The Fantastic Four: First Steps Review

By Leif Lesperance

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” released in theaters on July 25, 2025, and directed by Matt Shakman, takes a new approach compared to prior Fantastic Four films. Leading up to its release, fans of the franchise were ecstatic to see their favorites represented once again on the big screen, especially because the film was set to be far more comic-accurate than previous releases from 2005, 2007, and 2015, which had their own unique representations of Marvel’s first family.

The movie follows the main team of four, consisting of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Throughout the film’s runtime of just under two hours, the superpowered family celebrates four years of being Earth’s protectors by facing their biggest threat yet: a planet-eating being known as Galactus. The plot is filled with heart-racing action and beautifully tender moments as the team of four grapples with choosing between preserving their family or their planet.

Compared to the new movie, 2005 and 2015’s “Fantastic Four” films were both origin stories that followed the main four protagonists, as well as an antagonist named Dr. Doom, gaining and learning how to use their powers. 2007’s “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” followed the same cast as its predecessor, but featured Galactus as its primary antagonist. Although “First Steps” wasn’t the first Fantastic Four movie to feature Galactus, it was the first to use his comic-accurate purple humanoid design, whereas the 2007 film portrayed him as a cloud.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” also greatly improved on Sue Storm’s character, something that the other three movies struggled with. Sue Storm was played by Jessica Alba in both 2005 and 2007, and by Kate Mara in 2015. Despite the individual success of the actresses, Sue’s past on-screen portrayals were far less powerful and impactful compared to her comic book counterpart. “First Steps” put an end to this trend by placing Sue at the forefront of the movie’s plot, giving her the most important role and building her character in ways that the earlier 2000s movies never achieved.

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” was well-received by Marvel Fans, especially those who had been waiting to see a comic-accurate depiction of the family and some of their most iconic plot points. The movie received a rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is notably more than the other three Fantastic Four movies combined. Fans of the movie can look forward to seeing the main cast again in the upcoming 2026 movie, “Avengers: Doomsday.”