The Fantastic Four: First Steps

There’s something both nostalgic and daring about The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), as if Marvel has finally realized that the Fantastic Four isn’t just another superhero team — they’re a deeply intertwined family with complex emotional dynamics. And that awareness, even if not fully developed, makes this new film a more genuine and stylistically distinct attempt within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Right from the start, the film’s retro-futuristic aesthetic stands out. There’s a visual freshness here that sets it apart from the digital overload of recent MCU entries. The production design recalls the optimistic sci-fi of the 1960s with elegance and imagination, creating a world that feels playful and sophisticated. It’s a universe where science is still an adventure — not just a narrative tool. Michael Giacchino’s score grounds that mood perfectly, blending emotion with a cosmic, dreamlike pulse, like a silent musical made of technology and tenderness.

Pedro Pascal delivers a Reed Richards who is restless and cerebral, a man driven by intellect and haunted by possibilities. There’s something admirable and unsettling about him — as if his mind keeps him from being fully human. Vanessa Kirby, on the other hand, brings a composed emotional presence that doesn’t sacrifice strength. Her performance is restrained, graceful, and convincing. Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, as the other core members of the team, strike a balance between youthful energy and grounded warmth. One brings fire — literally and figuratively — while the other offers a kind of quiet emotional anchor.

The film’s most unexpected standout, however, comes from outside the core group. Julia Garner turns in a magnetic performance, elevating even routine scenes with an otherworldly gravitas. Some of the most visually stunning moments in the film belong to her character, and they’re among the few sequences that achieve a poetic, almost transcendent quality. Matt Shakman’s direction seems caught between two instincts: an intimate character drama and a large-scale Marvel spectacle. That tension causes the pacing to waver — the film wants to be emotional and quick-moving, and it doesn’t always find the sweet spot.

Narratively, First Steps avoids rehashing the usual origin story. The team is already established when we meet them, which keeps the pace tight but sacrifices some character grounding. There’s dramatic potential bubbling under the surface — you can feel it — but it often takes a backseat to humor or exposition. Still, it’s commendable that the filmmakers try to build a universe with its own rhythm and visual logic, something that feels distinct from the rest of the MCU. It’s a creative breath of air — even if it doesn’t last long.

Perhaps the film’s greatest strength lies in how it repositions the Fantastic Four. This isn’t a story about saving the world with powers; it’s about figuring out how to save each other, how to stay together, how to function as a family under pressure. The action is there, yes, but it never drowns out the emotional threads. The movie does fall into some genre traps — especially when it leans on overly tidy resolutions or emotional payoffs that weren’t properly earned — but compared to previous adaptations, this is a clear improvement.

What makes First Steps feel refreshing is its willingness to let these characters breathe. It feels less like a puzzle piece in a giant Marvel plan and more like a film that wants to speak in its own voice. It’s not a cinematic revolution, nor is it a reinvention of the genre — but it’s a sincere attempt to do something with personality. And for a team that’s been poorly treated in past adaptations, that’s already a major first step.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025 / United States)
Direction: Matt Shakman
Screenplay: Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Eric Pearson
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson
Running Time: 115 min.