The Stream: A slow second half makes the movie drag.

The Big Screen: Dazzling retro-futuristic production design.

The Final Bill: A good cast and great production design lift this generally entertaining addition to the Marvel landscape.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Matt Shakman
Writers: Eric Pearson, Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer & Kat Wood
Stars: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Sarah Niles
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13 for action/violence and some language.
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
Production Companies: Marvel Studios, Pinewood Studios, 20th Century Studios, Walt Disney Studios
Platform: In theaters July 25, 2025
Notable Trailers: The Odyssey, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Now You See Me Now You Don’t, Zootopia 2, Predator: Badlands, One Battle After Another

Hey, Streamers! This weekend the highly-anticipated reboot of the Fantastic Four finally hit theaters. It seems the Fantastic Four has been through many iterations with mixed results, so a lot could be riding on the success of this new edition. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Reed Richard (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) have been protecting the world with their newly acquired powers since their return from space. The world is living in peace and harmony, grateful for the contributions of the Fantastic Four when a herald for Galactus appears in New York to advise of the coming destruction of the planet. The world looks to the Fantastic Four to save them and defeat Galactus. Flaming and clobbering hijinks ensue.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps does a lot of things well. First of all, the movie skips the origin story trappings of explaining how the Fantastic Four got their powers. This decision allows the movie to get quickly to the meat of the plot without sacrificing the characterization and relationship of the heroes. This plot is pretty simple and easy to follow, and it doesn’t require any advance knowledge of other MCU properties. Next, the cast is really good. Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby have good chemistry and are a believable couple. Joseph Quinn has a funny charm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach has good line readings. They are a charismatic group, which makes each scene enjoyable. Lastly, the production design is excellent. The retro-futuristic design fits the tone and overall vibe of the Fantastic Four. The aesthetic of this movie sets it apart from the other Marvel movies, which is great because there have been some many of them.

While this movie has an entertaining look and some good action sequences, it fails to have any truly standout moments. Everything is good, but not great. In fact, the second half of the movie slows down as the heroes are trying to figure how to deal with Galactus. It drags and gets a little repetitive until it ramps back up for the final battle. Mercifully, this movie is not too long, so it’s not boring, but definitely not very memorable.

Ultimately, The Fantastic Four: First Steps shows that a good cast and a simple story can be engaging without having to be intricately connected to the larger MCU. There is humor, heart and action throughout; and, while the second half drags as the movie moves towards its inevitable conclusion, there is enough to keep the audience interested to the last frame. As good as this movie is in the moment, it is not very memorable, so I must only suggest a bowl of popcorn for a matinee viewing.