The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) review

Astronauts Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), his gal-pal Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Sue's brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn) are sent into outer space, get exposed to cosmic rays and return home to Earth-828 with superpowers - years later, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) appears with a message that world-devourer Galactus (Ralph Ineson) is targeting their planet.  Although the retro-futuristic style it employs is fun to look at - it combines state-of-the-art rocket ships with appliances you would have found in your great-grandmother's kitchen - there are shorts on Vimeo made by recent graduates (for a couple of grand) that not only have richer plots but a better understanding of character development.  Despite having four very talented individuals as the leads - who have all done wonders in other projects - the five credited writers provide them little to do, and the end result lacks any sort of personality.  The mid-credits scene hints that the inevitable sequel will have Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom, which could help ... a little.