The reviews are in for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and that means we have an all-important Rotten Tomatoes score. Love or hate it, the review aggregator plays a crucial role in helping many moviegoers decide whether a new release is worth buying a ticket for.
As we write this, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has 88% based on 88 reviews. That number will fluctuate in the coming days as more verdicts are counted (we'd expect at least 300+), but like Superman, we wouldn't expect the number to change too much.
The movie is also "Certified Fresh," another win for Marvel Studios at a time when one is needed.
The only place for The Fantastic Four: First Steps to go was up after the team's previous movies. 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 a 9% score.
A decade before that, we had the Tim Story helmed Fantastic Four movie featuring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and Chris Evans. The 2005 blockbuster was awarded 27%, while the 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, sits at 37%.
In terms of this year's superhero movies, we've had Captain America: Brave New World (46%), Thunderbolts* (88%), and Superman (83%).
With The Fantastic Four: First Steps at 88%, it's in the same ballpark as Avengers: Infinity War, Thunderbolts*, and Doctor Strange, making it one of the MCU's better-reviewed movies. Black Panther still holds the top spot with 96%,
Similar to Superman, opening weekend tracking for this movie is all over the place. Current estimates point to a debut between $110 million - $140 million, but now that the review embargo has lifted, we should get a clearer idea of what to expect from this one soon.
In our review, we concluded, "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."
Have you got your tickets for The Fantastic Four: First Steps yet?
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.
Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles have been cast in supporting roles. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is rumoured to appear, though that's surely a given with Avengers: Doomsday on the way.
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.