Rating:
Summary: The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a fantastic, mostly standalone entry in the MCU, a story with plenty at stake, strong characterisation, and one with plenty of heart at its core. A great start to Phase Six.
If you're looking to get back into the MCU, and are worried about all the "homework" you'll need to do before being able to fully understand everything in a new entry, I have the movie for you. "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" takes us to a 1960s inspired retro-futuristic universe, different to the one where the rest of the MCU usually takes place. And as a result, you don't need to know anything about what has happened before, or what will happen after (although you did get a hint of it at the end of Thunderbolts*). This makes "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" probably the most accessible MCU film in a while.
A strong cast is the first thing you'll notice about this film - Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, an urecognisable Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn round off the "Four" in the "Fantastic Four", and they are joined by strong and memorable performance by Julia Garner as the Silver Surfe, with cameos by Natasha Lyonne and an always funny Paul Walter Hauser. Ralph Ineson plays Galactus, the villain of the film. The other thing you'll note is this is not an origin story, perhaps somewhat unexpected given that it's the first (rebooted) movie in this mini-franchise, but this is a good thing - we don't need a rehash of the story everyone probably already knows, especially when the movie is set in another universe to the one we usually observe - the entire origin of the Fantastic Four is summarised in a short scene near the beginning of the film, for those that still need a refresher. But otherwise, the film starts off fast, and the action and storyline keep on going.
If you've seen the trailers, you should get a good idea of what the storyline is. When the planet-consuming comic entity Galactus (and his herald, the Silver Surfer) arrives on Earth, intending to devour it, the Fantastic Four must defend their home, and their family, at all costs. It's a simple story when you think about it, but the real heart of the story is in the interaction between the members of Marvel's first family. This is where the casting excelled, as we get a really good idea of the characteristics of each of the four main heroes by the end of the film, and they become all very relatable.
Technical aspects are excellent. I watched the IMAX version of the film in a special preview arranged by Disney, and there's a sprinkling of shot on IMAX scenes that really expand the scope of the image, and magnify the terror of Galactus. Most of the film itself is shown in a vertically expanded 1.90:1 aspect ratio (dubbed "Fantastivision"), with more top and bottom visuals than your typical movie, with IMAX scenes going the full 1.43:1 ratio. It's well worth seeing this film on the biggest screen you can find, even if it's not on IMAX.
The Michael Giacchino score (as are most Michael Giacchino scores) is fantastic, a mix of retro and contemporary themes.
This is the movie that I suspect will get a lot of people back into the MCU thanks to the lack of viewing prerequisites, and it nicely sets up the next big film in the MCU timeline (with a side trip to Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" in between), "Avengers: Doomsday".
And yes, there are post-credit scenes. One is a mid-credit scene that is very important, the other is at the very end which, if you're in a hurry, you can probably skip.
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is in cinemas on 24 July 2025. Streaming release date: TBA
