The Fantastic Four have been a cursed franchise for over thirty years as it feels like no one in Hollywood has gotten the iconic four characters right. It all began in 1994, with Oley Sassone giving a crack at the characters, only for the movie to never see the light of day as it never was released to the public. Then little over a decade later, when the superhero genre was beginning to become a box-office juggernaut, Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, came to the big screen and was most met with mixed reception. Where it got some stuff right, but also a lot of stuff wrong. Then Fox’s desperate 2015 reboot, failed so spectacularly that no one wanted to touch these characters. Until now. The Fantastic Four have officially made their debut into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and their arrival couldn’t have come at a more desperate time. The MCU has been floundering for the better part of five years, with its only real wins being hollow victories based on cameos, nostalgia, and fan service. Everything else? Critically panned, box-office flops, or just plain forgettable. So will The Fantastic Four: First Steps save the MCU? Only time will tell. What is known is that fans of this franchise will obviously love this movie. But for everyone else? It’s the same exact Marvel formula that we have seen a hundred times before, and it continues to get blander and blander, with every new movie. And honestly, I am just exhausted. I’m done.
Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), the Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), are forced to face their most difficult task to date, becoming parents and the favorite uncles. Even though their familiar bond is strong, this is a task that no amount of training can prepare you for. However, things go from chaotic to catastrophic when the mysterious Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) shows up to deliver a deeply personal and very unsettling message, Galactus (Ralph Ineson) is coming, and he’s coming to devour Earth. Now the Fantastic Four are pulled in every direction, trying to protect the planet from total annihilation while also holding their newly-formed family together.
Before I bog down the room too much, let me state what The Fantastic Four: First Steps gets right. For starters, this is the first MCU movie in what feels like forever that has a real sense of style. It actually has its own aesthetic. The production and costume design fully embrace this sleek, retro-futuristic 1960s vibe, and it works. The sprawling sets, the variety of costumes, and even the use of practical effects, like Herbie, show a level of detail and care that genuinely impressed me. And, shocker, Marvel finally remembered that color grading exists. Outside of the final battle, the weird CGI baby, and Mister Fantastic’s rubber-band limbs (which are still hard to take seriously), the film is visually striking. I found myself actually appreciating what I was seeing on screen, for once in a very long time.
Lastly, and most importantly, they finally got The Fantastic Four right, well, mostly. The chemistry between the four leads is spot-on; they bounce off each other with such ease, it actually feels like a real family dynamic. Vanessa Kirby, in particular, is the clear standout, commanding every scene she’s in. For the first time, this version of the Fantastic Four felt like the team we’ve been waiting for, even if the script doesn’t quite give them the depth they deserve. But as great as all that sounds, it’s really just clever window dressing meant to distract from a much bigger problem.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps sticks to the tired-and-true superhero formula like it’s gospel. A world-ending threat looms over Earth, and our heroes, despite their personal challenges, must rise to the occasion, fall apart along the way, and somehow come back together just in time to save the day. It’s the same story arc we’ve seen again and again, and once upon a time, it worked. It was a surefire crowd-pleaser. But now, nearly 40 movies into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that formula feels not just worn out, but completely hollow. Sure, Marvel tries to sprinkle in something “fresh” to keep things interesting. This time it’s the anxiety of becoming a parent, a theme that could’ve been compelling if it were actually explored with any depth. But really, that’s just seasoning on the same reheated dish we’ve been served for over a decade. These movies are becoming increasingly predictable, thinner in story, and lacking any real emotional weight. What once felt like big, exciting cinematic events now feel more like brand maintenance.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Marvel movie without a completely forgettable villain. The MCU struck gold with the casting of Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson as Galactus. Yet, the MCU managed to waste both of them. Garner is coolly mysterious but barely given anything to do. Ineson, with that gravelly, god-tier voice, has maybe 15 lines total and only shows up for two scenes: one where he bargains, and one where he’s buried under a mountain of CGI in the final battle. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Rise of the Silver Surfer actually handled both the Silver Surfer and Galactus better than First Steps. Yes, even with Galactus as a giant, ominous space fart. In Rise, the Silver Surfer was actively punching holes in the Earth day after day, and the clock was ticking. You could feel the tension, the dread, the urgency. It was clumsy, sure, but it had stakes. Meanwhile in First Steps, Galactus takes his sweet time. We’re told he’s coming but then he spends months hopping from one random planet to the next like he’s on some intergalactic road trip. It kills any sense of momentum. There’s no real fear, no ticking clock, and certainly no weight behind his supposed threat. And for a movie that’s supposed to be about the end of the world, that’s kind of a problem.
Lastly, I believe the MCU has its first major miscast. Don’t get me wrong, I love the internet’s daddy, but Pedro Pascal is miscast as Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic. He’s way too rugged, too effortlessly cool, and frankly, too good-looking to convincingly play the world’s biggest brain in a lab coat.Sure, he nails the emotional beats when the script calls for drama, but the second he starts rattling off some pseudo-scientific jargon, I couldn’t take him seriously. It just doesn’t work. And it’s a shame, because Pedro is a great actor as he is versatile, charismatic, but for this role? It just doesn’t fit. Honestly, Hamish Linklater would’ve been perfect. Or, hear me out, they could’ve just brought back Ioan Gruffudd. And yes, I’m serious. He would’ve been a better Mister Fantastic again than Pedro is now.
In the end, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will probably satisfy die-hard MCU fans, and to be fair, it does have its moments. There’s effort in the visuals, a few solid performances, and the faintest glimmer of something fresh. But at its core, it’s still the same reheated formula Marvel’s been dishing out for nearly two decades. It worked wonders in those early years, but the magic just isn’t there anymore. Marvel seems stuck chasing the high of the “good old days,” without any real interest in evolving or taking risks. So while I didn’t go in expecting much, I was still hoping for more. Disappointed? Definitely. Surprised? Not even a little.
My Rating: C
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