The Fantastic Four: First Steps - 4K Digital Review

[Michael Scott]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
I feel like I’m living in the Twilight Zone all of a sudden. I mean, I’ve been a huge MCU fan since Iron Man revolutionized the comic film industry, but anyone who has read my reviews over the last few years knows that I have become VERY disillusioned with the MCU post Avengers: End Game. While much of the blame can be laid at Disney/Marvel’s feet, I also think that it’s a natural paradigm shift that happens every 10-15 years in EVERY genre in filmmaking. The 80s and 90s action movies are never coming back, nor are the 60s and 70s westerns. Music shows the same thing, with Hair metal dominating in the 80s and early 90s, only for audiences to get bored and look for something different. Super Hero movies are experiencing the same paradigm shift, as the market had reached peak saturation, and while the audience looked elsewhere, creativity declined in the film-making world as well. BUT, I was a bit surprised that this jaded reviewer actually ended up enjoying The Thunderbolts a few months back, and even more surprised when I watched The Fantastic Four: First Steps and didn’t just mildly enjoy it. Nay, I actually REALLY enjoyed it. This is the first time post Endgame (outside of Spider-Man: No Way Home) where I actually came out of a viewing excited by what I had just seen. Will it completely revolutionize the MCU and save it from the steady decline that it has been undergoing? Obviously not, but it is a step in the right direction for the future of the genre if it is to stay relevant. Smaller, more contained films that focus on actual character development rather than being filler and a lead-up for “the next product” in a chain of films simply meant to lead up to one major one.

Instead of going through one more origin story, Marvel throws us straight into an already established Fantastic Four in an alternative universe. Here, the Fantastic Four have had a good 4 or 5 years under their belts as being the world’s saviors, and whisk us straight into this new thread. Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and his wife Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) are expecting their first child together, and the dynamics of their family are changing. Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are going to be uncles, and all is right with the world. That issssssssssssss until a new thread arrives on Earth in the form of the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), who heralds the presence of the universal threat that is Galactus (Ralph Ineson). Galactus is no monster, no evil villain with a mustache-twirling plan that the Fantastic Four can outsmart or outgun. Galactus is a cosmic force whose only goal is to feed upon entire planets to sustain himself. And now he has his sights on Earth.

Not to sit on their laurels, the Fantastic Four (including a VERY prenant Sue Storm) decide to face Galactus and see if they can talk to him and bargain for Earth’s safety. Unfortunately for them, the terms that Galactus offers is something that they can not comply with, as Galactus wants one thing in life more than eating worlds, and that is to give up his cursed existence of planet devouring and rest. And the only way that he can see that happening is by giving up his role as cosmic world eater to another. A being that is powerful enough to take on the role and not be consumed BY it. A being that has been born of two superpowered metahumans who have the Power Cosmic. Reed and Sue’s unborn child, Franklin.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the first time in YEARS that I’ve actually been excited by a MCU film. Despite my growing criticism of the state of Marvel and the overexposure of Pedro Pascal (he is THE it guy right now), this was a fun superhero flick. The powers that be kept the film from being multiverse-spanning, contained in a singular plot line, AND going back to classic “family” values. The Fantastic Four has always been “Marvel’s first family,” and this entire project was done very respectfully to those old-fashioned family values that the original comics were steeped in. I also loved the aesthetic vibe of the retro-futuristic look of this Earth. It reminded me of if the Jetsons met the Fantastic Four, and it just WORKS despite not being connected with the tone and feel of the previous Marvel films.

Pascal actually shines here as Reed Richards (something that shocked me), toning down his normal exuberant acting to a more metered and sterile Reed Richards. And Vanessa Kirby absolutely nails her role as Sue Storm. I have a soft spot in my heart for the early 2000s Fantastic Four films with Jessica Alba, but Kirby is on another level here. She’s warm, inviting, and embodies the love and family that the series has always been about, and out of the 4 main cast members, she absolutely steals every scene that she’s in. But the real show stealer for the entire movie is Ralph Ineson behind the visage of Galactus. The man is an incredible actor to begin with, and he manages to turn a CGI monster into something truly relatable and powerful at the same time. His gravely voice just oozes power and menace, without ever truly going overboard.

IF I had to complain about anything, it was that the film’s plot was a bit cheesy and utilized one of comics' worst deus ex machina as a plot device, Franklin Richards. Not to get too nerdy, but Franklin Richards is worse than Sentry for being a plot deus ex machina is so overpowered that even the comic writers have had to nerf him a million times for being so insanely OP. I mean, a baby who literally has the powers cosmic and can shape universes? Even Thanos and the Celestials don’t stand a chance, and the “magical baby” trope has been beaten into the ground a million times in the past. Simultaneously, I wish Galactus had been saved for a later date, as he is one of the MCU’s most powerful villains, and I would have preferred to have seen more of their rogues' galleries before going straight for the big guns. I will say this, though, seeing Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer wasn’t as bad as many of us had feared. Sure, she’s not Norrin Radd (the ACTUAL Silver Surfer), but in the context of the movie, she actually worked. The Silver Surfer actually has much less of an impact than the character did in the previous films, so her being there instead of Norrin didn’t really affect the story much. But again, these are minor nitpicks, as the actual film turned out better than I think most of us ever expected.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for action/violence and some language.




Video:

Like usual, no star rating as this is based upon a digital stream, yadda yadda, not fair to rate it due to being bitrate and download speed dependent, yadda yadda. Anyways, that disclaimer aside, The Fantastic Four: First Steps looks REALLY good from the Movie Anywhere Stream I was provided. The overall aesthetic is very retro futuristic, which uses some diffused colors and more pale blues than I was expecting. That’s not to say primary shades don’t pop with the Dolby Vision. There are more than a few scenes with some really shiny colors, mostly involving Galactus and his purple eyes, or the orange flames surrounding Johnny’s body. Fine details are superb, and I found no signs of banding, even on my stream (which blew me away, as banding is notorious on streaming services), and compression looked good.








Audio:

The Dolby Atmos track required the normal Disney/Marvel decibel boosting on my receiver (roughly 5-6 DB’s from reference on my normal listening level), but when boosted really opens up. The track is on the active side, with tons of swooshing, roaring, and other surround-oriented activity as the Fantastic Four battle Galactus. The score is nice and subtle, not really pushing its way into the mix until the end, and overall, this is a great track. I did feel the bass was a bit light (comparatively) until the very end when Galactus steps off his ship. THAT was a wall shaker that pretty much vibrated every picture frame off the wall, from my neighbor's house, 2 blocks away. The rest of the battle with Galactus was an absolute rush, filled with incredible surround, and every footstep of the monstrous antagonist shook walls with ease.







Extras:

• Meet the First Family
• Fantastic Futurism
• From Beyond and From Below
• Bloopers
• Deleted Scenes
• Commentary

Final Score: ​

I was really surprised by how well First Steps turned out. I’ve been very bored with Marvel ever since phase 3 ended, with only Spiderman: No Way Home and The Thunderbolts actually standing out as being halfway decent (halfway for Thunderbolts, Spiderman: No Way Home was fantastic). But this is the first time that I feel that Marvel has actually learned from their mistakes and crafted a self-contained story that actually works outside of the over-bloated multiverse. It’s not perfect, but WAY better than the recent Marvel fare we’ve had to deal with, and I genuinely hope Marvel keeps this quality of work up. Two solid thumbs up.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinee, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson
Directed by: Mark Shakman
Written by: Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos
Subtitles: English
Studio: Marvel
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 114 Minutes
Digital Release Date: August 23rd, 2025

Recommendation: Two Thumbs Up

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