A Steady, Satisfying Return for Marvel’s First Family
Matt Shakman’s reboot doesn’t break new ground, but delivers a grounded, confident entry that rekindles hope for the MCU’s future.
It’s weird to think of a good new MCU feature as a “safe film,” but that’s what I thought leaving The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Matt Shakman, 2025). No outrageously funny bits made my packed IMAX theater roar in unison, and the plot played smoothly from A to B with a sensible conclusion that left me feeling sated. Outside of remarkably good CGI, there wasn’t much that stood out, neither positive nor negative.
I guess that’s what you get when quality actors are given a relatively good script. Both Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal sell the emotional levels of the film, each delivering tears in moments of climax. Joseph Quinn does great as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach grounds the group as a down-to-earth (had to) Ben Grimm/The Thing.
What stood out about the newest Fantastic Four film was how similar it was to FOX’s The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Tim Story, 2007). While Doctor Doom ultimately plays a major antagonist role, both films contain a Herald Silver Surfer acting as a harbinger of destruction for Earth. Both movies ultimately have a form of Galactus showing up to eat the Earth, and both feature almost the same emotional beat at their climax.
What is weird, if anything, is that this film made me more excited for Avengers: Doomsday because the cast was so excellent. Gone is the Mister Fantastic who wraps up enemies so they can’t move each time he has to fight, and in his place is a Reed Richards who fights with his powers and his brain to hurt those who would hurt the people he cares about. He even locates and destroys every villain he can find as a side project to “Babyproof” the city before his son is born. All this to say, I can’t wait to see how Pedro Pascal matches up against Robert Downey Junior because both of these actors know what’s at stake for their characters, making the story all the richer.
Strong characters make me excited for future MCU films
If anything, Marvel made right where the two FOX movies might have slightly strayed, creating a new foundation for good stories yet to be told. Where those 2000s Fantastic Four films leaned into the popular culture at the time, First Steps feels right at home in the era these characters were created. It’s seen in the sets, the aesthetic, and even the streets where giant Cathode Ray Tube Televisions replace billboards in Times Square, New York.
In the Multiverse Saga of the MCU, not many projects stood out the way Wandavision and Loki did for me as genuine fits to the larger pieces of a connected universe. They were focused stories helmed by the people who fleshed them out long before the spending spree occurred for Disney+ content. Specifically with Wandavision, the success of filming in different eras showed how well Marvel characters translate across the decades in which they were created and featured in comics. Wandavision showed how films like The Fantastic Four: First Steps could be realized in the era they held such an impact on.
Like Wandavision, First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman, and the result is a vision that grounds Marvel’s first family in a way that feels welcome and natural. Like they belong. It’s a remarkable achievement that goes back to the times when Marvel could take such a director and let them thrive with a film that fits their vision. First Steps is a good film that brings a much-needed core to the MCU for fans to gather towards in the future. There have been a lot of duds in The Multiverse Saga, but this isn’t one of them, even if it plays it safe to do so. At the very least, it shows Marvel is going in the right direction again.
7.5/10