Early reviews for The Fantastic Four: First Steps call film ‘out of this world'
The movie stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the heroic quartet, with British actor Ralph Ineson as the villain Galactus and Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer.
The original Fantastic Four comic books follow a group of scientists who develop superhuman abilities after being exposed to a mysterious cosmic storm. The new Marvel film follows Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing as they defend Earth from Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
The Fantastic Four cast will appear in the film alongside a variety of characters from the Thunderbolts, Black Panther, and X-Men films. Disney's Marvel Studios acquired the rights to the Fantastic Four in 2019 when the company merged with Fox.
While the film doesn't officially debut in theaters until July 25, some have seen an advanced screening and shared their thoughts.
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' debuts in theaters July 25 (Marvel Studios)
One person wrote on X: '#FantasticFour Is a masterpiece. the visual effects and the score are a HUGE stand out. Galactus Is huge In IMAX. It's emotional and gives you hope. It beats you off and doesn't stop. STAY Until the END CREDITS.'
That review prompted someone to respond: 'That's all I needed to hear buying a ticket now.'
#FantasticFour is SOLID like Ben Grimm! Marvel's First Family has chemistry that is out of this world. The powers alone make for some great visuals, but the space sequences are quite breathtaking. If these are their first steps, I'm excited to see what steps they take next
— Law⚡️ (@LawJSharma) July 19, 2025
Someone else who saw the film wrote: '#FantasticFour Quite possibly the best Marvel Studios film ever released. Absolutely loaded with talent and standout performances from Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn. If you thought the MCU died with Endgame, think again. Thoughtfully crafted and easily a genre-defining classic.'
Several reviews called out Kirby's performance individually, with one person sharing: 'Matt Shakman delivers an action packed, humorous and fun film with #TheFantasticFour the family dynamic between Marvel's first family is there! The entire cast is great but the FANTASTIC standout is Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm!'
#FantasticFour Is a masterpiece. the visual effects and the score are a HUGE stand out. Galactus Is huge In IMAX. It's emotional and gives you hope. It beats you off and doesn't stop. STAY Until the END CREDITS. pic.twitter.com/jEvx7g7Ojt
— deo (@frickyuu) July 19, 2025
But the praise for the performances didn't stop there. Someone else noted the chemistry between the characters was 'out of this world,' adding: 'The powers alone make for some great visuals, but the space sequences are quite breathtaking. If these are their first steps, I'm excited to see what steps they take next.'
Another wrote: '#TheFantasticFour is SIMPLY FANTASTIC! Marvel's first family shines with chemistry & charisma Stan Lee would be proud of. Visually incredible, the FF dazzle from start to finish. Ben Grimm brings the heart. Silver Surfer is perfection. Matt Shakman delivers one of Marvel's best.'
'Nothing will prepare you for #TheFantasticFour First Steps. Pedro Pascal is the perfect Reed, but the entire cast shines and does right by these characters. It's funny, moving, gorgeous to look at, and non-stop FANTASTIC. This is @MarvelStudios at its brilliant best.'
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released in theaters on July 25.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Gizmodo
19 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
Heaven Sure Feels Like Hell in Afterlife Dramedy ‘Eternity'
Quirky depictions of the afterlife have been well-explored by movies and TV; think Albert Brooks' film Defending Your Life or Kristen Bell's series The Good Place. But the quandary introduced in Eternity is a particularly prickly one, as a woman who's lived a long life that encompassed two happy marriages crosses over… into a fantastical but weirdly bureaucratic version of purgatory, where she's informed she must pick between her loves to decide her eternal partner. The new trailer for Eternity dropped today, and if that premise makes you want to scream, at least the cast has a lot of appeal: Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, Miles Teller, John Early, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Who else muttered 'Oh, she's in the Bad Place' to themselves while watching that? Here's the official plot description, which doesn't really elaborate more on what the trailer shows: 'In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Miles Teller) and her first love (Callum Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.' It's the afterlife. It's a magical realm. They don't say 'heaven,' but it looks pretty dreamy aside from all that ridiculous romantic drama. Why can't Joan have it both ways? Who made up these rules? ONE WEEK?? Is there any room to negotiate? All will be revealed when Eternity, which was written by David Freyne (The Cured), hits theaters in November. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.


Digital Trends
19 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
Could DC actually be the future of comic book movies?
Since the fateful day in 2008 when Iron Man hit theaters, Marvel has enjoyed an almost uncontested reign as the king of comic book movies. In an age when superheroes were everywhere at the movie theater, Marvel was the studio that best understood how to bring them to life and make even people who had never read a comic book in their lives care about them. All of that reached what felt like a pretty natural climax with 2019's Avengers: Endgame, which became one of the biggest movies in the history of forever and capped off more than a decade of sprawling storytelling. Even as Endgame retired several of the franchise's core heroes, Marvel seemed determined to keep things going. Recommended Videos The results over the last six years have been less than pretty. Despite experiencing some successes, Marvel has faced significantly more failures compared to earlier periods, creating an opportunity for other franchises to flourish. DC was caught flat-footed when Marvel first came out of the gate. They had Christopher Nolan's Batman movies, but other than that, Warner Bros. simply didn't have a good way to compete. Their first attempt was the DC Extended Universe, which launched with 2013's Man of Steel and was a brief commercial success but was never as critically beloved as its Marvel alternative. Even more crucially, these movies never felt like they were genuine phenomena in quite the same way Marvel was. So, while Marvel continues the cinematic universe it started in 2008, DC is launching a new one this year. James Gunn's Superman is the first entry in that new universe, and it's also the first time I wondered whether Marvel might really be in trouble. While the numbers were close, Superman outgrossed Marvel's Fantastic Four: First Steps during its first weekend, and for the first time in more than a decade, DC might have the edge when it comes to word of mouth. Here's why DC could represent the future of comic book storytelling: DC is ready to embrace the silliness of its project Part of the Marvel movies' tremendous success has come from the way they manage to delicately balance two conflicting impulses in superhero storytelling. The first was toward telling stories that were real, grounded, and tactile. The second was to embrace the silliness inherent in superhero stories and use that to make the movies fun and colorful. Marvel essentially struck a balance, creating a universe populated by witty characters who donned the right costumes while also being aware of the humor in their situations. That wry, knowing attitude helped the movies do all the comic book stuff even as they also assured audiences that they knew it was a little bit nerdy. It's a tone that delivered tremendous results, but one that also began to wear thin after more than a decade. By contrast, Superman leaned all the way into the silly side. It's a movie filled with color where most scenes are set during the day, and one where every character feels both like a real person and like they were pulled from a comic. There's much less winking at the audience and much more earnest exploration of why people are drawn toward comic books to begin with. It's a signal that DC is not just going to try to do the Marvel thing. They're building a universe their own way, and that should be fascinating to watch. They are building out from the middle Marvel was doing something that had never been done before, and as a result, they started small. A few heroes, then a few more, until the universe felt massive and you were amazed that all of these characters could fit in a single movie together. By contrast, DC seems to know that we're all a little tired of origin stories. Instead, Superman drops us right in the middle of the action and trusts us to understand that superheroes have been around for a while. Crucially, while he's the most powerful superhero, Superman is not fighting bad guys on his own. Instead, he's dealing with the complexity of working with other people from the beginning in a universe where no one has any questions about what superheroes are. This approach feels much more like jumping right into a comic book where your favorite heroes are all right there. Some of them might not be present, but on the whole, the impression is one of a universe that is stuffed with both life and activity. In addition to avoiding the traps of origin stories, this approach also meets superhero fans where they are. We no longer need our hands to be held. We can simply dive in with only a little bit of intro text to orient us to what's going on. They are casting well, but aren't casting stars This might seem like a small thing, but it speaks to the project of the DCU that Superman is filled with great actors who are not major movie stars. If they keep making these movies, they will eventually become stars. That's part of the problem that Marvel is dealing with now. When you're trying to build a universe in which heroes can appear in multiple properties, you have to have great actors who can work in multiple tones and genres. You need actors who aren't going to try to take all your money for every appearance they put in. DC is trying to build a world that doesn't leave you wondering why Superman isn't on screen any time the world is ending, and part of that is making sure that Superman does show up, at least sometimes. DC wants you to believe in these movies Perhaps most importantly, DC seems like a sincere attempt to remind people why they like these movies to begin with. As the lore of Marvel gets more and more convoluted, DC could be building a new way forward, one that could make it a sincere, sweet, candy-colored alternative to the multiverse that Marvel has introduced.


Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
Kevin Feige Teases a Major ‘Avengers: Doomsday' Location
'The fun of an Avengers movie is introducing people to each other and seeing how very different personalities get along,' says Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios. 'In the case of a movie that involves the threat of worlds literally colliding, it's fun to see them visit each other's homes.' Feige was speaking to the official Marvel website about The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is now in theaters. It's the final piece of the puzzle before Avengers: Doomsday comes out in December 2026, and Feige confirmed that the home of the Fantastic Four won't just play a role; it'll be a central meeting spot for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. 'With the Baxter Building set, let's say it had four or five people in it at most in the Fantastic Four movie. And it's got a heck of a lot more people in it [in Doomsday],' Feige said. 'It's a thrill to see that interaction. And it's surreal for me, who's been around for 25 years.' So now we know that several Avengers, or potentially their nemeses, are going to be all together in the Baxter Building. But this raises some questions, does it not? The Baxter Building as seen in Fantastic Four exists on Earth 828, the home of the Fantastic Four. In that multiverse/timeline/dimension, the Fantastic Four are the only superheroes. So, presuming Reed Richards doesn't build a second Baxter Building, it seems that other heroes from Marvel will travel to that timeline. How does that happen? Who is able to do that? Why do they do that? Is all the action in the film on Earth 828 but not Earth 616, the home of the traditional MCU, which includes Captain America, the Thunderbolts, Thor, and more? That might make sense, as we presume 828 is where Doctor Doom is from, as seen in the end credits of Fantastic Four. But surely he has more on his mind than just this one universe. Adding to the mystery is the other piece of the Doomsday puzzle we have. That the Thunderbolts saw a ship with a giant '4' on it enter space around Earth 616. So, is that before all this? After? We don't know. What we do know, for a fact now, is that multiple characters in Avengers: Doomsday will convene in the Baxter Building of the Fantastic Four. Let the speculation begin. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters. Avengers: Doomsday is now filming and will be released December 18, 2026. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.