The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

Galactus shows up to eat the planet, and the movie gives him about as much personality as a weather report. He’s enormous and hungry, and that’s it. The story under the paint is thin too. Reed spends most of it frowning over calculations, Johnny gets one real job, and the big finale wraps up almost as soon as it starts. Matt Shakman builds a retro-future 1964 that looks like a World’s Fair poster come to life, complete with a robot helper named H.E.R.B.I.E., and it’s the best-looking Marvel world in years. Ebon Moss-Bachrach makes Ben Grimm the soul of the team, a gentle mountain of orange rock with an uncle’s heart. Vanessa Kirby’s Sue is the real leader, and Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer is cold and mournful in all the right ways. It made $521.9 million worldwide on a reported $229.6M. A 6.8 because the family and the design are lovely and the cosmic stakes never feel cosmic. $9,516 says you walk out wanting a robot sidekick of your own and glare at your smart speaker for not even trying.

What works: The retro-future design and Michael Giacchino’s score are a treat, and the four leads actually feel like a family.

What doesn’t: Galactus is a one-note threat, Reed and Johnny are thinly written, and the finale wraps up too quickly to feel huge.

Who it’s for: Marvel fans worn out by multiverse homework who want one bright, mostly self-contained adventure.