Welcome To MoveiAnimeX! Today we are going to review Marvel’s new most awaited “Fantastic Four: First Steps” movie. Before we start here’s a spoiler alert.
Ratings
- MovieAnimeX:- 7.9/10
- Imdb:- 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score:- 92%
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score:- 89%
The Return to Form Marvel Needed
Marvel’s latest attempt to bring their first family to the screen lands with style and heart. Set in an alternate 1960s universe dubbed Earth-828, The Fantastic Four: First Steps delivers a refreshing departure from the interconnected complexity that has bogged down recent MCU entries.
A Family First Approach
The story opens with Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) revealing her pregnancy to Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), setting up the film’s core theme of family versus duty. This isn’t just another origin story – we meet the team four years into their superhero careers, already beloved public figures in their retrofuturistic world.
Visual Splendor That Pops
Production designer Kasra Farahani creates a stunning 1960s aesthetic that feels both nostalgic and fresh. The world bursts with flying cars, art deco architecture, and period-specific touches that make Earth-828 feel alive. Times Square marquees advertise fictional films like “Subzero Intel” and “The Emperor’s Twin,” while vintage ads for Juicy Fruit and Pop-Tarts pepper the landscape.
The Cast Clicks (Mostly)
Pedro Pascal brings a nervous energy to Reed Richards, playing him as a brilliant scientist burdened by his analytical mind. Vanessa Kirby emerges as the standout, delivering a powerful performance as Sue Storm that balances diplomatic grace with maternal ferocity.
Joseph Quinn captures Johnny Storm’s impulsive nature without falling into mere comic relief, while Ebon Moss-Bachrach brings unexpected depth to Ben Grimm despite being buried under CGI. Their chemistry as a unit feels genuine, though some critics note the interactions occasionally come across as stiff.
A Simpler Threat Done Right
When Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer arrives to herald Earth’s doom, the film shifts into cosmic territory. Ralph Ineson’s Galactus proves genuinely menacing – a planet-devouring force that offers to spare Earth in exchange for Reed and Sue’s unborn child. This straightforward conflict allows the story to focus on character dynamics rather than universe-building complexity.
Technical Achievements
Michael Giacchino’s score stands as a highlight, with its “choral sting of ‘Fantastic Fourrrrrr!'” becoming instantly iconic. The visual effects work impresses, particularly in space sequences that echo classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Where It Stumbles
The film occasionally pulls its punches, playing it safe when it could push boundaries. Some CGI elements feel undercooked, particularly in rendering The Thing. The pacing also suffers from an extended exposition dump early on, though the retro newsreel format helps make this more palatable.
The Verdict
First Steps succeeds where previous Fantastic Four adaptations failed by embracing the source material’s inherent optimism and family dynamics. While it may not reinvent the superhero genre, it offers a refreshing palette cleanser for a franchise that desperately needed one.
At its heart, this is a story about family facing impossible odds together. The retro setting liberates it from the weight of MCU continuity, allowing these characters to breathe and establish themselves on their own terms.