Director Matt Shakman invites audiences and MCU fans to see the origin story of a family of four fantastic individuals who become one of the most recognized comic book hero groups of all time. This was a movie that will make audiences believe in good space films and remind them about that feeling of watching your first space shuttle launch. The Fantastic Four: First Steps depicted The Fantastic Four like astronaut rockstars, similar to how the world treated Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong after landing on the Moon in 1969.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
“The cinematography and visuals were absolutely insane in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, from travelling in space to Galactus’ destruction through Earth 828’s New York City.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ theme around “first steps” stood out to me the most. The concept of first steps had so many meanings in this film, like how the four of them were the first people to go to space and the first to get powers. Then, it related to how it was the family’s first steps welcoming a new baby, and its first steps. This movie was also The Fantastic Four’s first steps into the MCU.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ storytelling and story beats were vanilla: even the twist was predictable, or at least so overdone. But, there was some strawberry and chocolate mixed in at certain points. The Neopolitan ice cream-style storytelling had some predictable beats, with the problems incrementally getting worse over the course of the movie. It was cookie-cutter plot points on making a story, where the rising action structurally had to hit about three problems before the climax and falling action.
However, Reed and his gang’s problem-solving moments were satisfying to watch. Watching each character bring solutions to the problem at hand was entertaining and showed how deep the writers had to think to come up with these solutions. Also, I enjoyed how Shakman and the writers provided the initial exposition in the form of a TV segment on the in-world show, “The Ted Gilbert Show.” This was a smart way to catch the audience up on the last four years.
One of the unique parts of The Fantastic Four: First Steps story and general vibes was how it resembled the best parts about Eternals. Even though Eternals took a lot of flak for feeling out of place and non-relatable to the best MCU films, this movie stood out independently, too.
In a strange way, Quinn’s Johnny led the film. First of all, I did not expect the writers Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer, to write a perfectly balanced Johnny Storm. The 2005 Fantastic Four film with Chris Evans as Johnny was too goofy and idiotic, almost giving him the bare minimum to do in both movies. The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Johnny had more depth, while still being a goofball and hitting on ‘sexy space aliens.’
Earth 828 Johnny was more captivating, seeing him have some wits about him, rather than him just being a hot male model to stare at—temperature pun intended. He was not as smart as Reed, Ben, or Sue, but smart in a different way. Earth 828 Johnny also had more heart, willing to sacrifice and give H.E.R.B.I.E. head scratches when he could—petting the robot like a dog. These were the small qualities Quinn exceptionally brought to the character that other actors failed at before.
Pascal’s voice was a little different from his other roles, almost like he was trying to sound goofy/nerdy—fitting for playing Reed Richards. The monotone speaking and thinking out loud worked for how methodical Reed is. Kirby’s Sue was so powerful in the way she commanded the screen. The writing was thoughtful in the sense that she was the most diplomatic of all the team members, even being a voice in Earth 828’s version of the United Nations. And Moss-Bachrach’s Ben was fine, having his quips and setting up his love interest well.
The unsung hero was H.E.R.B.I.E. with its non-vocal, all-physical acting chops. Alan Tudyk did not need to make this robot make puns as he just did in Superman (2025); H.E.R.B.I.E. can do it all by itself! Ineson brought his big bass voice like he did in The Green Knight, only grander this time playing Galactus. Garner’s acting was good; nothing bad to critique, but nothing that stood out. The writing worked out for her character in almost all depictions of Silver Surfer’s backstory and why they were Galactus’ herald.
The cinematography and visuals were absolutely insane in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, from travelling in space to Galactus’ destruction through Earth 828’s New York City, or New Empire State, which is what the license plates say on the vehicles in The Fantastic Four’s city. From a cinematic perspective, the best shots were of Silver Surfer actually surfing onscreen! There were about two or three scenes where the Silver Surfer had to glide through liquid or space that highlighted the fact that the Silver Surfer can surf through it. The perfect Silver Surfer shot in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is when she rides through a flaming barrel instead of a water barrel.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Johnny had more depth, while still being a goofball…”
The visuals and set design to nail the 1960s aesthetics were insanely impressive. It was cool to see an iteration of the Fantasticar on the big screen. Stan Lee made a cameo in as many Marvel movies as he could, and somehow The Fantastic Four: First Steps was able to do it in a smart way. Hint: listen to the name of the Fantastic Four’s ship. It may or may not have something to do with Lee’s weekly columns.
As heard in the trailers, Michael Giacchino composed an inspiring, choral theme for Marvel’s First Family. The Fantastic Four: First Steps had about three intertwined themes throughout the film. One was for The Fantastic Four; another was for Galactus; and the third was for Silver Surfer. Each theme revolved around using choir voices to back the instrumentals.
For The Fantastic Four, the musical beats were always triumphant and sounded like praising its titular heroes. This was the perfect vibe to match the daring astronauts/scientists. In contrast, Galactus’ theme used the choir to sound more haunting. It was like hearing a hundred or a thousand voices wailing for help. The wailing matched Galactus and how he ate planets full of people. Silver Surfer’s theme was almost a mix of both themes, a bit more sombre than menacing or hopeful. The sadness matched Silver Surfer’s backstory, which I will not spoil!
Be sure to catch the two post-credit scenes at the end of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The first credit scene is crucial as it relates to the overarching MCU plot. The second post-credit scene was more for the comic book fans to enjoy, also featuring a great Kirby quote. The only crime this movie committed was how much they baked in the number four to almost everything. A few times is alright, but it kept going with the number four. Additionally, certain CGI shots and characters were not as clean during specific sequences—more towards the end.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps captured the meaning of taking the first steps in various ways. Shakman established a likable quartet that felt naturally like a family first, rather than being a team of superheroes—even if Reed would disagree. This was a film that would make The Fantastic Four co-creators Jack Kirby and Lee proud. If Thunderbolts* did not sell you on Marvel Studios pivoting to better storytelling, perhaps take another step with this one. Oh, and a fun easter egg: Kirby’s birthday was 8/28/1917.
