With 130 reviews now counted, The Fantastic Four: First Steps sits at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Marvel Studios movie has been Certified Fresh by the review aggregator, marking another win for the MCU at a time when the superhero genre needs one.
Thunderbolts* was a critical hit, but struggled at the box office (it tapped out at $382 million). Captain America: Brave New World, however, received largely negative reviews and barely passed $400 million worldwide.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps has quickly become one of Marvel Studios' best-reviewed movies, marking a phenomenal start for the MCU's First Family that breaks an unfortunate streak for the Fantastic Four franchise.
Every single Fantastic Four movie until now has been rated "Rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes; First Steps is the only one produced by Marvel Studios, and the first to not only be deemed Fresh, but Certified Fresh.
In 2005, Tim Story's Fantastic Four movie, starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and Chris Evans, was awarded 27%, while the 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, sits at 37%. 2015's Fantastic Four, directed by Josh Trank and starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Michael B. Jordan, is one of the worst-reviewed superhero movies ever, with 9%.
Reviews for Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four are also counted on the site, and it sits at a similarly "Rotten" 33%.
The Critics Consensus for this latest movie reads, "Benefitting from rock-solid cast chemistry and clad in appealingly retro 1960s design, this crack at The Fantastic Four does Marvel's First Family justice."
Meanwhile, in our review, we wrote, "The Fantastic Four is an exceptional introduction to the MCU’s First Family, and thanks to a Jack Kirby-infused feel that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, it proves to be a quintessential superhero movie with Marvel Studios at its brilliant best."
Are you excited to watch The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters this weekend?
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
Also appearing are Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman, Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man, Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols, and Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert. John Malkovich was set to play Red Ghost, but was cut due to time constraints.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.