POPZ-CULTURE Movie Reviews – The fantastic four: first steps (2025)
By: Marton Szakadath
Genre: Sci-fi, action, adventure
Rated: 12
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Written by: Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Marvel’s first family
The month of July continues to be dominated by comic book movies. It’s time for Marvel to make its presence felt, and in quite a significant way. One of the publisher’s most iconic works, The Fantastic Four, serves as the opener for Phase 6 of the MCU. We’ve been eagerly awaiting its release because, for us, the Reed family and Spider-Man is our absolute favorite. We were in a difficult position when it came to reviewing it, but we tried our best to give a comprehensive summary on both the movie’s strengths and its weaker aspects.
Regarding the story, avoid any detailed spoilers online. The trailers didn’t reveal much, which was a smart move by the marketing team. We find ourselves on Earth-828, an alternate 1960s, a completely different dimension from previous Marvel movies. The members of the Fantastic Four are known worldwide. They’re deservedly revered for saving humanity on numerous occasions. One day, a herald, the Silver Surfer (played by Julia Garner), arrives, delivering the threat from Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds: their entire planet will soon become cosmic sustenance for the entity. Our heroes go to negotiate with him, but in exchange for mercy, he demands something that is both dishonorable and merciless.
The film outlines a very serious conflict, one that, on a conceptual level, goes beyond typical blockbusters. We get the feeling they tried to introduce such an overwhelming premise that they ultimately pulled back from it. It’s strange that despite a two-hour runtime, the pacing of the plot feels rushed. Furthermore, there are many gimmicky elements, which make the scenes intended to be serious appear comical, almost bordering on parody.
Regarding the characters, we had to set aside our previous expectations. Reed Richards, or Mr. Fantastic, hasn’t changed much in personality: he’s still a cool-headed scientist capable of making the most rational decisions in any situation, completely excluding emotional aspects. The creators intended Sue to be his antithesis, but they went a bit overboard. They sculpted her into an emotionally very unstable character. While her behavior is understandable given her role in the story, in the comics and animated series, she’s a much more competent member of the team. Ben is also quite different from what we’re used to. He observes the events around him with almost stoic calm and even in pivotal situations needs to be prodded to use his powers. There’s no trace of the purposeful, at times short-tempered, cynical, yet lovable Thing we’ve grown so fond of. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, however, remains the funny, cool, womanizing character. Luckily, the whole is more than the sum of its parts: they work well together as a team.
From the above, it might seem like we didn’t like the movie. While it’s true we didn’t get what we expected, we were easily able to set aside our preconceived notions. We found plenty of positives. The visuals are excellent. Finally, we saw a Marvel movie with a rich color palette. The retrofuturistic art design is eye-catching. We, anyway, adore works set in an alternate past, similar to the steampunk genre. Although the theme of starting a family is touched upon superficially, it leads to some humorous situations. Despite not being entirely satisfied with the characters, the casting is superb. The music is also spot-on, and Michael Giacchino deserves credit. Its sound reminded us of The Jetsons, which perhaps isn’t a coincidence.
The new Fantastic Four isn’t outstanding, but it’s a well-made, entertaining addition to Marvel’s cinematic lineup. The question is whether it will be enough to draw audiences into Phase 6. We’re rooting for it. Be sure to stick around for the first post-credits scene, as true to tradition, you’ll get another taste of the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
Thank you for reading our review. If you’ve already seen the film, share your thoughts about it in the comments. In August, we’ll be back with streaming content recommendations. Join us next time!
