Fantastic Four: First Steps in 4DX Review!

Well ladies and gentlemen (no really, more like my 3 friends and maybe the occasional lost Jamaican who finds their way onto my site), it is finally time for me to start yapping in this here thing callled my blog! A journey who knows how many months in the making, I can't wait to share my thoughts and opinions on the various movies I watch at the theater. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure (or maybe displeasure, ha) of talking to me knows I can go on and on all day! That said, I don't want to take too much of your precious time, so let's get right to it! Do keep in mind that there will be some spoilers ahead, so read at your own discretion! 

Fantastic Four in 4DX (with 3D): Is it Worth it? 

As the title suggests, this here was a showing of the Fantastic Four movie that came out on July 25th, 2025. Again, make sure you're aware there are spoilers from this point on, and read at your own risk. I'm not sure if every 4DX showing also includes 3D for this particular movie, but that is how it was shown at my Regal theater. The glasses you get are the usual 3D glasses you can expect for all 3D format movies. However, the main attraction is by far the 4DX. Don't get me wrong, 3D is a cool concept, and I remember that era of movies where everyone and their dad wanted to make their movie 3D (Saw 3D, anyone?). But come on, it's freaking 4DX we're talking about! For those of you not familiar with what that is, think about it like this: Imagine you hop onto your favorite roller coaster. Just like in a roller coaster, there will be times where you feel like you're moving fast, other times where the movement is a bit slower or even slows down to a halt. Of course, since you're inside a theater, you can't go at the same top speed as a roller coaster, and you definitely don't have to worry about ending up upside down at any point during the movie. At least, I sure hope not haha. Anyways, not only is your seat going to be shaking and moving around during the movie, but imagine you were getting sprayed with water throughout your roller coaster ride! Oh, and then there's sometimes smoke coming out, and even snow! Now how freaking cool is that? You don't get to experience any of that during a normal format, or even during Imax showings of movies. Do expect to pay a higher price per ticket, as 4DX is considered a premium format. With the current hot summer days going on, you don't even have to tell me twice about going to watch a movie in 4DX. In that sense, it's a no-brainer. I do advice to hold onto your snacks as best you can, since there will be some really intense movement from the chairs at times, and that could cause you to spill popcorn, candy or any other snacks you might be chewing on. Drinks are fine in the cupholders on the seats from what I've seen, but it doesn't hurt to keep a hand on your drink just in case!

Now, for Fantastic Four itself, I thought it worked pretty well! There were a few moments that stood out to me above the rest. First, I will say that most of the scenes where Johnny is doing his thing, and flying around while on fire work pretty well. There is hot air that blows into the auditorium to simulate being right next to the Human Torch as he flies around using his powers. During other scenes with fire, and especially a few scenes with lava, they would also raise the temperature of the air to feel slightly warm, but nothing too bad. I also liked that to simulate the splashing of lava, they would spray us with water from the row of seats in front of where I was sitting. They obviously can't spray us with real lava, so using the water affects as a substitute was cool in my book. Probably the scene of the whole movie was when the Silver Surfer was chasing the Fantastic Four through a slipspace portal. As the F4 make a desperate attempt to escape from Galactus' hideout, they are chased by Shalla-Bal (the Silver Surfer in this movie). A whole sequence plays out that reminded me of a similar sequence in Dead Space 1, and even Star Wars A New Hope. Trying to defend themselves, the Human Torch mans one of the cannons on the F4 ship, and takes aim at Shalla-Bal to shoot her down so they can escape. The way the seats moved was pretty intense, and there was air blowing and even water splashing at times to simulate random beams of energy being shot by the cannons on the ship. Such a dope sequence, and the one that stuck with me the most!! 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was overall a very solid movie. It doesn't have as much humor as other Marvel movies I've seen. That's not to say that it's super serious the entire duration of the movie, but overall, there are less jokes being made and less humorous scenes happening throughout the movie, compared to other Marvel movies I've watched. I do wish there would have been maybe another 5-10 minutes of action going on. The first 2 acts of the movie are pretty good, especially the whole sequence with the Fantastic Four trying to take the fight to Galactus in space, and the subsequent space fight between the F4 and the Silver Surfer. The final act of the movie involves the fight between the Fantastic Four and Galactus. Honestly, Galactus doesn't do all that much. For someone who's propped up to be a really powerful opponent, all he really does during the whole fight is...well, being a giant is about all he really does. He doesn't show off any super powers or do anything crazy that would make it seem like the F4 are completely outmatched. They manage to defeat him rather easily, with some assistance from Shalla-Bal, who has a change of heart and decides to stick it to Galactus at the last second. Dude went out like a wimp, not gonna lie but I'm sure it's not the last time we've seen Galactus in a Marvel movie. I mean, surely he's alot stronger than that, right? 

Final Verdict

I give the 3D aspect of the movie a 5/10. It wasn't terrible but nothing really stood out like top 3D showings I've experienced

For the 4DX feature, I'm going to say this is a 10/10. Not on the level of the GOAT 4DX movie Twisters, or even Revenge of the Sith, which was insane in 4DX, but this is still a very high mark for all the 4DX perks you can expect!

Lastly, I give Fantastic Four: First Steps itself a 9/10. Great story, the characters felt like they worked well together and the dialogue was pretty good all around. It could have used a bit more fighting going on, especially when it comes to Galactus, but it's still one of the must watch movies of this summer!