‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is a Steady Leap Into Cosmic Chaos
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
If somebody used AI to spruce up the special effects in the 2005 ‘Fantastic Four’, it would most likely seem more ‘modern’ than Matt Shakman’s 2025 reboot of the Marvel superheroes. Seriously, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ looks like it was made in the 1980s, but with fantastic special effects (except for a weird baby scene) and a cast that makes you believe they’ve been playing the characters all their lives.
Directed by Matt Shakman, with Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, and Jeff Kaplan sharing writing credits, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing), and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (Human Torch). The plot is a step up from ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ : unlike Thanos, who wanted to wipe out half of Earth’s population, Galactus, the primary antagonist in this film, simply wants to devour the entire planet.
For those new to the ‘Fantastic Four’ universe, the film quickly offers a rundown of the team’s history and abilities through a special TV broadcast celebrating four years of superhero teamwork. We then learn that Vanessa is pregnant, Reed is low-key freaking out, and Johnny and Ben are thrilled about becoming uncles. But all their emotions are quickly overshadowed when a dazzling Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), an alien humanoid, arrives on Earth to announce that Galactus plans to consume the planet. The team then gets cracking on finding a way to defeat the new enemy.
Unlike the high-energy, violently hilarious ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, this Marvel film almost completely discards the comedic witticisms the MCU is known for, so the first half of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ feels almost palliative, but without being boring. And once all characters and plot points are established, the film has a stronger second-half, which is a pleasant surprise, considering how most movies struggle to keep up their momentum. But Matt Shakman and team steadily build up the pace and steam for this star-studded superhero tale.
Since I recently saw Pedro Pascal as the vulnerable millionaire charmer in ‘The Materialists‘, I thought I might struggle to see him as the brilliant scientist-turned-stretchy-superhero in ‘Fantastic Four’, but he slips into the role with extreme ease. That said, aside from using his powers to grab things, Mister Fantastic barely stretches at all until the climactic battle against Galactus, which was a bit of a letdown. Vanessa Kirby plays the Invisible Woman with a compelling confidence that’s somewhat reminiscent of the Scarlet Witch, and her powers seem a lot more potent too.
Joseph Quinn, of ‘Stranger Things’ fame, does most of the heavy lifting in the action department as Johnny, the Human Torch. Much of the sparse comedy comes from the friendly banter between him and Ben, often centered on how, while the rest of the world is panicking about Earth being crushed, Johnny is busy swooning over the Silver Surfer.
The standout scene in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ is Galactus’s introductory sequence, it’s genuinely goosebumps-inducing. The superheroes appear like mere flecks of dust before him, while Galactus looms like a god from a world inhabited by giant Transformers. “There is no way these guys can defeat him,” I whispered to my cousin at the theater during the scene. And well, I wasn’t entirely wrong.
When Galactus finally arrives on Earth, he appears noticeably smaller than in his awe-inspiring introduction. As an action fan, I found the climactic battle underwhelming, not because of how the Fantastic Four ultimately outsmart the planet-devouring threat (that part made sense and was actually clever), but because of the lack of actual combat. The showdown felt more like a strategic trick than a true action spectacle. But then the end credits promise a menacing new villain on the horizon!
FYI: There are two post-credit scenes
Rating: 7 on 10. ‘The Fantastic Four’ is playing in theaters now.
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