynamic.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps made a big deal about familial relationships, especially the relationship between Reed and Sue. They were shown to be a loving couple with different skill sets: Reed was a brilliant scientist and inventor, and Sue was a diplomat and a skilled negotiator. The MCU version of Reed wasn’t as absent-minded as previous adaptations. Reed’s issue was expressing his emotions. It was a more nuanced approach than being a source of comedy. Reed and Sue still had tensions due to different ideas about preparing for the child’s birth, to dealing with Galactus. Their child plays an important role in the story.

The film avoided portraying Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as a melancholic figure about his appearance. This version was a gentle giant who was good with kids and felt included by society. Johnny (Joseph Quinn) was the more fun-loving member of the group, but he still had serious moments, and he had played an important role in dealing with The Silver Surfer. Johnny took the role of his sister by forming a connection with Galactus’ herald.

Even though The Fantastic Four: First Steps was set in a bright alternative universe, it wasn’t a joke-laden film like other MCU films or the recent Superman movie. There was a sense of dread since Earth’s destruction was slowly approaching. It made The Fantastic Four: First Step feel more like Deep Impact since Earth’s best and brightest need to work together to stop the inevitable. For a superhero film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps was an action-light affair, as the titular team sought non-violent solutions and only fought as a last resort. Along with Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps shows the MCU is moving in a more straight-laced direction.

I took my nephews to see The Fantastic Four: First Steps at the cinema for their first 12A film, and they loved it. My brother told me they couldn’t stop talking about the film when they got home. It showed that the film had a genuine impact on a young audience.

The Fantastic Four: First Step gave Marvel’s first family what they deserved. It was bright and optimistic while having plenty of stakes and drama. It’s an excellent example of how to make a faithful and respectable comic book movie.