The summer of 2025 should be remembered as the time when both the DC and Marvel universes gave themselves much-needed resets. Superman got things back on the right track for DC, while The Fantastic Four: First Steps ends a creative drought for Marvel.
With a cool retro feel and a nice sci-fi element, First Steps is directed Matt Shakman, who proves his muster on the big screen. (He’s done fine work on TV with Monarch, The Boys and WandaVision.) Incorporating the mighty Galactus (Ralph Ineson) as the main villain is a wise, menacing choice. The film has an entertaining, stylish groove with a winning offbeat charm.
Wonderfully cast and performed, Marvel’s first family finally gets its due, with Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) perfect choices for their respective roles. Julia Garner gives us a fine Silver Surfer as well.
Set in a sort-of futuristic ’60s, the art direction/look of this film marks a Marvel high point, and the score is great, too. The movie has a lot of heart to go with some consistent laughs.
Kirby and Pascal are the real stars here, giving Storm and Richards some serious depth. Storm is one of the great badass movie moms, while Richards is a little oft-kilter, and slightly nervous. It all makes for a fun screen couple with great chemistry, and some surprising plot turns with both characters. They have a baby named Franklin (Ada Scott); his part in the film, at times, played a little bit too Ghostbusters 2 for me.
The film is the first (mostly) solid film from Marvel in a long time, and it looks to be a promising setup for the next Avengers film.
It’ll be interesting to see if we can get two cinematic comic book universes firing on all cylinders for an extended period of time. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a true geek’s delight.
