After a string of patchy, lacklustre, adequate, and a few just plain poor Marvel movies in recent years, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a welcome return towards form. It’s not perfect, but the no doubt difficult conversations behind closed doors at Marvel Studios have paid dividends, and things are back on track.
Flying into the face of James Gunn’s Superman in theaters, these heroes stand a better chance in a box office battle, both financially and in terms of quality, than 2025’s previous MCU offerings, Thunderbolts, aka The New Avengers, and Captain America: Brave New World. The Fantastic Four: First Steps lands in theaters on Friday, July 25, 2025.
It has been a decade since the most recent, and now infamous, big screen incarnation of Fantastic Four, and fans have been frothing at the mouth for a version of the super quartet that did them justice. Finally, it’s here and it’s worth the wait. It also kicks off Phase Six of the MCU with style, substance, and promise, rather than relying solely on awe and scale. That’s not enough anymore.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is Carried Along By Its Own Momentum
Skipping through the origin story, the 1960’s set superhero romp finds Pedro Pascal’s stretchy Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn’s fire Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s rock solid Ben Grimm/The Thing defending Earth from Galactus, a “ravenous space god” played by Ralph Ineson, and Julia Garner’s Shalla-Bal.
In the hands of director Matt Shakman, best known for his TV work on shows such as Succession, Mad Men, The Boys, and House, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a straight-up good time, and it is classy as hell. Bringing all the notes of his dramatic work, the beats of his comedic work, and an impressive flair for action on a much larger canvas than his previous MCU work on WandaVision, what audiences get here is a full and balanced Marvel Studios meal. Rather than plodding towards a destination, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a real sense of purpose and forward motion, carried along by its momentum rather than needing to be pushed.
Something else Shakman has in his corner is a cast with resumes packed with crowd-pleasing work—and they work together. The chemistry is there. Pascal’s performances on The Last of Us and The Mandalorian alone are winning tickets even before you consider his charisma and skill. Meanwhile, Moss-Bachrach is a semi-household name for his work on the multi-award-winning The Bear. Kirby brings the class of The Crown and the action chops of Mission: Impossible and Hobbs and Shaw, while Joseph Quinn stole scenes in both Stranger Things and A Quiet Place: Day One. It’s a dream team, bring it all to the table, and slapping it down. Their costuming, the handiwork of Oscar winner Alexandra Byrne, is spot on.
On top of all that, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has something too many Marvel movies have lacked in too often in recent years and that is a decent villain but British character actor Ineson’s Galactus is an epic mix of what the gravitas he delivered in such films as The Witch, The Green Knight, Nosferatu and The Creator. His casting might have raised a few eyebrows, but it was a stroke of genius. For a large part of the movie, he’s absent, but when he does appear, the genuine dread Galactus brings is killer. Unfortunately, Garner’s Shalla-Bal is underwritten and underserved compared to the others, feeling more like a hangover from the spotty Phase Four and Phase Five MCU. That’s not her fault at all. Her performance is solid, but with the others being more fully served, it’s noticeable and a shame.
Elsewhere, while not to spoil anything, Paul Walter Hauser’s fan-favorite character, the softened supervillain Mole Man, is a delight. He isn’t overused but steals the scenes he’s in and leaves you wanting to see him return in future MCU movies. Similarly, while used sparingly, Natasha Lyonne’s character, Rachel Rozman, has a connection with Moss-Bachrach’s Grimm that is nicely played and, again, is something audiences will probably want to see explored more in the future. Hopefully, we’ll get that wish granted.
Packed with some of the year’s best action sequences that not only deliver the spectacle you are promised but also genuine excitement and peril, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is more than the sum of its parts. While some lack the shock and awe that people might expect, the refined thrills are what help keep the film balanced, rather than a rollercoaster of highs and lows – there is a smart confidence to them, and they are no less powerful or thrilling for that. Another thing that Shakman does is showcase the superpowers but never overuses or over-eggs them. It feels natural rather than trite, tired, or predictable.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Looks Incredible
Something The Fantastic Four: First Steps avoids is getting lost in its own super-babble and comic book lore, making it accessible to those who know nothing about the characters (and perhaps don’t care all that much) and are just looking for a good time. It also doesn’t oversimplify things, where hardcore fans expecting a deep knowledge and understanding of the source material feel underserved. It’s also a good script. Too often, the genre can get bogged down with clichés and lazy lines or endless exposition that numbs. The script, set up by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer and reworked by Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson, serves as a solid foundation that Shakman builds his confident vision upon.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps also looks incredible. The 1960s aesthetic is stunning. Production designer Kasra Farahani, who previously worked on Marvel Studios’ Loki, creates a sumptuous canvas that feels both classic and contemporary at the same time. It’s genuinely beautiful and IMAX highlights that off in the best possible way. And kudos to Michael Giacchino for his score, which sits perfectly in the background when required and steps forward to complement and enhance the proceedings in precisely the right measure. It is masterfully balanced work.
It would be easy to dismiss The Fantastic Four: First Steps as popcorn comic book fluff, but there’s more going on here than that. This is smart and engaging mainstream entertainment with deeper, richer, artful sensibilities. This will likely please more crowds and silence more naysayers than many IP movies that have been released in theaters this summer. Genuinely engaging lead performances, thrilling action, and the most formidable villain in a cycle. Don’t be surprised if you leave the auditorium after Fantastic Four wanting Fantastic More.