Cast: Pedro Pascal as Reed Richard’s, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Eben moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, Ralph Ineson as Galactus, Julia Garner as Silver Surfer, Natasha Lyonne as Rachel, Paul Walter Hauser as Mole Man, Sarah Nyles as Lynn,

Written By:Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson,Jeff Kaplan, Ian springer, and Kat Wood, based on the Marvel comic created by Stan Lee

Directed By: Matt Shakman (WandaVision)

Notable Producers: Kevin Feige

Original Score By: Michael Giacchino (The Batman)

Studio: Disney/Marvel

Release Year: 2025

Runtime:115 minutes

Rated PG-13

Audio description does exist for this film. However, my regal did not have working equipment, so this review is sans accessibility. If Disney would like to get me a digital copy with audio description that isn’t reliant upon audio description, fine. For now, this is my review.

What Is it?: the Fantastic Four join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, through their own distinct and different timeline. In this world, the team has widely vanquished enemies from the earth, and achieved global peace. But when the Silver Surfer arrives as the herald to Galactus, a cosmic being responsible for destroying entire planets, the team faces their greatest fight to date.

What Works: I loved the score to this. One of my favorite scores this year. There’s also a song in the credits about being devoured I found to be pretty spot on if it’s not an original song. We don’t usually start with music, but when you’ve got Michael Giacchino doing the work, it bears mentioning. I’m not into burying the lead. Of course, his work frequently catches my attention, so I’m not surprised. But, he seems to perfectly capture every moment, blending the throwback nature of this Jetsons-style retro-future, and bombastic action sequences.

As far as the film, considering this is now the third iteration (officially), So, there are definitely things that land in that “third times the charm” space. While this is only the second attempt at Galactus, this wins by a mile. The first time he’s used in Rise of The Silver Surfer, he’s barely in the film, like they ran out of money. Here, he’s in quite a bit of the film, and even speaks. He feels more like a terrifying foe here than a conceptual one that barely has screentime.

The first film went for more of a comic book, almost cartoonish feel with The Four, and the remake went dark, so this one tries to thread that needle. It isn’t interested in being comic relief, so the film largely lakcs it. They make up for it with a little robot named Herbie, who is either intended to replace comic relief, or be the next merchandising bonanza. i expect big things from that little guy. He’s a scene stealer.

But, even though this world is perfectly stylized to fit this specific Fantastic Four, there’s something lacking in the feel of the actual four, and whether or not they feel retro. it’s like time is having a hard time figuring out when it is. I liked the design of the film more than the characters in it, the production design and the aesthetic. it is like being handed a Christmas present, and the person who did the wrapping did such a beautiful job with gorgeous paper you almost don’t want to open it. then you do, and while whats inside is fine, the packaging is what is memorable.

That’s not to say each of the main cast don’t bring something, while also lacking. For example, they’ve toned down Johnny Storm quite a bit, so he’s less of a stand out. he’s not quite the reckless showoff, the ladies man, or the comic relief. he seems to want to e taken seriously, and Joseph Quinn does a nice job with the character as written. Do I prefer Chris Evan’s? yes. I think this film needed that energy, from anyone, and it never really had it. First Steps is so afraid of getting any extreme reactions from fans, as if everyone hates Marvel so irreparably that fences can never be mended, and if this film resembles any previous Marvel film at all, fans will riot about the expiration date of Marvel.

Vanessa Kirby builds a little more on what Kate Mara brought to Sue Storm, playing her as more believable as an intelligent person working in this field, something Alba never pulled off. However, Alba had fun, and Kirby is saddled with motherhood from the onset, spending the film either pregnant or protecting her baby. The most fun she has are in the beginning flashbacks. Otherwise, she’s dead serious. As an Oscar nominated actress, it seems like Kirby took this as a challenge to get nominated for playing Sue Storm.

Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richard’s is just as you would expect him to play this role. Joel walked straight into this. It’s a role and performance for Pascal fans, and he handles the dramatic stuff rather well, and is somewhat believable as the smartest guy in the room. What he lacks is conviction, as Kirby takes over damn near every scene they are in together, meaning the leader of The Fantastic Four feels more like the number two. He is positioned as lead, but lacks definitive bold leadership.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach is in fine form as The thing, spending nearly the entire film in what I assume is a motion capture suit. They decided not to alter his voice at all, so he sounds like Richie from The Bear. The funny thing is, one of the reasons I love Michael Chiklis in the role is that we got both. we saw and enjoyed him as a human, and watched him transform, which did change his voice. here, the trade off is that Ebon has far more range, but doesn’t really ever sound threatening. He just sounds like a regular guy. And they give him this relationship with Natasha Lyonne, that is actually even less developed than the first film, if that is possible. Here, Lyonne isn’t playing Alicia, the blind girlfriend, she’s Rachel. And I have no idea why she’s here. There has to be a plan for her in the future. you don’t cast Natasha Lyonne, give her nothing to do, and call it a day.

And then we have Julia garner, who the internet has been losing their absolute total fucking mind over. You know what? She was great. no notes. Seriously. Her version of Silver surfer isn’t the same as Laurence fishburne’s and even has a different name from her planet. She does a far better job being a pretend villain for the film than the sympathetic Fishburne. Here, she seems like the enemy, and is much harder to coerce.

So, it is a mixed bag. I did really like the way it all begins, with a news report of a retrospective about the Fantastic Four up until the current time. I think it was a smart move to add Franklin now. As Kevin Feige gets a hankering for a reset,there are all of these newer, second gen characters we will never get to meet if we keep starting from scratch. We’re just now starting to get to characters like Wiccan, and he’s talking hitting a reset after Doomsday. that means we go back, again, to the beginning. characters like Franklin need to be introduced faster.

Lastly, I wanted more from Paul Walter hauser as Mole Man. it is a small role, but the pacing here is so tight, so fast, some things feel rushed, and we could actually add ten minutes and still be fine. in those ten minutes, we can explain why Rachel exists, and give Mole Man more to do.

one of the things that they actually explain in this film is WHY Galactus needs Silver Surfer. Surfer is the one who chooses the planets, and was a scientist type on her planet. So, she can tell which planets will suffice to keep her planet safe.

What doesn’t Work: I actually think I still like the 2005 film the best. It has a solid origin story, and while it isn’t perfect, it isn’t afraid of being fun. This seems to want to have the sheen of WandaVision, but it lacks in some of the quirky delivery. Without a few little glimmers like Herbie, this would be rather flat. I’m not sure anyone here gave the definitive performance of this character, except those playing the villains. That’s good news for fans of Doom, who makes a silent, faceless mid-credits cameo.

But, aside from the apparently poorly CGI baby, it is what I said it is. it is a perfectly fine gift, but it is wrapped inn this super interesting package. the style, the music, the pacing, and even script elements are truly terrific. Yet somehow, they seemed to make it so serious, so middle of the road, the lack of danger in trying to have distinct personality came at a cost. While appealing broadly, you end up with a film that is probably more liked than loved. I don’t think this really helps push the MCU in the right direction, but it also was trying really hard not to make anything worse.

You Might Like it If: you are already a fan of the comic book. If you don’t like comic book adaptations, this won’t change your perception. It is still super powered individuals fighting a space villain with extreme power. It is not rooted in normality.

Why you Might Not Like It: if you thought this film looked like a bold new iteration, it is too afraid of online trolls to push much beyond gender bending one role, and letting reed have some facial hair.

Final thoughts: Like a baby taking its first Steps, the Fantastic Four are hoping you’re so overjoyed with the unique quality, that you can look past a few stumbles.

Fresh: Final Grade: 6.9/10