Review: Honestly wasn’t sure how I would feel about First Steps going in because the Fantastic Four is a hero team that has been plagued with subpar adaptations for the past 30 years. The closes we got to something remotely close to being accurate was the unreleased 90s adaptation and that was pretty rough even by the 90s standards. The 00s films were fun for what they were but wasn’t exactly the embodiment of Marvel’s first family. And I don’t want to even speak of the 2015 Josh Trank disaster Fant4stick because even if it wasn’t all Trank’s fault, it’s clear that everyone in charge of making that film clearly didn’t understand the characters or the source material.
That being said, the 2025 reboot starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson brings us a more faithful take on the Iconic characters in a universe (Earth-828) that is more akin to the era the characters were created in with a story that is more rooted in the family dynamics. Similarly to James Gunn’s Superman (2025) First Steps doesn’t waste any time with an origins story or a retelling. It throws you right into the middle of it all but gives you just enough for you to get the gist of it all without boring you with rethreading the same patterns over and over again. The best part is, in my opinion is seeing a version of Galactus that feels like it’s straight out of the pages of the comic. Ralph Ineson Captures the attitude and mannerisms of the Devourer of Worlds so perfectly that I don’t think anyone else could have done a better job. The stakes feel high, the threat real, and my boy Galactus has never looked so incredibly badass.
I honestly had my doubts on whether or not Pedro Pascal was up to the task to play Mr. Fantastic himself, but I stand corrected. He acts like the calculating scientist Reed is known to be from the comics and I’m glad that my doubts about him were wrong. Alongside co-star Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm the pair have onscreen chemistry that feels genuine, and they feel like a perfect balance of Yin and Yang. Whereas Reed is the team leader who must think of the plans and scenarios using logic, Sue is very much the heart and conscience of the team. She is their diplomats who maintains the peace and really means on each other for support. Joseph Quinn did a fairly good job as Johnny Storm. His take on the character is less of a smart mouthing hot headed jokester and more matured and understanding. This isn’t to say he isn’t fun like previous adaptations, but this Johnny has clearly done sone growing up since becoming the Human Torch, and to be frank it’s a nice change up on the character which shows growth and development. Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s take on Ben Grimm was pretty solid, although I would be lying if I said I wasn’t missing Michael Chiklis more raspy sounding voice which in my opinion matched The Thing more. But it’s not a huge deal breaker in my opinion as Bachrach’s take is still very much likable. My only disappointment is I feel like we didn’t get enough of Ben in the film and at times he was sidelined for other character’s growth.
Finally, Julia Garner. Her casting as the titular Herald of Galactus drummed up a lot of controversy early on into production most notably by people who either weren't very familiar with the character or the lore. Or was afraid of another “M-She-U” girl boss trope. Garner’s Shalla-Bal was actually pretty amazing and relatable. She doesn’t feel shoehorned in or like a trope and feels very comic-accurate. There’s a chase scene towards the film’s second act involving the Surfer that had me on the edge of my seat. Her character was utilized much better here than her male counterpart Norrin Radd was in the 2007’s F4 movie Rise of the Silver Surfer in my opinion. I only wish we had gotten a bit more of her backstory laid out here and maybe a bit more time. Which is a semi issue the movie does have, and it’s we don’t get a whole lot of time with the villains of the story. I would have preferred more screen time on Galactus and Shalla-Bal. But I’m sure this is because we are likely to get Norrin Radd as some point later down the road.
Final Verdict: I had somewhat higher expectations going into First Steps than I did with DC’s Superman, but similarly to Superman I came out satisfied with expectations blown clear out of the water. And the mid-credit scene in my opinion is the chef’s kiss that sets up what’s to come next (you’ll know when you see it).
Rating: 9/10
