The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

I’m not even gonna lie, this was fantastic. I don’t even know what they made this so fantastic for. As you can see, I’m just trying to make a bad pun. Very easily, this is the best Fantastic Four film to date, though there’s not really any competition. However, I’m very heavily debating which Fantastic Four cast I’m partial to. It’s so hard to beat the 2000s, with the immaculate Gruffudd, Evans, Alba, and Chiklis. They’re classic, iconic, and nostalgic. On the flip side, Pascal, Quinn, Kirby, and Moss-Bachrach all did phenomenal, and will be a new Four for a new generation. I just loved everyone in their role, and couldn’t be happier with the casting. Ralph Ineson and Julia Garner too, though they were underused. The story wasn’t very overwhelming, though it wasn’t underwhelming. It was just….whelming. Very reminiscent of ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’, while still adding in plenty of new elements, and it’s own very unique feel. I think if it had maybe 15 or 20 more minutes of runtime, the storyline couldn't have been fleshed out perfectly. It’s just that it felt a little choppy and rushed, but at the same time, it kept the film moving forward quickly. It didn’t feel like two hours at all. I was definitely hooked the entire time, and never lost interest. The time and setting was absolutely perfect, and couldn’t have been done better. Despite being set in the 60’s, and very retro, and was still very futuristic, and gave off the same vibes as Doctor Who and both Blade Runners. The production design, the costumes, and the cinematography were so spot on. Visually, this is one of Marvel’s best ever. It felt so comic book-y, while still almost feeling like it could actually happen. However, some of the VFX were very jarring at times, mostly with Franklin. But when it’s not jarring, it’s completely gorgeous. Lastly, Michael Giacchino’s score is FANTASTIC. I need him to do every score for every film ever made going forward. His score was beautiful, it tugged at your heart, it was exciting, it was new, it was operatic, while still being modern. That man. He’s a genius. Overall, this film was exactly what I expected, in the best way possible, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it to all superhero/sci-fi fans, whether you’ve seen any of the MCU or not. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now! Plus, it makes you very excited for things to come…….