Yesterday, word quickly spread online that Marvel held one of its classic “we’re kinda nervous about this one” test screenings, this time for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” The early verdict? Painfully mid. TheInSneider’s source summed it up as: “Not that bad, but not that good, either.” So, basically, another day at the Marvel office post-Endgame.
In effect, fanboys online are starting to panic, word is quickly spreading of numerous underwhelming reactions.
Apparently, the film suffers from the usual suspects: paper-thin character arcs and CGI that looks like it was rendered on a PS3. To be fair, the VFX isn’t locked yet — but still, this is Marvel we’re talking about. They used to have standards.
Now, Marvel doesn’t usually do these public test screenings unless they’re sweating bullets. This is the same move they pulled with “Eternals,” ‘Quantumania,’ “The Marvels,” and ‘Brave New World.’ We all saw how those turned out.
What’s more telling? Sneider had a separate industry source — who hasn’t seen the film, but is privy to the goings on over at Disney — describing ‘First Steps’ as “a mess” and “a huge problem movie.”
On the bright side — yes, there is one — Ralph Ineson’s Galactus reportedly got some love from the audience. A win for Marvel’s ever-struggling villain department.
Now, let’s not forget: The Fantastic Four have already suffered through not one, not two, but three cinematic faceplants — the campy 2005 and 2007 flicks, and the painfully awkward 2015 reboot, infamously stylized as “Fant4stic.” Hopefully, director Matt Shakman and the rest of the gang have finally figured out how to make this super-family actually work on the big screen.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which stars Pedro Pascal, Julia Garner, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bacharach, is circled for July 25, 2025, theatrical release.