Reviewed by The Update | Entertainment Section
★★★★☆
4 out of 5 stars
A superhero movie that’s more “Saturday matinee” than “corporate strategy meeting.”
If Fantastic Four: The First Step is meant to launch Marvel’s newest team, it’s refreshingly uninterested in doing it the usual way. No ten-minute cameos from characters we barely remember. No cryptic setup for movies we won’t see until 2029. No post-credit scene that makes you Google who the heck “Korvak the Star Eater” is. This one’s just here to tell a story – and shockingly, that’s enough.
The movie opens with a beautifully paced intro to the team, each member getting a moment that’s pure personality without screaming origin montage. The chemistry between the core four is instant, the kind of easy back-and-forth that makes you want to grab popcorn and watch them banter for another two hours. It’s the rare Marvel cast that actually feels like a family, bickering, teasing, but ready to throw down for each other at a moment’s notice.
Casting So Good It Feels Illegal
Pedro Pascal brings Reed Richards to life with warmth, intelligence, and just enough awkward “I’ve been in the lab too long” energy. Vanessa Kirby nails Sue Storm, balancing quiet strength with vulnerability without ever feeling sidelined (we’re looking directly at you, 2005 Sue).
Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm is the emotional anchor, carrying real pathos under all that rock. And Joseph Quinn? He’s having the time of his life as Johnny Storm, cocky, funny, and, yes, literally on fire. It’s not just that each actor works; it’s that together they click in a way Marvel hasn’t pulled off since the Guardians of the Galaxy were still a scrappy bunch of space misfits.
The Plot? Science, Heart, and Just Enough Weird
The story kicks off with a bold scientific experiment gone sideways, catapulting the team into a bizarre new dimension. When they return, they’ve brought something back, powers, paranoia, and a threat that’s strange without being another interchangeable sky-beam-of-doom. The stakes are high, but the movie remembers to slow down for the little moments, arguments in the lab, family dinners, quiet conversations about what this new life means.
Even better, the film resists the urge to drown the audience in CGI rubble. The effects are sharp and stylish, sure, but they’re always in service of the characters. The big set pieces pop because you actually care about who’s in them.
A Feast for the Eyes
Instead of the usual desaturated, third-act mud fight, The First Step goes full retro-futuristic, with bold colors and a warm, pulpy glow. It looks like someone crossed The Jetsons with 2001: A Space Odyssey and sprinkled in a dash of mid-century modern chic. The Update’s partner is now officially redecorating our living room as “Mid-Century Space Lab Chic,” which we suspect will last until they realize how much a vintage egg chair costs.
Marvel, Take Notes
This is the kind of Marvel film we’ve been asking for – self-contained, stylish, and character-driven. It’s not homework. It’s not a content dump. It’s just good, clean, cosmic fun.
The Update’s Projected Fantastic Four Sequel Timeline:
- 2026: Title announced – Fantastic Four: The Second Step. Internet debates whether it should’ve been Step Two: Electric Boogaloo.
- 2027: Cast spotted filming on location in a futuristic-looking IKEA.
- 2028: First teaser drops; contains 0.4 seconds of actual footage. Fans analyze it for 12 hours straight.
- 2029: Official trailer released; Joseph Quinn’s smirk trends worldwide.
- 2030: Movie premieres. Critics call it “the most fun you can have without a multiverse collapsing.”
- 2031: Marvel announces The Third Step, completing the most satisfying trilogy since Toy Story.
Final Verdict
Fantastic Four: The First Step proves Marvel can still make magic when it stops trying to sell you next summer’s merch line. Four heroes. Four stars. And not a single dull Thunderbolt in sight.
