Who says fourth time’s the charm? After three unsuccessful attempts to bring Marvel’s First Family to the big screen, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” finally nails the formula with its perfect blend of retro-futuristic style, genuine heart, and cosmic adventure.
Pedro Pascal leads a charismatic cast in this vibrant 1960s-inspired take that feels both refreshingly standalone and spectacularly cinematic, proving that sometimes going back to basics is the most fantastic step forward.
Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) balance their life as celebrity superheroes with a major new challenge: impending parenthood. Along with Sue’s hotheaded brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and Reed’s best friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), they’ve spent five years as the Fantastic Four after a space mission altered their DNA.
Reed can stretch his body like rubber, Sue generates force fields and turns invisible, Johnny becomes a flying human torch, and Ben transformed into a rock-like powerhouse called The Thing.
The team’s comfortable life of scientific exploration and occasional heroics gets disrupted when a metallic visitor on a surfboard arrives with an ominous message. The Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) heralds the coming of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a cosmic entity that devours entire planets.
What begins as a global threat soon becomes deeply personal for the Fantastic Four, forcing them to venture back into space and confront dangers beyond their imagination.
Director Matt Shakman crafts a world that feels straight out of Jack Kirby’s illustrations, with impossible architecture and retro-futuristic technology populating every frame.
The 1960s aesthetic extends beyond mere visuals to capture the optimistic spirit of the era’s space race, making this Marvel adventure feel distinctly different from anything in the franchise’s recent output.
The cast chemistry forms the foundation of the film’s success. Pascal brings the perfect balance of scientific genius and paternal worry to Reed, while Kirby’s Sue Storm stands out as the emotional anchor of the team. Her Invisible Woman is anything but sidelined, demonstrating both fierce intelligence and the strongest powers of the group.
Quinn injects Johnny Storm with youthful enthusiasm without veering into the womanizing portrayal of previous versions.
Perhaps most impressive is Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, whose rocky exterior hides the film’s most touching performance. His Thing is both physically imposing and emotionally vulnerable, creating genuine pathos for a character who lost his human appearance.
The four actors genuinely feel like a family, with banter that flows naturally and conflicts that arise from authentic differences rather than manufactured drama.
The villains prove equally compelling in their cosmic menace. Garner’s Silver Surfer brings an otherworldly detachment that gradually gives way to hints of humanity. Her metallic form, created through impressive visual effects, captures the comic character’s fluidity of movement.
Ineson’s Galactus looms as a genuinely threatening presence, with his planet-devouring capabilities demonstrated in terrifying scale.
Michael Giacchino’s score perfectly complements the visuals, blending triumphant superhero themes with retro sci-fi elements. His music elevates key moments, particularly during the team’s space journey and confrontations with Galactus, adding emotional weight to the spectacular visuals.
Production designer Kasra Farahani deserves special recognition for creating the film’s unique aesthetic. From the team’s headquarters to their iconic Fantasticar vehicle, every element feels both futuristic and charmingly retro.
The costume design similarly balances comic book accuracy with practical functionality, with the team’s blue uniforms looking both heroic and scientifically plausible.
The film smartly avoids rehashing the team’s origin story, instead starting five years into their career as established heroes. This allows the movie to jump directly into new territory while weaving in necessary background through clever exposition.
By skipping the familiar origin tale, the film feels fresh even to viewers familiar with previous Fantastic Four adaptations.
At its core, “First Steps” succeeds because it understands what makes the Fantastic Four special: they’re explorers first and superheroes second. The film embraces big sci-fi concepts while keeping the characters grounded in relatable family dynamics. Reed and Sue’s concerns about how their altered DNA might affect their unborn child provides an emotional throughline that elevates the stakes beyond typical world-saving heroics.
Action sequences showcase each team member’s powers creatively without overwhelming the narrative. From Reed’s elastic problem-solving to Johnny’s fiery aerial maneuvers, Ben’s rock-solid strength, and Sue’s versatile force fields, each character gets moments to shine individually before they combine their abilities in satisfying ways during the climactic confrontation.
The film’s 1960s setting allows it to exist separately from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, freeing it from complicated continuity requirements.
This standalone approach proves refreshing, allowing viewers to enjoy the adventure without needing knowledge of dozens of previous films. Two post-credit scenes hint at future connections, but the main story stands complete on its own.
Julia Garner deserves special mention for her performance as the Silver Surfer. Playing a gender-swapped version of the character (as Shalla-Bal rather than the comics’ male Norrin Radd), she brings mysterious allure and unexpected depth to what could have been a one-note antagonist.
Her journey from herald of destruction to something more complex provides some of the film’s most compelling moments.
The visual effects team has created some of Marvel’s most impressive work to date, particularly in bringing Galactus to life as a towering cosmic entity rather than the cloud formation seen in previous adaptations. The planet-consuming sequences feature awe-inspiring scale, while the Silver Surfer’s liquid-metal movements maintain a graceful fluidity throughout.
While the film occasionally struggles with pacing in its middle section as the team investigates the Silver Surfer’s arrival, the character interactions remain engaging enough to carry viewers through to the more action-packed final act. At 115 minutes, the film feels efficiently told without rushing through important emotional beats or shortchanging the spectacular finale.
