Marvel's ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ first reviews are out!

Days ahead of the hotly anticipated theatrical release of Marvel’s ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’, Pedro Pascal’s starrer has received glowing first reviews from critics.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) – Complete Guide

The second reboot of the ‘Fantastic Four’ film series, directed by filmmaker Matt Shakman and starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn as Marvel’s superhero team, is scheduled for global cinema rollout on Friday, July 25, to mark the launch of phase six of MCU.

In a run-up to theatrical release, the superhero movie premiered in Los Angeles earlier this week, garnering promising first reviews from critics, particularly praising the performances by the lead cast and superpowered visuals.

Film critic David Rooney wrote about ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’, “The actors are so terrific and their chemistry so palpable that the hangout scenes in their fabulous Baxter Building penthouse — with a domestic droid that’s like Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons meets Number 5 from John Badham’s Short Circuit — are some of the movie’s most appealing interludes.”

With the impressive 88% fresh score of the movie on Rotten Tomatoes, Rooney praised Shakman for ‘skillfully balancing the humour of the family dynamic with the gravity of the situation they are facing’.

Echoing rather similar thoughts, Maureen Lee Lenker commended the director, noting, “Shakman leans into the comic book kitschiness inherent to the material, embracing it with gonzo gusto, as opposed to trying to achieve any degree of gritty realism.”

Additionally, Peter Debruge called the latest ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot a ‘fresh start’ for Marvel Cinematic Universe’s phase six. “It’s common knowledge that The Incredibles writer-director Brad Bird had the Fantastic Four in mind when he conceived his beloved Pixar cartoon, which resonated with audiences because it focused on the domestic concerns of a superhero family,” he noted. “Now First Steps returns the favour, adopting what worked so well in that animated homage – especially the mystery of what mutant abilities their adorable computer-generated baby might inherit.”

Also Read: Pedro Pascal responds to Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four’ casting backlash