Unless you are a devoted fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), The Fantastic Four: First Steps is not worth seeing. Yes, they recruited some of the world’s top actors (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn). And they delivered again with their signature action-packed scenes. But all that prestige can’t glam over empty writing. I was tempted to leave several times during the screening, only sticking around for the review. I wasn’t interested in sticking around for the two signature credit scenes that preview the next installments of the Marvel movies.
I’m going to be swimming upstream with this review, as the movie generally has been received well. I’m happy to swim upstream this time.
Superhero movies always require a suspension of disbelief. Any real-world knowledge can be put aside if you’re caught up in the moment. We’ve watched Tony Stark and Peter Parker assemble new suits out of thin air. Despite this precedent, I had a hard time “believing” the scientific research of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic. I came into this movie expecting it to be a proper origin story for one of Marvel’s first families. After all, the MCU has an incredibly vast history. It’s totally reasonable when the costumes, set design, and titles are imitating the aesthetics of the 1960s, right? It turns out this is something called retrofuturism: giving the future the aesthetics of the past.
Another disappointment came through the humor. Marvel movies didn’t win over the world just because of their stunts and flashy special effects. The characters were authentic. That is mostly the result of a sense of humor and great chemistry between the performers. But I didn’t find myself laughing in this Marvel movie. In fact, the jokes were predictable and hackneyed. And it’s more than the jokes; it’s the entire story. There also came a moment when Sue Storm/Invisible Woman attempted to rally and inspire everyone, and it made no sense. The final resolution is straight out of a Deus ex machina playbook. It seems they were following a simplified formula for superhero movies that won’t end up remembered.
But, since it’s a Marvel movie, it does deliver with action sequences that are captivating enough to believe that our heroes are exploiting the gravity of a neutron star to propel themselves back home. And the music certainly amplifies those entertaining sequences.
But I can’t praise it entirely, especially with the antagonist, the Silver Surfer. The effects aren’t bad, they’re good- they’re too good. It felt more like a trip into the Uncanny Valley (when fake human appearances end up more disturbing than endearing).
Die-hard MCU fans will find a way to see this no matter what I write. But for the rest of us movie-goers? We’re not missing anything if we decide to do something else. Simply put: I would not place The Fantastic Four high on a list of prioritized movies of 2025.
The City of Cinema 