Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss
Genre: Superhero, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Director: Matt Shakman
In Irish Cinemas: Now
From the very beginning of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a curious tension sets in: it doesn’t feel like the launchpad of a bold new superhero franchise—it feels like we’ve stumbled into a sequel. That disorienting sense of midstream storytelling is both the film’s most daring quality and its most significant stumbling block. Rather than labour through yet another by-the-numbers origin story, this Marvel reboot dives straight into the action, sidestepping exposition in favour of momentum. The result is a movie that feels lived-in and immediate, but also occasionally hollow.
Arriving more than a decade after the ill-fated 2015 reboot—and even further removed from the glossy, forgettable films of the 2000s—this version of Fantastic Four skips past the cosmic-ray incident that gave its heroes their powers. Instead, it opens with a brisk montage that offers a highlight-reel version of how the four astronauts became superhuman and how they came to protect Earth-828, a parallel Earth distinct from the one we know. It’s an unconventional move, and not an entirely unwelcome one: this narrative shortcut clears the path for more engaging storytelling, and the film’s greatest strength lies in how quickly and confidently it immerses us in its retrofuturistic setting. The worldbuilding is lush, textured, and refreshingly self-contained.
Directed by Matt Shakman, First Steps quickly settles into a rhythm reminiscent of a familial ensemble dramedy—a tonal echo of the original comics. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) serve as the emotional core, a power couple balancing world-saving duties with romantic stability. Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) play their respective roles with comic friction and warmth, capturing the group’s familiar dynamic of brotherly tension. But that balance is soon shattered by the arrival of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), whose cryptic warning heralds the approach of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a planet-devouring cosmic god. With Earth’s destruction looming, the team is thrust into space on an urgent, high-stakes mission.
And yet, the film’s pacing and tone suggest we’re meant to have already bonded with these characters. There’s a sense that we’ve missed an earlier chapter, one that might’ve helped us understand who these people are beneath the suits and archetypes. The emotional shorthand doesn’t always hit the mark. Instead of building the family dynamic organically, the film leans heavily on its charismatic cast—though only Moss-Bachrach seems entirely at home in his role—and our collective cultural memory of the Fantastic Four brand to fill in the emotional gaps.
Still, there’s a certain thrill in watching a Marvel film that dares to feel different. Shakman’s direction steers clear of the now-standard MCU formula, allowing the film to develop its own stylistic identity, free of cross-franchise obligations or multiverse cameos. The aesthetic leans heavily into tactile, retro stylings—grainy textures, analogue technology, and classic space opera flair—grounding the narrative in a world that feels refreshingly distinct from the usual CGI sprawl.
At its core, First Steps isn’t just a superhero film—it’s a family drama masquerading as one. A revelation in the opening act anchors the emotional arc: Sue is pregnant. What follows is a quiet but powerful thread about expectation, fear, and the weight of bringing new life into a dangerous world. That tension becomes literal when Galactus proposes a monstrous exchange: the life of Reed and Sue’s unborn child in return for Earth’s survival. Suddenly, the fate of the planet hinges not on superpowers or battle strategies, but on the intimate, devastating question of what a parent is willing to sacrifice.
It’s here that Pascal’s performance as Reed finally deepens. What begins as a somewhat stiff portrayal of the stoic genius evolves into something more vulnerable and conflicted. Reed is the archetypal hero who can solve any problem with intellect and optimism—until he’s faced with a problem no formula can solve. His crisis is not just galactic, but existential.
“The more I look at you, the less I know. The less I know, the more scared I am,” Reed murmurs to his unborn child in a quietly devastating moment. The quote doesn’t just summarise the plot—it encapsulates the film’s emotional thesis. Galactus’s ultimatum becomes a metaphor for the existential dread of parenthood: the sudden realisation that your heart now lives outside your body, exposed to a universe of threats you can’t control. The stakes, though cosmic in scale, are ultimately grounded in the terror of losing what you love most.
In that sense, First Steps succeeds in a way many Marvel films don’t—it links the fantastical with the deeply human. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t always maintain that cohesion. Strong individual elements—the committed performances, the rich production design, the thematic ambition—don’t quite lock into place to form a wholly satisfying whole. The film is intermittently thrilling and often intriguing, but it feels like a promising draft rather than a fully realised statement.
Still, there’s value in what First Steps attempts, even if it doesn’t consistently achieve it. These may be uneven beginnings, but they mark a refreshing turn toward character-driven storytelling and aesthetic experimentation. If Marvel continues down this road, embracing films that are messier but more personal, it might just find a new way forward. Imperfect as it is, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is precisely that: a cautious but compelling step in the right direction.
Overall: 7/10
Movie Reviewer
