The Fantastic Four: First Steps review – Marvel's year has just got a whole lot better

Later, the 2015 reboot by Josh Trank flopped, isolated as it was from the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe.

So now – finally – it’s time to introduce the Fantastic Four to the MCU. Or should that be Five? The opening sees Sue Storm (The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby) learn that she is pregnant, news that will become crucial later on.

Much like James Gunn’s recent Superman, First Steps dispenses with the oft-told origin story here. We start four years on from Storm, her brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn), her partner Reed (Pedro Pascal) and their friend Ben Grimm (The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach) flying into space, returning with unexpected superpowers.

Cursed with what Reed calls "cosmically compromised DNA", this Fab Four has become the planet’s protectors.

Reed is the maths genius, with elasticated limbs that stretch like Blu Tack. Sue is the Invisible Woman, capable of manipulating energy fields. Johnny is the Human Torch, with fireballs at his fingertips.

And then there’s Grimm, now The Thing. This brick-built bruiser even has his own catchphrase ("It’s clobberin’ time!") thanks to a popular animated TV cartoon – a nice meta-nod to the various real-life animated series from the past.

With the action set on Earth 828 – that’s an alternate Earth, in case you’re wondering – it kicks off when the gang are confronted by an alien invader.

The shimmering Silver Surfer, played here with real poise by Ozark’s Julia Garner, slides into view, hovering on her very own intergalactic surfboard (it's cooler than it sounds, promise). She brings a message from a harbinger of doom, Galactus – a skyscraper-sized cosmic super-villain who likes nothing more than devouring planets for breakfast.

Voiced with real menace by Ralph Ineson (yes, that is Finchy from The Office), Galactus is out to consume Earth, but when he spies that Storm is with child, he stops is his tracks. He’ll spare Earth in exchange for Reed and Sue’s baby.

It’s the ultimate moral quandary: rescue civilisation or your as-yet-unborn child. "I am not giving him up," screams Sue, in a moment where the stakes feel equally both global and personal.

In her biggest movie role to date, Kirby succeeds admirably, juggling the demands of both an action film and an emotional, parenthood-inspired storyline. Pascal oozes his usual charm, somewhat leaving in the shade both Quinn and Moss-Bachrach, whose natural charisma is largely hidden by CGI.

Paul Walter Hauser, meanwhile, has a very enjoyable cameo as Mole Man, a subterranean villain who gets called upon in Earth’s hour of need.

One of First Steps’ real selling points is the design, a world of retro-futuristic chic, where every room seems to boast an Eames chair.

Kasra Farahani, who was production designer on Disney+ series Loki, does a terrific job with the space-age, Jetsons-like living interiors. The tech is a beguiling mix of analogue (gold-coloured records feature) and futuristic (HERBIE, the F4’s faithful robot, is part of the gang).

True, this is basically primer for next year’s blockbuster bonanza Avengers: Doomsday, when this quartet will be on hand along with others to battle Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom.

But First Steps doesn’t stumble. With a standalone story that stays upright, it’s a vivacious, beautifully rendered and largely enjoyable comic book spectacle. Marvel needed this, you feel.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in UK cinemas from Thursday 24th July 2025.

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.