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The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Welcome to the family.

2025115 minPG-13Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Director
Matt Shakman
Starring
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn

Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel's First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Fantastic Four: First Steps streaming on Disney+ and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

The Fantastic Four: First Steps earns 8 badges, led by Cultural touchstone and Crowd Pleaser.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office

Reception

Is The Fantastic Four: First Steps worth watching?

The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Midcredits score is the 73rd percentile of all films, from 2.6M ratings across 6 sources. 64% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

73rd percentile

Better received than 73% of films

85th percentile among Action74th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)73rd
Approval (how many liked it)71st

68 /100

73rd percentile of all films

86th percentile among Action72nd percentile among 2020s

Critics 65 · Audience 68

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.8 — solid but not unanimous.

64% liked it

71st percentile of all films

81st percentile among Action72nd percentile among 2020s
64% rated it 7–1036% rated it 1–6

Critics 86% · Audience 90%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 7 wins / 55 noms overall

99th percentile

2.6M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Action99th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 16% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$200M
Opening weekend$118M
Domestic gross$274M
Worldwide gross$522M

Returned 2.6× its budget — 97th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the film is visually striking with a distinctive retro-futuristic style, that it skips the origin story effectively, and that Galactus is visually impressive but feels underwhelming as a threat.

Fans praised

  • Retro-futuristic 1960s aesthetic is visually stunning and fresh
  • Family dynamics and chemistry between the four leads feel lived-in and genuine
  • Galactus is finally rendered as an imposing, comic-accurate cosmic threat

Detractors panned

  • Underwritten characters with almost no development or arcs
  • Galactus is nerfed and defeated too easily in a rushed climax
  • Plot riddled with illogical choices and conveniences

What stands out

Cinematography80

Bold retro-futuristic production design with vibrant colors and period details

AtmosphereDivisive80

Immersive 1960s analog-future world with Jetsons-like charm

Effects and spectacleDivisive75

Galactus and Silver Surfer visuals praised; baby and some CGI criticized as unfinished

ActingDivisive65

Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn praised; Pedro Pascal called miscast or flat by many

CharactersDivisive40

Shallow archetypes with little development; Sue the only one with meaningful arc

PacingDivisive40

Slow first hour followed by a rushed climax; feels edited down

Plot and storyDivisive35

Predictable, full of logical leaps and convenient resolutions

EndingDivisive35

Galactus defeated anticlimactically by teleport; divisive deus-ex-machina resolution

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 10 points higher than women.

Critics vs users

Preferred by Critics

Critics scored it 21 points higher than users.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 6 points apart
  • US vs non-US even

Watch experience

What is The Fantastic Four: First Steps like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Big and sweeping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want to be swept up in something big.

It is intense, never lets up and leaves you hopeful. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Big and sweeping.

Moods
TenseHopefulMelancholic
Heaviest: late
Warm humor
Register
Adventurous · 11% of filmsEpic · 2% of films: Vast in scale: big landscapes, big stakes, a long span.Warm
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film embraces a nostalgic, comic-book style while treating its family drama and cosmic threat with sincere earnestness.
The rideThe runtime moves from family warmth to escalating cosmic danger, with the most emotionally heavy and action-packed moments in the final act.
StructureThe story unfolds in a linear narrative with an early recap of the team's origin via a TV show, followed by the main conflict and a four-year epilogue.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Hopeful.

HopefulFeel-good
Why it leaves you this wayThe film concludes with the family reunited and the world celebrating, leaving a hopeful, feel-good feeling despite the lingering cosmic threat.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet endingTwist

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MonsterInvasion
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% (this title) · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Invasion: An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).

21% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe Fantastic Four must defend Earth from the cosmic entity Galactus, who threatens to consume the planet, forcing the team into a space mission to confront him.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfFamilybonds
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% (this title) · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Family bondsSurvivalSacrifice · 4% of films
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Cosmic stakes: Consequences reach beyond the world.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film centers on the Storm-Richards family protecting their unborn child and each other from a cosmic threat.
StanceThe film affirms the strength of family bonds and hope against overwhelming odds, presenting heroism as rooted in love and sacrifice.

The world

Mid 20th centuryUrbanInstitutionalOuter spaceScience fiction
Orchestral classicalOrchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Michael Giacchino
SettingA retro-futuristic 1960s Earth with advanced technology and a smart city New York.
MusicMichael Giacchino's score blends heroic themes with a retro-futuristic flair, echoing the 1960s setting.

Content guide

Is The Fantastic Four: First Steps okay for kids?

PG-13

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is rated PG-13: “Rated PG-13 for action/violence and some language” (MPAA). As of October 5, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (38/100), sexual content at minimal (15/100), language at mild (31/100), drug and alcohol content at minimal (6/100) and frightening material at moderate (51/100). Overall it is heavier than 23% of PG-13-rated films.

Ratings in 46 other countries
  • UK12A
  • CanadaPG
  • AustraliaPG
  • Germany12
  • FranceTP
  • Ireland12A
  • New ZealandPG
  • JapanG
  • South Korea12
  • Brazil12
  • Argentina+13
  • Austria8
  • Belgium12
  • BGC
  • CLTE
  • CzechiaU
  • FinlandK-12
  • GreeceK
  • Hong KongIIA
  • Hungary12
  • ID13+
  • IndiaU/A 13+
  • IsraelAll
  • ItalyT
  • LTN-7
  • LU12
  • LV12+
  • MexicoB
  • MOB
  • Netherlands12
  • Norway12
  • PhilippinesPG
  • Poland12
  • PortugalM/12
  • PRPG-13
  • RO12
  • SingaporePG
  • SK12
  • South Africa10-12PG
  • Spain7
  • Switzerland12
  • Taiwan6+
  • TH13
  • Türkiye13A
  • UA12+
  • VIPG-13
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 18% of all filmsHeavier than 23% of PG-13-rated films
Violence & Gore
Moderate
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 36%
Sex & Nudity
None / Minimal
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 20%
Profanity
Mild
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 21%
Alcohol & Drugs
None / Minimal
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 5%
Frightening / Intense
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 57%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is frightening material, heavier than 57% of PG-13-rated films.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Fantastic Four: First Steps have?

MovieCove's classifier found 4 depicted content warnings in The Fantastic Four: First Steps: War atrocities (moderate), plus 3 withheld here because they would spoil the plot. Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

ModerateWar atrocities

Cast and crew

Who is in The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

Cast

2 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Pedro Pascal
as Reed Richards
Best so far: Their highest-reaching film role to date — the title is too recent to say more.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Vanessa Kirby
as Sue Storm
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
as Ben Grimm
Best so far: Their highest-reaching film role to date — the title is too recent to say more.
Joseph Quinn
as Johnny Storm
Ralph Ineson
as Galactus
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Julia Garner
as Shalla-Bal
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Paul Walter Hauser
as Harvey Elder
Natasha Lyonne
as Rachel Rozman
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Sarah Niles
as Lynne Nichols
Mark Gatiss
as Ted Gilbert
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

Movies like The Fantastic Four: First Steps include Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films written by Josh Friedman, and most are superhero films.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

3 of these 12 share its world: space opera. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

86 other films share the rarest tag below, up against: god. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.