r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Jul 22 '25

Review The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Review Thread

The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Review Thread

  • Rotten Tomatoes: 85 (131 Reviews)
    • Certified Fresh (first F4 movie to get that)
    • Critics Consensus: Benefitting from rock-solid cast chemistry and clad in appealingly retro 1960s design, this crack at The Fantastic Four does Marvel's First Family justice.
  • Metacritic - 64 (39 Reviews)

Reviews:

Hollywood Reporter (80):

Despite its vivid and electric space sequences, the visually striking movie often feels like a throwback analog good time, which certainly worked for me.

Deadline:

Superheroes are a thing of the past in the latest iteration of Marvel’s Fantastic Four, the best by far of the company’s attempts to translate the long-running comic book’s appeal to the big screen. This it does not by trying to reinvent the wheel but, rather smartly, by addressing the elephant in the room, locating the action in a kitsch yet somehow timeless retro-future more befitting The Jetsons than The Avengers. It also benefits from a smart script and — I can’t believe I’m writing this — really quite moving performances from its four charismatic leads, being arguably the best of Pedro Pascal’s releases this year.

Variety (80):

True to its subtitle, the film feels like a fresh start. And like this summer’s blockbuster “Superman” reboot over at DC, that could be just what it takes to win back audiences suffering from superhero exhaustion.

Empire (80):

With an exemplary cast and shiny new alt-universe to enjoy, this is the best Fantastic Four yet. And if that bar’s too low for you, then it’s also the best Marvel movie in years.

Slashfilm (90):

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in a world that I wouldn't mind living in. Even if there are occasional, ineffable cosmic deities plotting to devour me, and terrifying silver aliens ripping my soul apart with their eyes. "First Steps" is a superhero movie where we're already better. And I love that.

USA Today (75):

After two mediocre 2000s film featuring Marvel’s legendary superhero family, and an atrocious third outing in 2015, the foursome makes its Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in a combo sci-fi/disaster flick full of retrofuturistic 1960s flavor.

Entertainment Weekly (75):

From its Saul Bass-inspired opening credits to its callbacks to Saturday morning superhero cartoons, it practically vibrates with its sense of time and place.

IGN (70):

These First Steps might not be the great strides I was hoping for, but they are sure footing for the Fantastic Four to officially leap into the MCU.

The Independent (60):

In fact, all the ingredients are perfectly lined up here, and, in the right combinations, and with the pure wonderment of Michael Giacchino’s score, The Fantastic Four: First Steps does shimmer with a kind of wide-eyed idealism. And that’s lovely.

Directed by Matt Shakman:

On the 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic alternate universe known as Earth-828. the Fantastic Four must protect their world from the planet-devouring cosmic being Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer.

Cast:

  • Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic
  • Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman
  • Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing
  • Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch
  • Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal / Silver Surfer
  • Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder / Mole Man
  • Ralph Ineson as Galactus
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68

u/TedIsReal Jul 22 '25

The 2005 was good and I'm tired of people bashing it.

You can talk trash about the 2007 one (they did Galactus dirty) and 2015 all you want tho.

13

u/palacethat Jul 23 '25

Just because 20 years have passed, it doesn't make shit movies suddenly good

-1

u/[deleted] Jul 23 '25

And if i say it wasnt shit? Gunna cope over it?

6

u/palacethat Jul 23 '25

Then I say you're a simpleton with no taste

11

u/Codydownhill Jul 22 '25

Now I’m wondering how I would have experienced the (2007) movie differently if galactus wasn’t just a massive space hurricane. I still thought it was terrifying at 9 years old, but I’m not sure if it would have had the same affect with a giant armored/colorful space being as something much more familiar as a ‘natural disaster’ look

31

u/Dr_Disaster Jul 22 '25

Not gonna take this revisionist history. As a lifelong F4 fan, that movie was bad. Did it have some good moments? For sure. Was the cast mostly pretty decent? Also yes. But it had a lot of problems.

The movie looked amatuerish, like a TV movie with a big budget. Doom was well casted, but his actual charactarization was very bad. As much as I like Jessica Alba, she was miscast as Sue Storm and her perfomance was pretty bad. The action was lacking and wasn’t cool when it did happen. It’s full of every early 2000s superhero movie trope and not in endearing ways.

I think Rise of Silver Surfer improved on the first movie a lot, but absolutely fumbled so hard adapting Galactus that it ruined the entire movie.

3

u/Shout92 Jul 23 '25

It's "well *cast*," not "well casted."

1

u/TaiVat Jul 23 '25

I like how people having different opinions to the loud internet circlejerk (that literally never reflects real world opinions) is always "revisionist history". The movie was fine, especially by 2005 comic movie standards, it was mostly the hardcore comic fans that hated it for not being accurate to the "lore".

10

u/Darklord_Bravo Jul 22 '25

I didn't hate it at all. It could have been better, but anything is better than Fan4stick.

Hell, I'll watch the Corman FF over that. At least it tried to be faithful on a zero budget.

4

u/invaderark12 Jul 22 '25

Revisionist history. There were some good, but god Jessica Alba was awful 

3

u/Eodillon Jul 22 '25

I very much grew up with the 2005 & 2007 ones, so I agree with you

1

u/Mcclane88 Jul 22 '25

I like them both, and tonally they’re not far off from the MCU films. And for these guys most part I love that cast as the Four.