The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Reviewed!

To borrow a modern term, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is “mid”—a movie that looks the part but leaves no lasting impression. Despite its debatable visual polish, it leaves audiences with a shrug instead of a sense of wonder. It is essentially a cinematic Potemkin village—a glossy façade masking a hollow core.

Plot & Structure:

Instead of developing characters or building tension, the first half of the film gets bogged down with clunky flashbacks and intermittent narration—it meanders.

The premise of the film lends itself to being intriguing. Set a few short years after a space voyage led by Reed Richards (played by Pedro Pascal) consisting of fellow astronauts; Sue Storm (played by Vanessa Kirby), Reed’s partner, Sue Storm’s brother Johnny Storm (played by Joseph Quinn), and Reed’s best friend Ben Grimm (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach).

During that space voyage, the four astronauts encountered strange cosmic rays that left them forever changed: Reed can stretch like elastic, Sue can turn invisible and produce force fields, Johnny can engulf himself in flames and fly, and Ben has been transformed into a rock-like being with incredible strength. Together they are dubbed The Fantastic Four—and it is fantastic to be them!

The Fantastic Four are venerated by their world to the point of parody—world leaders revere them, they’re plastered on cereal boxes, billboards, lotions—they even have Saturday morning cartoons based on their heroic acts. Everything seemed to have shaken out well enough for our heroes, and to top it off, Sue Storm and Reed Richards discover they’re expectant parents—The Fantastic Four will soon be The Fantastic Five! However, a proclamation of impending doom is about to come from an unexpected place.

Enter the Silver Surfer (played by Julia Garner). The late evening sky is brightened by what appears to be comets, and to the fore comes a beautiful silver woman, hovering in the atmosphere on what could best be described as a matching silver surfboard. All the world’s screens from television sets to city billboards, instantly reflect the scene. The Silver Surfer then proclaims that their world has been marked for destruction. As a small mercy, she comes to them as the herald of Galactus, by announcing their impending doom; she is allowing the people of the world to say their final goodbyes and leave nothing unsaid.

Understandably, the people of the world are concerned, and as has become their habit, they look to the Fantastic Four for their salvation. Determined to save their world, the Fantastic Four take to the stars once more, this time on a mission to track down the Silver Surfer, believing she will lead them to Galactus. Upon their return, the world is eager to be reassured and regaled by The Fantastic Four's latest adventure, they shout, "how did you defeat Galactus?". The public are shocked and concerned to learn that in fact Galactus has not been defeated. Rather, he’s a planet eater, currently finishing his latest meal before moving on to their world.

It turns out that long ago, predating their current universe, Galactus was once “small”, perhaps much like them. However, he became something very different and large enough to tower over city skylines. He regards people as mere "bugs", feasting on world after world for cosmic energy—inhabited or not. To make matters worse, Galactus has become aware of Sue Storm and Reed Richards' baby. He believes that by consuming their child he can finally satiate his hunger for cosmic energy, allowing him to be at rest.

This setup had the potential to be a compelling and profound adventure, if executed well. So how did Disney do?

Domestic vs. International Audiences: The Superhero Tech Disconnect

Superhero mythos, though akin to modern-day Greek gods, resonates most strongly in America, where audiences are steeped in comic book lore. They know the characters, the backstories, and the quirks of the source material. But what clicks with American fans doesn’t always translate for international audiences less familiar with the comics.

Take H.E.R.B.I.E., The Fantastic Four’s quirky robot assistant. American fans might recall him, but for international viewers, he’s likely a mystery—requiring a Google search to confirm his comic book roots. This gap in familiarity highlights a broader issue: technological plausibility.

International audiences, less tied to comic nostalgia, expect a film’s world to make sense. Creating a robot like H.E.R.B.I.E. demands cutting-edge tech: powerful semiconductors designed by teams of engineers on high-performance computers, manufactured in advanced facilities like TSMC’s fabs in Taiwan, using state-of-the-art equipment. On top of that, AI data centers would be needed to train H.E.R.B.I.E.’s ‘intelligence’. So, when The Fantastic Four: First Steps shows Reed Richards inserting what looks like a VHS tape into H.E.R.B.I.E.’s head to make him function, it feels absurd—it doesn’t add up.

The disconnect deepens; The Fantastic Four have access to faster-than-light (FTL) drives and Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic) has discovered how to teleport small objects, with plans to scale up big time! All this suggests a thriving semiconductor industry, a futuristic Silicon Valley. Yet, their TVs still use bulky cathode-ray tubes, and their media rely on flashbulb cameras—relics! In a world of advanced tech, these anachronisms clash. For international audiences, who prioritize logical world-building over comic book fidelity, it simply doesn’t wash.

Visual Appeal & CGI

Some critics have praised the film’s 1960s aesthetic and visuals, using words like “flawless,” “impeccable,” and even “visual feast.” However, for a 2025 film, the visuals are often only marginally above average. The 1960s aesthetic works well for most of the set pieces, particularly the furnishings, however the costuming and lighting leave much to be desired—there wasn’t even a proper pencil-dress in sight! The CGI ranges from ‘fantastic’ to ‘meh’. The film’s color palette won’t be everyone’s cup-of-tea either, it’s arguably off-putting at times.

Galactus: A First Step

Galactus (voiced by Ralph Ineson) has minimal lines in the film—a near-mute—though some of the best CGI is reserved for his towering form. Sadly, Disney’s Galactus, though done well in many ways, does a disservice to both comic book fans and audiences. He is depicted as an uncaring, ‘hungry, hungry hippo’; Director Matt Shakman fails to capture the full gravitas of Galactus, a character older than time itself. His dialogue lacks depth, reducing him to more of a monstrosity than a cosmic force with profound perspectives, jaded by his insatiable hunger.

Despite referring to humans as "bugs," Galactus’s actions suggests he may have a more nuanced take on the beings affected by his planet-eating proclivities. For instance, he has been known to hold an audience with representatives from planets marked for destruction, as he did with the Fantastic Four in the film. Additionally, the Silver Surfer herself was one such being. True to his word, Galactus spared her world in exchange for her serving as his herald.

This nuance is missing in the script, it fails to explore Galactus’ motivations or backstory beyond brief, surface-level exposition. A character of this magnitude deserved more respect from scriptwriters and Director Matt Shakman.

Performances

Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer delivers one of the film’s best performances. Her portrayal is filled with gravitas, menace, and some depth, particularly in the scenes where she announces the world’s impending doom. Her performance suggests she’s in a better film. Garner, along with the visual effects artists managed to elevate the material they were given.

Reed Richards (played by Pedro Pascal), known as Mister Fantastic:

Pedro was believable as Mister Fantastic, he slotted into the role well, he’s a fine actor. His performance would have been improved by a less clichéd script and better hair and makeup—that’s not on Pedro though, that’s on Director Matt Shakman. Pedro also did well with the material he was given.

Kirby’s Sue Storm takes a while to win audiences over. The script employs every trick in the book to ingratiate her character to the audience—comedy, family values, emotional moments, speeches, even a baby! All this investment does pay dividends though, and by the end of the film you genuinely feel concern for Sue Storm and admire her tenacity. Vanessa Kirby did well.

Joseph Quinn’s incarnation of Johnny Storm was undeniably likable, bringing both warmth and charm. However, he was also let down by the subpar script and the absence of a form-fitting suit. Johnny was downgraded from a cocky lothario to a cheeky boy.

Moss-Bachrach delivers a solid performance as Ben Grimm. The character’s CGI, though solid, is only above average and there was little in the way of character development. While he might help sell the odd action figure, the film missed the opportunity to explore Ben’s internal struggles and growth post his physical transformation into The Thing.

Final Thoughts

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a film that promises much but only delivers at a surface level. The script is often lowbrow and clichéd. Many opportunities were missed. While there were strong performances, it wasn’t enough to save the film from its hollow core. With a stronger script and more nuanced direction, this could have been a compelling superhero narrative, leaving audiences wanting more. Instead, audiences will leave theaters wondering what could have been—not brushing off stardust.