The first comic I ever read starring the First Family of Marvel was 2002’s Fantastic Four Vol. 2 #60. The plot centers around a marketing agent tasked with figuring out how to rebrand the team for the 21st century. He ultimately concludes the problem is most people see them as superheroes, when they are truly “astronauts…Envoys… Adventurers, Explorers.” I mention this because if that sentiment wasn’t a mission statement for the creative team behind The Fantastic Four: First Steps, they undoubtedly reached the same conclusion. This is not a traditional summer superhero movie. It is a science-fiction epic that just happens to involve a family with superpowers.
Like the 2025 Superman movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps does not waste time with a lengthy origin story. A quick five-minute montage at the start establishes the team’s history and the 1960s retro-future world of Earth-828. After that, the story moves on almost immediately to a confrontation with the Silver Surfer and the danger posed by Galactus, Devourer of Worlds.
The script perfectly captures the scope of a classic Fantastic Four comic. The focus is on a cosmic threat that can be beaten by science, rather than bank robbers with ray guns. However, as with the source material, the crises of the month are largely incidental. At its core, Fantastic Four: First Steps is a story about a family and their coping with relatable problems.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps about characters, not crises
What sets The Fantastic Four: First Steps apart from other adaptations of Marvel’s First Family is the interactions. Every character is given at least one scene opposite only one other member of the team. These dialogues subtly solidify the idea of their being a real family, who don’t spend every waking moment together. Johnny Storm, for instance, has one scene where he helps Reed Richards with an experiment, after asking him about designing some new spacesuits.
The script likewise partners with the excellent performances to deliver the most nuanced versions of the Fantastic Four ever. Ebon Moss-Bachrach captures both the everyman persona of Ben Grimm and his longing for a normal romance, even as he loves most of his life as The Thing. Pedro Pascal manages the daunting task of making Mr. Fantastic likeable despite his almost alien view of the world. Joseph Quinn presents a Human Torch who longs to be taken seriously despite his celebrity. It is Vanessa Kirby, however, who earns the MVP spot as Sue Storm. This is not an Invisible Woman with no concerns beyond loving her man, as in earlier adaptations. This Sue Storm is a vicious badass and the Mother Bear you do not want to cross.
Beyond the excellent cast, praise must also be paid to the production team. More than any other Marvel Studios production to date, First Steps perfectly captures the visual aesthetic of Jack Kirby‘s designs. The scenes with Galactus look like one of the King’s comics come to life. Small wonder, then, that the movie pays special tribute to him repeatedly.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is, in a word, fantastic. Beyond capturing the spirit and look of the comics that inspired it, the movie sets a new standard for superhero movies. Because it is not good as a superhero movie or even an MCU movie, it is just good cinema.
Grade: 9/10
