I need to be honest right up front. I watched this movie on an Emirates flight somewhere over India or the Indian Ocean to Dubai for my connecting flight to Europe. I had a choice after dinner: pull out my tablet and catch up on my digital comic backlog, or watch a movie on a nine-inch seat-back screen with mediocre airline headphones. I chose the movie, so maybe the tin-can audio and the guy snoring at the back affected my experience.
Or maybe it just made me focus harder on what actually mattered.
The plot of The Fantastic Four: First Steps is fairly straightforward. Set in a 1960s retro-futuristic world, Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben have to balance their family dynamic with the fact that a giant space god named Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer, have shown up to eat the planet, and demand Reed and Sue’s baby, Franklin. It is a big, cosmic premise. But my Fantastic Four First Steps review comes down to something much smaller.
It gets the emotional core of Marvel’s First Family right. But as much as I liked it, Johnny Storm and especially Ben Grimm were underused, and Ben’s romance feels like a thread the movie never fully follows through on.
I cannot deny that the 1960s retro-futuristic aesthetic looks incredible on a wall. If you want to grab this official Fantastic Four: First Steps Movie Poster on Amazon, you can pick it up there.
Why This Fantastic Four: First Steps Review is Different
Before we go any further, let me set some expectations. I know the Fantastic Four mostly through crossover comics, Civil War, Secret Wars, and the occasional Avengers team-up. I am not the guy who can tell you every issue of Jonathan Hickman’s iconic run by heart.
This is a comic fan’s reaction, not a hardcore continuity breakdown. I care about whether the movie feels like the Fantastic Four I know from the page. And for the most part? It does. But it also left me frustrated in ways I did not expect.
The Movie Gets the Emotion Right
Family is the Real Core
The film absolutely understands that the Fantastic Four is a family first and a superhero team second. The emotional scenes between Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben are what make the movie memorable. You can feel the history between them, the tension, the trust.
When the team feels connected, it works. That is the most important thing this property needs to nail, and the movie does nail it—at least on the surface.
The Atmosphere Works
That 1960s retro-futuristic vibe gives the film a strong identity. It does not feel like a generic MCU entry. It feels like Fantastic Four, which is more than I can say for some past versions. That tonal choice matters. It separates this movie from the noise and gives it room to breathe as its own thing.
Johnny Storm Needed More Room
Charismatic, But Not Fully Developed
Johnny has personality. He has energy. He gets some of the best one-liners in the movie. But the film does not push him far enough as a character. He feels more like a presence than a full arc.
I kept waiting for a scene that would crack him open emotionally, and it never came. He is underused, despite being one of the most recognizable members of Marvel’s First Family.
What Was Missing
I wanted conflict. I wanted growth. I wanted sharper, messier interactions with Reed or Sue that forced Johnny to actually change by the end. Instead, he mostly stays in his lane, and that lane is a charming guy who throws fireballs.
It is not bad. It is just not enough.
Ben Grimm Was the Biggest Missed Opportunity
The Emotional Center That Should Have Been Bigger
Here is where the movie lost me. Ben Grimm is the character who suffered most from the film’s limitations. In every great Fantastic Four story I have ever read, Ben carries a massive amount of heart. He is the guy who hates what he has become but keeps showing up anyway because that is what family does.
The movie hints at his deeper feelings. It sets up the tragedy of being trapped in that rocky body. And then it just… moves on to the next action set piece.
Why This Mattered
Ben’s underuse affects the whole movie. He should have had more emotional and dramatic weight. He should have been the anchor that pulls the audience into the cost of being a hero. Instead, he ends up feeling like a supporting character in his own team. This is where comic readers are most likely to feel the gap between what the movie is and what it could have been.
A Romance Subplot That Felt Suggested, Not Explored
The movie introduces Rachel Rozman, and there is clearly a romantic angle brewing for Ben. But the movie never fully commits to it because it is too busy rushing to the Galactus finale. It is suggested, hinted at, and then quietly dropped in the chaos.
That left part of the emotional setup unresolved. And for a character who desperately needed more layers, that was a huge missed opportunity.
Why That Matters for Ben
The missing romance could have made Ben feel more layered and human. It could have given him something personal to fight for beyond being part of the team. Instead, the movie chose restraint when it could have used more payoff.
I get that you only have two hours, but this subplot mattered.
What Comic Readers Will Notice
Fantastic Four works best when character dynamics matter as much as action. The movie understands this in broad terms, but not fully in execution.
If you know the FF mostly through crossover comics like I do, you will especially notice the difference. You know what these characters are capable of emotionally. You have seen Ben break down. You have seen Johnny grow up. This movie shows you glimpses of that, but it does not dig deep enough. It feels like Fantastic Four, but it only captures the surface.
Final Verdict: A Strong FF Movie With One Big Weakness
Fantastic Four: First Steps succeeds emotionally and tonally. It feels like the Fantastic Four in ways past adaptations never did. But Johnny Storm and especially Ben Grimm needed more development, and that keeps the movie from being truly great.
Comic readers will likely appreciate the feeling of the movie even if they want more depth. And honestly? The movie was at its best when it was just a family drama. By the time Galactus and the Silver Surfer actually show up to eat the planet, it almost feels like an interruption. I suppose Marvel couldn’t resist throwing a giant space god at us, but I would have traded twenty minutes of cosmic CGI for one more solid conversation between Ben and Reed.
Have you watched Fantastic Four: First Steps yet? Did Ben Grimm’s underuse bother you as much as it bothered me, or am I just being picky because I watched it at 30,000 feet?
If you want to experience the 1960s retro-futuristic visuals properly, and I highly recommend watching this on something bigger than a nine-inch airplane screen with bad headphones, you can pick up The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Blu-ray + Digital via Amazon. It’s currently sitting at a solid 4.6-star rating, which tells me the family dynamic worked for a lot of other people too.
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