Marvel Studios officially kicked off Phase Six of its cinematic universe with the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and the film is already garnering solid reviews and a strong start at the box office. The cast is terrific across the board, and the production design is, well, pretty darn fantastic, evoking Disney's Tomorrowland (the park, not the film) with its 1960s retro-alt-future aesthetic. Just let your brain relax and don't try to make too much of the nonsensical plot.
(Some spoilers below, but no major reveals.)
Director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) took a page from James Gunn's Superman playbook and skipped the usual origin story for our heroes. How the Fantastic Four acquired their unique abilities is recapped via brief flashbacks, along with some of their early exploits, thanks to the Four being featured celebrities on a popular talk show hosted by Ted Gilbert (Mark Gatiss). Reed Richard/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) are even expecting their first child, to the delight of Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).
The future on Earth-828 is looking pretty rosy for the Four until the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), heralding the imminent arrival of Galactus, a 14-million-year-old gigantic cosmic being that wanders the universe devouring entire planets. Earth is next on the menu, and the Four decide to head out to space to find Galactus and ask him really nicely to not devour Earth. It does not go well, setting the stage for a mega-showdown with Galactus. But how will the Four defeat an almost godlike being, even with their impressive superpowers?
Meet the Fantastic Four: The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Invisble Woman (Vanessa Kirby), and Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) Meet the Fantastic Four: The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Invisble Woman (Vanessa Kirby), and Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) Ben/The Thing samples H.E.R.B.I.E.'s (Matthew Wood) pasta sauce. Ben/The Thing samples H.E.R.B.I.E.'s (Matthew Wood) pasta sauce. Meet the Fantastic Four: The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Invisble Woman (Vanessa Kirby), and Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) Ben/The Thing samples H.E.R.B.I.E.'s (Matthew Wood) pasta sauce. Astronaut Ben, before the accident that led to his mutation, confers with Reed in a flashback. Astronaut Ben, before the accident that led to his mutation, confers with Reed in a flashback. Mole Man, aka Harvey Elder (Paul Walter Hauser) rules the underground society, Subterranea. Mole Man, aka Harvey Elder (Paul Walter Hauser) rules the underground society, Subterranea. Astronaut Ben, before the accident that led to his mutation, confers with Reed in a flashback. Mole Man, aka Harvey Elder (Paul Walter Hauser) rules the underground society, Subterranea.
This is by far the best film adaptation of the Fantastic Four, but let's be honest: That's a fairly low bar. Sure, 2005's Fantastic Four was a box office success and had a couple of decent moments, but the 2015 reboot unequivocally bombed, and the planned sequel was quickly cancelled. (The four stars of a 1994 unreleased low-budget Roger Corman take on the quartet make brief cameos in First Steps.) When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, Marvel Studios got the film rights to the Fantastic Four characters and came up with a fresh take on the franchise.