I have always loved the Fantastic Four costumes, and here’s a personal photo in their iconic blue and white spandex. Photo by Cesar Torres

I still get requests from readers of How to Kill a Superhero to share my thoughts on current superhero series and films. My review style is short and sweet, because I am not a movie critic, nor a specialist in film. But I am a novelist, photographer and artist, and I do feel like sharing the way I experience current superhero films.

About the film

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a retro-futuristic, 1960s-styled reboot of Marvel’s First Family in which scientist-astronauts Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm — now a more domesticated superhero team — must defend Earth from the cosmic menace Galactus and his herald Silver Surfer, even as Reed and Sue’s expectant parenthood raises personal and moral stakes.

It offers a strong through line about family, sacrifice, and unity — themes that are broadly relatable and emotionally grounded.

As for speaking particularly to queer audiences: the film does not appear to foreground queer identities or relationships explicitly, so it likely won’t resonate as a “queer story.” However — the emphasis on found-family, resistance to public pressure, and redefining what it means to belong or to protect loved ones are themes that can feel meaningful to queer viewers. If you like, I can list a few recent reactions from queer reviewers to see how the film lands among queer audiences.

I Experienced it at Home

I did not see this film at the cinema. I streamed it on the Disney+ app. At home, I enjoyed its epic visuals, the pretty great sound editing, and its colorful, 60’s, Jack-Kirby inspired art direction. I was also able to slow down a few times, rewind to view specific scenes, and take my time enjoying this product and piece of superhero art.

My Thoughts on Its Plot

This is primarily where this film fails. The plot is paper thin, if you ask me, and although the stakes are sold to us as if they are really high, it felt contrived.

The intro of the film aims to establish the conflict and the characters, but it was incredibly clunky and low-tension. It’s not until the F4 team is on its way to discover Galactus for the first time that the film truly begins. The rest of the film was full of many plot holes and WTF moments. The plot was structured mostly to prop up set pieces and not characterization. Compared to Infinity War, Civil War and other MCU hits, this film felt very mediocre. We do know this film will be a building block for the next big event in the MCU Secret Wars, but it mostly felt flat, lackluster.

Lack of Chemistry Between Reed and Sue

I didn’t feel there was any true on-screen chemistry between Reed and Sue Richards. They did not have that intensity as a couple (and parents) that I remember from the comics. Instead, their dynamic felt more like that of co-workers. And in terms of sexual chemistry between Sue and Reed, I felt zero as a viewer.

The Thing Had the Best Story

The flirtations between Natasha Lyonne’s character Rachel Rozman and The Thing was honestly the best part of this film. In fact, I feel that telling just their story alone would have been an absolute banger. They had chemistry. They had conflict and also a sense of place. And yet, we only get a few minutes of this charismatic pair on screen. This just goes to show that Disney and its directors are only focused on profit, product testing as a way to drive plot, and merchandizing. But what I crave as a viewer are real stories of relationship. The best relationship in this film was that of Rachel and the Thing’s.

Costume Tradeoffs with Disney

I have discussed at length over the years the way that Disney has chosen to flatten out and cheapen the costumes of many superheroes and villains since the MCU ramped up, and the iconic costumes of this superhero family really came off as mediocre. After all, we must remember that when it comes to spandex, the Fantastic Four did it many decades ago. What we got in this film were a few unique looks, including space suits, woolen jumpsuits and branded gear, but wow was it lacking any sense of originality or sexiness. For those of us who love seeing male characters in spandex, it was utterly disappointing. And the irony is that Reed Richards needs very stretchy gear because of his superpowers, and yet we got costumes that looked bulky, flattened muscles, and in many scenes didn’t even look real. This movie is a skip for those of us who like our superheroes to be sexy.

Is It Worth Watching?

I think you can skip this one. I hope its further tie-in to the next MCU phase can help it recover, but First Steps was dull as hell.

Review: Fantastic Four, First Steps by Disney