The Fantastic Four: First Steps (dir. Matt Shakman)
Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 114 mins
UK Distributor: Marvel Studios
UK Release Date: 24 July 2025
WHO’S IN THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS?
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, Matthew Wood, Mark Gatiss, Sarah Niles, Natasha Lyonne
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Matt Shakman (director), Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson (writers), Kevin Feige (producer), Michael Giacchino (composer), Jess Hall (cinematographer), Nona Khodai and Tim Roche (editors)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The Fantastic Four face an intergalactic threat to their world…
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS?
Just like one of its members, the Fantastic Four’s path to the big screen has been rocky, to say the least. Their first attempt at movie stardom, in the Roger Corman-produced 1994 version, was never even officially released, while the Tim Story iterations from the mid-2000s were mediocre products of their time, and the less said about Fant4stic, the better.
But appropriately enough, fourth time’s the charm (fifth, technically, but who’s counting?). Now safely back under Marvel’s umbrella, the iconic team is finally given the epic superhero blockbuster they deserve, in a fun and inventive outing from director Matt Shakman that, while not without flaws, brings out all the reasons why these characters are so beloved in the first place.
Taking place entirely on the retro-futuristic “Earth-828” – i.e. NOT the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it – The Fantastic Four: First Steps picks up four years after a quartet of astronauts – scientist Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), her brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and Reed’s best friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) – returned home from a disastrous space mission with unique superpowers (for those unfamiliar: Reed can stretch, Sue can turn invisible and generate force fields, Johnny can set himself ablaze, and Ben is now a super-strong rock monster). Since theirs is a universe where no other heroes seem to exist, the Fantastic Four are beloved the world over for their heroism and influence, but at their core they operate as a functioning family unit, to where they always have dinner together on Sundays without fail, which is also where Sue drops the news that she is pregnant. But soon, the fate of the world hangs in the balance when a mysterious silver-skinned herald on a surfboard (Julia Garner) arrives to inform everyone that Earth is next in line to be devoured by the giant cosmic being known as Galactus (Ralph Ineson), and not even the Fantastic Four can stop him – unless the ultimate price is paid.
The decision to set this film away from the regular MCU timeline was a genius move, for it not only clears up the whole issue of having to explain where the hell these heroes have been all this time, but it also invites opportunities to do bolder and more original things that wouldn’t have been possible in that main continuity. For one, Shakman invents a whole world that is bursting with 60s-inspired science-fiction, where flying cars and robots exist alongside analogue television sets and monorails, like it’s a live-action adaptation of The Jetsons. Shakman, previously behind Marvel’s WandaVision, also extends the 60s aesthetic into the filmmaking, with stylish editing and a crisp shot-on-film filter giving the illusion of something that was made in that decade and holds up decently enough in the present. It’s a glorious world to explore, even for just a short while, and it gives the film a truly unique visual identity next to most other things to have come from the MCU.
But what makes The Fantastic Four: First Steps truly special is, well, the Fantastic Four. Each member is perfectly cast, and their chemistry with one another is bountiful but most importantly familial, as they all feel like a solid family unit that certainly squabble and tease but at the end of the day still truly care about one another, as most families tend to do. With the origin story done and dusted within minutes, the film also lets them feel comfortable in their roles as heroes, with Ben Grimm predominantly free of the self-pity he spent most of the previous incarnations trapped within and just takes the whole “being a rock monster” thing in his stride, as though it’s the fifth-most interesting thing about him (plus, the effects used to bring him to life are quite excellent). They’re all likeable characters who you can easily root for and empathise with in their most dramatic moments, which was always their appeal in the comics and is now, after so many years of trying, properly replicated on the screen.
Narratively, the movie isn’t so fantastic. It’s not especially deep with its overall themes, or at least not as much as Thunderbolts*, and the storytelling itself is rather light once it’s been broken down, with a fairly straightforward plot that isn’t that tough to figure out where it’s all headed. There are also long stretches dedicated to building character instead of delivering action which, while wholly necessary, tend to slow the film down right when things should get going, to where it’s easy to see some viewers perhaps feeling just a little bit bored whilst watching it. Even the villains aren’t all that great, for while Galactus is definitely an intimidating design – not to mention comics accurate, far from the giant fart cloud he was depicted as in past Fantastic Four movies – his motivations amount to little more than destroying entire worlds just to satisfy the rumblings in his tummy. Even for a massive space god, that’s a bit too silly.
But such flaws are easy to accept within a film that finally understands the appeal of the Fantastic Four, in that they’re not just heroes but a family, whose bond is ultimately their greatest superpower. After so many years of trying and failing to nail that simple aspect, it’s nice to see that aspect fully represented on the screen, and whatever the future holds for them – which we already know to be at least Avengers: Doomsday – the next time we see this wonderful family together again can’t come soon enough.
SO, TO SUM UP…
The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally does Marvel’s first family justice with a fun and inventive outing that gets plenty of enjoyment out of its retro-futuristic world building and its focus on the strong familial bond at its centre, which narrative flaws aside make it a strong enough new entry in the MCU.
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