Marvel Cinematic Universe 36: The Fantastic Four [First Steps]

MCU 36: The Fantastic Four [First Steps] (2025)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


I was careful to avoid spoilers before watching this, so other than family members informing me that they really enjoyed the movie, I didn't know what to expect going in. I had suspected more of a tie-in with the current MCU universe given the ending of Thunderbolts* with the rocket, but this has an old-time feel while still having advanced technology for the Fantastic Four, which is an interesting combination. Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer instead of Norrin Radd is also an interesting choice. Curious if we'll see both Silver Surfers at some point in the future or if this token will be the only nod to this part of the franchise given the previous Silver Surfer film, though it was not nearly as well done in terms of the world building overall. The adaptation of Ben's beard is also hilarious and not something that has been considered in previous film variations. On a whole, this was a lot more true to the same feel as the original comic books, and even kept the origin story much the same, while still moving things along. Johnny is even toned down a bit so while he's still more flighty and a charmer, he's much more focused on his family and doing something rather than just playing all the time, which is a drastically improved attitude for his character, though you'll still get plenty of banter between Johnny and Ben especially. The cameo for Doctor Doom at the ending was also iconic and a fun easter egg for those who look up the uncredited cast of the film. Hopefully it doesn't change for the next full length feature if we see Doom step onto the stage more fully as that would be a fun win for the entire MCU fandom.

Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four (2015)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not part of the MCU line up as Fox owns the rights to this reboot instead of Marvel. Several things have been changed from the original story for this film. The most obvious one is Sue Storm being adopted in comparison to her now black brother and father figure - an obvious deviation from the original comics. There is also no obvious relationship going on between Sue Storm and Reed Richards, despite this being probably the core "normal" thing about the group. Ben Grimm is also not a pilot in this adaptation. Rather, he and Reed are both still students - really just kids, given it starts off with a school science fair project. Instead of the Baxter Building, the infamous location of the penthouse the Fantastic Four take over, there is the Baxter Group, a science/military arm that funds Reed and Doom's dimensional transportation experiment (the source of their abilities rather than a solar flare in the more traditional outer space). The dialogue originally is also a bit rushed trying to hurry through the initial fairs and experiments to get to where their get their powers and move things on from there. On the plus side, the special effects are a far cry better than the original 2005 edition, though what do you expect after 10 years? In comparison though, the effects for Rise of the Silver Surfer proved that better was possible at the time, if only for that one character.

Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A little better than the first one as far as story line and special effects went. Still lacking when it came to the Silver Surfer's story, which was disappointing. Almost wish he had his own film to really delve into his character rather than just playing him off the Fantastic Four, but can also see why they did it that way to extend the team's coverage. Rather anti-climatic and different how they chose to take out Galactus. It was a sequel for Fantastic Four, but looked forward to the Silver Surfer's screen time more than theirs.

Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four (2005)

My Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


Not the best as far as the Marvel films go. The acting and special effects are all pretty much middle ground. Seemed as if they weren't entirely sure how to do some of it. Especially feel bad for Michael Chiklis who has to deal with The Thing's dramatic alterations. The story line with Von Doom seems rather anti-climatic and predictable. Expected a bit more based on how well the others were doing and the details from the comics.