We’ve arrived at the third film released from the MCU in 2025, and with every project from the giants comes the challenge of figuring out where we’re headed next in the franchise’s less-than-stellar track record. We all know Captain America: Brave New World kicked off on a disappointing note, but then Thunderbolts* came out and it was a complete surprise, despite not having the biggest box office draw. But at the start of the year, there was only one Marvel film I had my eyes on that I’ve been anticipating for a long time: The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the first entry for Phase 6 and the 37th entry in general. That’s because, under Kevin Feige, this is the best time to bring Marvel’s First Family, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, into this universe. So much is riding on this one to be at least good. But, we finally got ourselves a great Fantastic Four film and proved wisely that the fourth time is the charm.

What’s the Story: On a space mission flight, Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) came into contact with a cosmic ray that exposed them to superhuman abilities beyond their wildest imagination. Four years later, the team has been celebrated as heroes around the world and in New York City on Earth-828 as the Fantastic Four. With the wonderful news that Sue and Reed are expecting a child, an intergalactic herald named Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) announced to the people of Earth that their world is marked for destruction and will be consumed by the planet-eating Galactus (Ralph Ineson). The Fantastic Four must protect it from what Galactus wants to spare it.

When it was announced that Disney acquired Fox years ago, not only did it mean that their licensed characters (X-Men) would likely be part of the MCU; it was also a strong indicator that they would receive a brand-new and hopefully better Fantastic Four movie in fans’ hands. It’s the effort to translate the team to the big screen that hasn’t worked for the past 30 years (if we’re also including the bootlegged Roger Corman-produced one). As a kid, 2005’s Fantastic Four and its more underwhelming sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, were pretty much at the bottom of the barrel for superhero movies during that time. However, nothing compares to how awful the 2015 dark reboot from Josh Trank turned out to be, which I still believe is the worst comic book movie of the last decade.

But what makes The Fantastic Four: First Steps more watchable than the other imitations that failed to do the team justice on the big screen? Much like how Jon Watts (who was initially attached to direct) did with Spider-Man: Homecoming and, most recently, with James Gunn with Superman, WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman and his team of writers (Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer) know audiences don’t want to sit through another origin story re-telling that first shows the team learning of these powers. The first ten minutes tell us what went wrong with their mission through a montage set to Michael Giacchino’s excellent score, showing us another world that we haven’t explored, where they’re recognizable everywhere and saving lives. Just the opening alone made me think this won’t be bad. And because this isn’t the same universe as The Avengers or even the Guardians, it made the Fantastic Four’s introduction fresher than I expected. Plus, them being on Earth-828 is enough to prove they haven’t been in hiding, and the FF are the only heroes in this universe.

You have to admire the look that was brought here to give it a retro-futuristic ’60s vibe, which is a great touch in setting its characters, given that its first issue came out around that time. Not since Black Panther have I admired the overall look of an MCU film, and the production design courtesy of Kasra Farahani that stands out from nearly everything else we’ve seen in the MCU, especially when inside the Baxter Building.

The most important aspect of making a good Fantastic Four movie memorable is having a cast that you believe in. Although I liked the cast from the 2015 reboot, they had zero chemistry and appeared bored throughout filming. Not here, as this was the perfect core four to bring these heroes to life and make us buy into the stakes, and as a family. Pedro Pascal has been a presence in geek culture everywhere, from the DCEU (Wonder Woman 1984) to Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, and The Last of Us. Just hearing that he would take on the role of Reed Richards/ Mr. Fantastic made me fear he’ll become too overexposed for everyone. But he commands his performance as Reed, the genius whose intellect tends to stretch his mind in the same way that science tends to find the exact problem. Vanessa Kirby as Sue/Invisible Woman brought some emotional depth that I hadn’t seen from the character in a long time, particularly in her care and warmth for her child, Franklin (whose CGI appearance was a mixed bag). The chemistry between her and Pascal is terrific, as I came to expect from an on-screen Reed/ Sue relationship.

Joseph Quinn was my top choice for Johnny, especially after his compelling performance in Stranger Things season 4 and the subsequent fan casting. He perfectly embodied the right mix of cockiness and intelligence, making him a fan-favorite and my personal favorite portrayal of the Human Torch. Moss-Bachrach brought a grounded and heartfelt portrayal to his Ben Grimm/ The Thing character, especially when he’s not in action. He becomes the film’s heart, a character who embraces his rock-mutated appearance. The friendship between Johnny and Ben, which brought out the most humorous moments, added a delightful and entertaining element to the film.

Julia Garner was better than I expected as Shalla-Bal (the backlash against her casting was ridiculous), and she is given a reasonable backstory as to why she travels through space to serve Galactus. The visuals of her didn’t blow me away, but it’s tough to make metallic silver look realistic. And this finally gets Galactus right after he was essentially a giant cloud in Rise of the Silver Surfer. When you see him on screen, especially in IMAX, his appearance doesn’t come across as ridiculous, but as a threatening, massive scale of his presence that the team isn’t sure if they could defeat when they first meet him. And if there was one actor they needed to get to provide the type of booming voice to capture the villain well, it had to be Ineson without question.

There’s no denying the action brought here is exciting, but it’s the focus on the character dynamics that took me by surprise. The film is driven by the FF and what they must do to prevent their entire world from becoming nothing. It’s all about family, which is well-realized here than before. The overall spectacle never seemed to overbalance the stress of what the team is put through, which comes with the cost of one of their own, of what’s important. I didn’t think I would walk in expecting it to get a bit emotional, and yet that’s how much Shakman cares about the family connection. But First Steps has some of the most fun sequences in the MCU when it first incorporates the team into space, drawing its sci-fi influence from Interstellar as the team escapes through a wormhole via the Silver Surfer, leaving me stunned.

Taking into account what I’ve liked since Phase 5, it’s been a long time since I enjoyed back-to-back MCU films that weren’t as formulaic as we come to expect. Since I’m pushing 30, I’m disappointed that part of me isn’t as excited about comic book movies as I used to be, whether it’s Marvel or DC. But who would’ve imagined both this and Superman turned out great in the same month? Nothing about the plot had too many surprises, aside from a few Easter eggs that fans of the comics will likely pick up on during their first viewing. And it’s one of the shortest superhero movies at just under two hours, which is why I probably could’ve used 20 minutes more. Just making another Fantastic Four didn’t seem like the most straightforward task to take on when dealing with characters that stretch and turn into fire, but in the right hands, it’s what I wanted, that’s not just goofy or taking itself too seriously. We already know they’re going to play a part in Avengers: Doomsday, so having them in that leaves me excited for what these characters will do next.

Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps provides the titular team with the much-needed fun and excitement that fans of the comics have been missing from its failed adaptations. Tapped with a likably superb cast, exciting action, and carrying an instant charm that can’t be resisted, it stands out among one of the MCU’s most memorable outings in some time.

Grade: B+