The Fantastic Four: First Steps - Review

I Herald Your End.

Review written by Jack Aling

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman and written by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer.

Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach & Joseph Quinn.

Marvel’s First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.

The Fantastic Four have had a bumpy journey to the big screen. Some never made it to the big screen, some never should have, but 2025 is the year where Marvel's first family officially enters the MCU - taking their First Steps.

A blank slate, retro-futuristic setting and a fast-tracked origin story allow a side of the family that we haven't seen on screen before. This feels like the first time the multiverse has been used to its advantage in the MCU - allowing the Fantastic Four to shine away from The Avengers as bright, beloved celebrities and heroes in their own right.

I had trepidations of the cast going in, but like much of the MCU: In Sarah Halley Finn we trust. The family dynamic felt natural and inhabited, and the looming villainous presence of Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson (and that voice!) was a real masterstroke.

The film has a breakneck pace, squeezing an entire new world and characters to introduce, along with space battles, planet-devouring villains and an origin story in under two hours. The film could have done with slowing down to allow room to breathe and the stakes to fully set in. Everything felt like a montage, sprinting towards its conclusion without hesitation.

Like WandaVision, Matt Shakman and his team did an unbelievable job with the production design and building an entire new world that feels vastly different from our own yet comfortingly familiar. Backed with an immensely inspiring score packed with rousing choirs from Michael Giacchino, I wished we could have stayed in this world for longer.

After a tumultuous few years for Marvel, it does feel like they are starting to find their feet with their course correction. The decision to separate this film from the 'Sacred Timeline' and put family at the centre of this story was much needed and gave this film warmth despite its apocalyptic narrative.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps gives the heroes the big-screen adventure they've always deserved. A stylish epic bursting with charisma. The future looks bright for these heroes now that they are home where they belong in the MCU - it's not like Doomsday is on the horizon…

Our verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in UK Cinemas July 24th 2025

Read more of Jack's reviews at: letterboxd.com/TheJackAling