The Fantastic Four’s Newest Adaptation: Good or Bad?

By Dylan Cyr ‘26
**Article contains SPOILERS for the film**

Matt Shakman’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” now available on Disney+, is a unique yet dull take on the team for the big screen. The impressive CGI, beautiful musical score and lightheartedness deliver unforgettable moments within the movie itself, but the bland central plot left Marvel fans like me unsatisfied.

Since its release in July, the movie became the highest-grossing live adaptation of the Fantastic Four, earning $521 million worldwide. It takes place in a separate universe from the MCU, on a retro-futuristic Earth set in the 1960s.

The film focuses on a young but publicly known Fantastic Four group. Sue Storm and Reed Richards are married, and their first child, Franklin, is on the way. Silver Surfer (who in this universe is Shalla-Bal, the love interest of Norrin Radd, or the original Silver Surfer) then comes flying in to announce that Earth has been chosen to be eaten by Galactus. In an attempt to save Earth, the group flies into space to find Galactus and negotiate with him. In a surprising turnout, he does agree to not eat Earth as long as they give him Franklin, whose immense power would fulfill Galactus’s never-ending hunger. Given the choice between one child or the entire planet, the Fantastic Four decide to save the child and come up with a way to defeat an all-powerful galactic being. Galactus inevitably makes his way to Earth, and after many attempts to defeat him, the group finally saves Earth (temporarily) by creating a bridge (teleporter) that sends him to the farthest areas in the universe.

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This movie actually felt like the return of “peak Marvel” and the beginning of something new all the way up until the group actually confronts Galactus. I struggled to grasp the idea that this team, made to protect Earth and the people on it, is willing to find a way to kill an all-powerful galactic being just to protect their one child, which makes even less sense when by the end of it, all they could do was send him away.

Don’t get me wrong, getting to see Galactus on the big screen like that was incredible. It isn’t something that happens often, especially with someone as cool and powerful as Galactus. But this whole idea of “my child is more important than saving my planet from being eaten” just doesn’t add up. I feel like there is so much lost potential.

Everything else about the movie was amazing. The musical score, CGI and the talented actors all made you feel genuinely involved in the movie. It all felt real and made you invested in the story. The reason that matters so much in my opinion is that it’s the same feeling you would get when watching the first “Iron Man” movie or the first “Captain America”. It was enjoyable to feel excited as to where this movie would take us.

But with all of that being said, not having that actual depth of a genuine and solid story made it feel like such a waste. It would have been so much more worth the watch if there was more reason why the child could be important or why it had so much power. Even adding more details about Galactus could’ve helped strengthen the movie. They make Galactus out to be this horrible character with no sympathy, but the reality is he is an undying being who needs to eat to remain sane. If he doesn’t eat, he actually goes insane and will just devour everything in his sight, including planets and stars.

The movie also missed the opportunity to connect to the “Eternals” movie, making it officially part of the MCU. This is because Galactus brings balance to the universe from the Celestials. The Celestials are other cosmic beings who are seeded into the core of planets, creating life for the planet. As they grow and eventually emerge from the planet, they take the energy and life on that planet and use it as energy to create new planets and stars. Galactus works as a type of balance because when he eats a planet, he eats the Celestial inside too.

As a whole, the movie wasn’t the absolute worst, especially compared to some of what Marvel has put out lately (With the exception of “The Thunderbolts”), but it left so much on the table. It felt like a new beginning and was exciting to watch, but it was wasted with a lack of story. With that being said, I’m excited to see how everything unfolds in “Avengers: Doomsday,” where the group is set to return.