What’s It About

Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel’s First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.

 MOVIESinMO REVIEW

Marvel’s newest superhero movie arrived in theaters with big hopes, but it quickly became clear that waiting years for this version of the Fantastic Four wasn’t worth it. This film feels like a homework assignment nobody wanted to do rather than an exciting adventure people would actually enjoy watching. The story jumps right into action four years after Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm got their powers from cosmic radiation during a space mission. Reed can stretch his body like rubber, Sue can become invisible and shoot energy blasts, Johnny can burst into flames and fly, and Ben transformed into a walking rock creature. Instead of showing us how they became heroes, the movie assumes we already know and care about them. Reed and Sue are married and expecting their first baby, which should make for interesting drama. Unfortunately, their relationship feels flat and boring throughout most of the film. Pedro Pascal plays Reed as the smartest guy on Earth, but his performance lacks energy and excitement. He looks exhausted and disinterested, which makes it hard to get any audience attachment to his character. Vanessa Kirby has a great performance as Sue, and she is believable as the team’s heart, and she’s soon to be a mother. Joseph Quinn plays Johnny Storm, Sue’s brother, who is all about cracking jokes and showing off his fire powers. However, his humor rarely lands, and he never gets to yell his famous catchphrase “Flame on!” The script seems embarrassed by the silly comic book elements that make these characters fun in the first place. Ben Grimm, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, should be the team’s tough guy with a soft heart, but the writers gave him barely anything interesting to do or say. The real problem starts when the Silver Surfer crashes into New York City with terrible news. Her boss, Galactus, is coming to eat planet Earth like it’s his next meal. Galactus is a giant space creature who devours entire worlds because he’s always hungry. The Silver Surfer warns everyone to spend their last days saying goodbye to loved ones and enjoying their final moments together. This setup should create incredible tension and drama, but somehow it doesn’t. Galactus looks impressive when he finally shows up, towering over the Statue of Liberty like a skyscraper-sized monster. Ralph Ineson provides his voice with appropriate doom and gloom, while Julia Garner plays the Silver Surfer as a reluctant messenger of destruction. Both actors try their best, but their characters feel more like walking plot devices than real people with emotions and motivations. The team decides they need to find Galactus before he reaches Earth and try to negotiate with him. Their mission becomes complicated when Galactus announces that Sue’s unborn baby might be powerful enough to satisfy his endless hunger. Obviously, the family refuses to sacrifice their child, even if it means saving the entire planet from destruction. What follows should be an epic adventure across space, but instead, we get a slow-moving story that takes forever to get anywhere interesting. The first hour drags painfully as characters explain things we already understand and engage in conversations that don’t advance the plot. The movie feels like it’s killing time until the real action can finally begin. The visual effects look decent enough, especially the retro-futuristic world that mixes 1960s style with flying cars and advanced technology. The production design team clearly worked hard to make everything look unique and interesting. Michael Giacchino’s musical score adds some excitement to scenes that desperately need it. These technical elements represent the film’s strongest aspects, but they can’t save a story that fails to engage audiences in what happens. The biggest disappointment comes from wasting such talented actors on such thin material. Pascal has proven himself in shows like “The Mandalorian” and “The Last of Us,” but here he sleepwalks through his performance. Kirby deserves much better than playing the worried pregnant wife who occasionally shoots energy beams. Quinn and Moss-Bachrach never get enough screen time to develop their characters beyond basic personality traits. The movie claims to be about family, but it never shows us why these four people actually love and care about each other. We’re told they’ve worked together for four years, but they don’t act like close friends or relatives. Their interactions feel polite and professional rather than warm and personal. Real families tease each other, fight sometimes, and show genuine affection. These characters mostly just stand around discussing their next move. When the action finally arrives in the last twenty minutes, it’s too little too late. The final battle against Galactus has some exciting moments, but by then, most viewers will probably be checking their phones or thinking about dinner. The ending tries to set up future movies with hints about Doctor Doom and other villains, but it’s hard to get excited about sequels when this first movie feels so bland and forgettable. Marvel Studios announced this project back in 2019, which means fans waited years for what amounts to a very expensive disappointment. The Fantastic Four deserve better than this lifeless introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Previous versions of these characters had major problems, but at least they tried to do something interesting or different. This movie plays everything completely safe, which ironically makes it more boring than the supposedly terrible 2015 version that everyone hated. At least that disaster had some personality and took creative risks, even if they didn’t work out. “First Steps” refuses to take any chances at all, resulting in a forgettable experience that will likely leave most viewers wishing they’d stayed home instead. The packed theater where I watched this film responded with polite silence rather than excitement or enthusiasm. A few people chuckled at jokes that actually worked, mostly thanks to a brief appearance by Paul Walter Hauser as the Mole Man. The mid-credits scene got slightly more applause than anything in the actual movie, which says everything you need to know about how audiences really felt. Marvel’s multiverse phase is still struggling to tell basic, compelling stories about their characters that fans want to engage with. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” had every ingredient to succeed, but somehow generated a flavorless experience instead. With better writing and more dynamic performances, this could’ve been the needed reboot for Marvel. Instead, it’s just another reminder that bigger budgets and fancier effects can’t replace good storytelling and genuine heart.

OUR RATING – A NOT SO FANTASTIC 4

MEDIA

• Genre – Comic Book
• Street date
• Digital – September 23, 2025
• 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD – October 14, 2025
• Video – 1080p
• Screen size – 2.39:1
• Sound – English: Dolby Atmos
• English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Audio descriptive
• Subtitles – English SDH, French SDH, Spanish

Extras

• Audio Commentary – Watch the film with audio commentary by director Matt Shakman and production designer Kasra Farahani.
• Deleted Scenes – Check out the scenes that didn’t make the final cut.
• Thanksgiving Soup Kitchen
• Fantastic Four Day
• Subterranea
• Birthday Sweater
• Taking Turns
• Gag Reel – Enjoy fun outtakes on set with the cast and crew of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
• Featurettes:
• Meet The First Family – The creation of the Fantastic Four saved Marvel Comics in 1961 and has only flourished as years have passed. Matt Shakman and the cast explain how they found themselves gravitating toward each role and creating the ultimate family unit.
• Fantastic Futurism – The filmmakers discuss the process of immersing the cast and crew in the film’s retro-futuristic aesthetic. Join Matt Shakman and crew as they discuss the experience of shooting in gigantic mid-century New York sets and stepping into an otherworldly era.
• From Beyond and Below – The team explores bringing complex characters from the page to the screen, including a larger-than-life Galactus, grounded Harvey Elder/Mole Man, and an emotionally rich Silver Surfer.