There are really a lot of blockbusters this year, and it seems Marvel is finally willing to address its peculiar business direction over the past few years. This year’s “Thunderbolts” and this “Fantastic Four: The First Step” have become more enticing, which is delightful.
Plot Summary of “Fantastic Four: The First Step”
It’s the basic superhero movie formula: the Fantastic Four are high-spirited, they encounter the formidable foe “Galactus,” they defeat Galactus, and everyone is happy. If you think a cliché plot makes a bad movie, you can skip this one, as the sentence above is the entire plot.
Ignoring the parallel universe setting, I think this is another reboot. However, because parallel universes are trending, many superhero movies have released different versions with the same character framework, which has become too frequent. So, recently, there’s a trend of quickly explaining character settings, like in the recent “Superman” that didn’t even bother with character introductions. It’s convenient for those who’ve seen it many times, as they can jump straight into the main plot without watching the same origin story again. But for first-time viewers, it might feel a bit rushed, a double-edged sword. However, Marvel now seems more focused on retaining old fans first.
Review of “Fantastic Four: The First Step”
The movie begins with the announcement of Sue’s pregnancy, coinciding with the arrival of the Silver Surfer, who reveals that Earth’s next target for Galactus is Earth. The Fantastic Four quickly board the aptly named “Pinnacle” spaceship to negotiate with Galactus. Galactus, seeing the child in Sue’s womb as a martial arts prodigy, proposes a deal: hand over the child to spare Earth. Naturally, none of the Fantastic Four agree to this absurdity. After negotiations break down, they barely escape from Galactus and the Silver Surfer, returning to Earth with the baby, making the child’s custody the core of the story.
Upon returning to Earth, Reed naively tells the media that Galactus demanded the child in exchange for the planet, and they chose the child. This, of course, leads to global condemnation, with people saying, “You would let the entire Earth be destroyed for one baby?” At this point, I couldn’t help but think, “Reed, what are you doing?” Protecting the child is understandable; I might choose the same. But why tell the media? Does it benefit anyone?
Thus, the child becomes the center of two opposing sides:
- The Fantastic Four protecting the child
- The media and public, who think the Four are selfish and want to hand the child over to Galactus, along with Galactus himself
The media, of course, can’t defeat the Fantastic Four or Galactus, so they do what modern media does best: incite the public to force the Four to hand the child over to Galactus. This is similar to a plot in “Superman,” where Luthor hires an online army to smear Superman, forcing him to surrender. If I were Galactus, with time on my side, I might as well buy an online army, incite the media to tear Earth apart, and let Earthlings attack each other. While the Four are busy with the media and mobs, the Surfer could take the child, and then I could devour the planet, preventing Earthlings from uniting and creating weapons against me. This would allow me to have both the child and the planet. Writing this makes it feel eerily familiar, showing that such things don’t only happen in Taiwan.
Before this, I had only seen the 2005 version of “Fantastic Four.” In that version, Johnny (Human Torch) spends the entire movie bullying Ben (The Thing), and it’s serious bullying, not playful banter. I found it uncomfortable to watch. Johnny gets cool powers, can fly, and shoot fire, while Ben turns into a rock monster and can never revert, which is sad enough without Johnny’s constant teasing. No wonder Ben almost joins Doctor Doom in the 2005 version.
In contrast, I prefer the 2025 version’s interaction between Johnny and Ben, which feels like genuine brotherly teasing. Johnny is still a bit of a jerk, always trying to impress girls and crack jokes, but he proves himself in critical moments and ultimately decides to sacrifice himself to save his newborn nephew and the planet. This gives the impression that, despite his antics, he can still be a good brother. Ben, compared to previous versions, seems more confident in himself. Though he often bickers with Johnny, it’s clear he cares about his brother and team. For instance, he immediately senses something is off with Sue and realizes she’s pregnant; during their first encounter with Galactus, while everyone panics, he’s worried about Johnny’s safety.
This time, there’s more background on the Silver Surfer, who was originally exchanged to save her planet from being devoured, with the condition of helping Galactus find new targets. Throughout, Johnny analyzes the Surfer’s language, eventually understanding it and providing psychological counseling. The Surfer is likely tormented inside, having destroyed so many planets to save her own. Johnny’s empathy is crucial in redeeming the Surfer. Ultimately, the Surfer is moved and saves Johnny when he decides to sacrifice himself for Earth, serving as the final straw to send Galactus through the portal.
Lastly, I must mention the film’s most productive character, “H.E.R.B.I.E.,” who is super cute and multifunctional throughout the film. It seems like the toys will sell well XD
H.E.R.B.I.E. starts as a household assistant, transforms into a lab assistant in the lab, becomes a childcare robot after Sue’s son is born, switches to spaceship mode on the spaceship, and adopts a resource-gathering mode after disembarking. It frequently interacts with the Fantastic Four using robotic tones, making me want one.
Since I don’t follow American comics or read many related analyses and videos, this is my first time seeing the baby (Franklin) and Galactus. After watching, I did some research and learned they have significant developments ahead. I hope Marvel can, as before, make good use of its characters and develop their stories well.
The Film Has Two Post-Credit Scenes
- Doctor Doom appears in the Fantastic Four’s home, squatting in front of Franklin, with his back to the camera
- A retro Fantastic Four cartoon short