the fantastic four: first steps (2025) review
The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally brings Marvel Comics’ first family to the MCU in a sleek retro-futuristic vehicle that responds and resets the expanding status quo of this cinematic universe with a singular message of unity.
With the recent Sony Spider-Man and Matt Reeves' Batman movies, as well as the current Superman, superhero cinematic universes are now seemingly set free from origin story movies of their oldest characters. Instead, we’re re-introduced to these iconic, foundational characters a few years into their careers. It’s a post-post-modern approach to keeping the genre alive when audiences have now experienced 20-some years of cape shit (affectionate). Now that the novelty of androids, aliens, and wizards has worn off, the genre is evolving to emphasize how these heroes can once again inspire — rather than entertain — us.
Before The Avengers, before Guardians of the Galaxy, before Thunderbolts, before the X-Men, there was the Fantastic Four. While these other teams explore the concept of a team being “found family,” the Fantastic Four were simply a family, an Americana ideal. They’re space Kennedys; leading space exploration while suffering through an incredible ordeal that would’ve split many, but their civic and scientific duty to the world made them household names and trusted voices.
Casting the First Family is as daunting a task as any other team film. It’s an ensemble that needs to bring this dynamic family to life. Pedro Pascal has played every daddy character known to modern audiences, but he plays literal dad genius very straight and almost boringly. A man so attuned to math and science, the unpredictability of humanity terrifies him. He wields Reed Richards’ genius as fact and as a resource, but understands as a leader and as a husband how to actually show up for his loved ones. It helps that Vanessa Kirby plays Sue Storm as the brilliant, assured woman who knows the man she married and how to check him when he disappears into his worries. She is the human touch of the team, making her transition to motherhood a fearless one. After all, she and her baby brother, Johnny, have weathered tragedies together and fostered a wonderfully supportive sibling relationship, so Sue is ready for anything.
Speaking of Johnny, Joseph Quinn brings a plucky sort of sarcastic quality to Johnny. He doesn’t play him like a hotshot hot head, and his womanizing ways are projected onto him. Johnny instead is a eager young man who is surrounded by more seasoned members of the team and he wants to prove himself. It’s a fully realized Johnny as I’ve ever seen, but his youth thankfully energizes the team throughout the film. This playful quality is matched and tempered by Ben Grimm, verbally upsmacking Johnny when Reed and Sue have to play mom and dad to the world.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach understandably has become the go-to ensemble actor for playing gruff yet lovable characters. The great irony of Ben Grimm becoming The Thing is that he is quite gentle and mild-mannered, yet undeniably a solid rock of comfort to everyone. The CG work around The Thing is pretty good, but I do wish we saw more of pre-accident Ben.
Lastly, I have to say that baby Franklin is so goddamn cute, a star in the making! Incredible performance. MVP!! The choice to jump four years ahead in the Fanastic Four’s careers to get to Franklin earlier is a smart choice for Marvel in regards to the MCU moving forward, of course, but also smart because I love cute babies.
Director Matt Shakman crafts a beautiful idyllic New York City, where the Fantastic Four have flourished in the four years since their cosmic incident that forever changed them and human history. We see his handling of a highly stylized project and superheroes with WandaVision, and that experience is deftly displayed. The production design and costumes are to die for, from impeccable interior design of the Baxter Building to the so lovingly detailed character-specific costumes. The street-level sets and building interiors are clean and colorful, so it’s a shame that some of the wider shots are green screens of Manhattan and space. After proving he can wield this retro style in WandaVision, he weaves in futurism to make a Meet the Jetsons universe (complete with robot) tangible in live-action.
Humanity and society portrayed in First Steps is also idyllic in a way that Earth-616 could never. It’s one that trusts in science and diplomacy and working together. However, it’s one that still exhibits fear and doubt when thought leaders don’t have answers to a very dire, global matter. It’s very comic book-like in that way - there’s no real government intervention or questioning either - where the public reflects the inner turmoil of our characters, applying external pressure until a solution presents itself to our heroes.
It’s quite bold for cosmic beings to be the big bad villains for a first outing, but being so far into their illustrious career, you need threats that threaten the people’s trust in you, which is what Silver Surfer (Shalla-Bal) and Galactus do. Ralph Ineson is the perfect voice for Galactus, if underutilized and Julia Garner plays an sympathetic herald of destruction, mirroring the path the Four must take. Both are efficiently explained to the audience and present the exact obstacle they must face as they bring this new type of human (a mutant?) to their world.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a gorgeous return for the MCU, heralding the exciting new cosmic threats, while welcoming Marvel’s first family in a story that connects duty with responsibility at every scale.
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