The movie wastes no time in introducing us to the Fantastic Four, also dubbed Marvel’s First Family: Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).  
 
On an alternate Earth (Earth-828), this brilliant team of scientists gains cosmic powers after a space mission goes awry. Bombarded by cosmic rays, they return home with extraordinary abilities — stretching, vanishing, flaming on, and turning to rock. With these powers, they’re transformed into celebrities and heroes, fighting an array of villains, including the Red Ghost, the Wizard, the Mad Thinker, and Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser). 

But their toughest challenge yet comes when the planet-devouring cosmic force Galactus (Ralph Ineson) declares via his shimmering herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), his intention to consume the planet. As Sue discovers she’s pregnant, the stakes become deeply personal for the quartet as the fate of humanity collides with the future of their own family.

Director Matt Shakman frees the story from the constraints of MCU continuity by setting the film on an alternate Earth, a move that also allows him to craft a playful retro-futuristic aesthetic — a vision of the 1960s infused with wonderment and optimism. The movie’s distinct look is also partly due to the work of production designer Kasra Farahani, who drew inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey and mid-century modern architects Eero Saarinen and Oscar Niemeyer. Shakman fuses these influences with Fantastic Four co-creator Jack Kirby’s dynamic, kinetic comic-book energy. The result is a world that feels at once timeless and visionary, an ode to the Space Age. 

Beyond its spectacle, though, First Steps is a story about family. It thrives on human connection, and its best moments are its most authentic. The banter, bickering, and unbreakable bonds between the four make them as relatable as they are extraordinary.  
 
The cast, led by Pascal, give the Fantastic Four, and movie, a sense of groundedness. “I see a limitless amount of layers to this character,” says Pascal, with Shakman praising the actor’s “ability to contain multitudes” as “the genius, the adventurer, the husband, and the father — all at once”.