BLU-RAY REVIEW

The Fantastic Four: First Steps 4K Ultra HD

Picture5
Sound5
Immersive4
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
64593LLT
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Sequences of action violence some mild language and inuendo
(Retail Price):
$49.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-100)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
114
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
ABC
(Theatrical Year):
2007
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
10/14/2025
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Matt Shakman
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 7.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Subtitles):
(Portuguese Language):

In "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," finding the balance between home life and heroic duty is just one of the challenges the Fantastic Four must navigate, and they do it "together, as a family." Their greatest strength is each other, and that bond welcomes leads to a retro-futuristic world that also inspires viewers to "connect to something bigger than themselves." (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary by Director Matt Shakman and Production Designer Kasra Farahani, five deleted scenes (HD 06:25), gag reel (HD 02:56), the featurettes "Meet The First Family" (HD 09:08), "Fantastic Futurism" (HD 13:04) and "From Beyond And Below" (HD 09:37) and a Movies Anywhere digital copy,

The 2.39:1 HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD Dolby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed on 35 mm and 16 mm Kodak Vision3 film in Ultra Panavision 70 using the Arri Alexa 65 IMAX and Arriflex 16 S camera systems and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format. A 3D conversion was performed by SDFX Studios and Seecubic but no 3D Blu-ray was provided for review. Film grain is virtually non-existent. The 16 mm material is documentary footage and looks dated and rough. Otherwise the 35 mm-sourced picture is sharp and clear. Visual effects are spectacular. The color palette exhibits vividly saturated hues with strong primaries that at times pop. Notably are blues, reds and orange hues as well as numerous other hue shadings. The production design provides numerous settings, including The Fabulous Four's spaceship interior and the Galactus setting. Lighting is often bright and dramatic using spot lighting effect. HDR contrast is excellent. Black levels are solid and deep. Shadows are deep and revealing of texture, and particularly event in the Galactus setting. Resolution is superb with fine detail exhibited throughout. Facial features reveal skin pores and lines, especially on the face of Ben, Reed's trimmed beard and hair. Shalla-Bai, the gold woman, is realistic with her glimmering body composition. Costumes exhibit fine detail in fabric texture, such as the rubbery edges on the uniforms worn by the Fabulous Four. Structures and sets are well defined. Objects are finely defined. This is a sharp and vivid picture with lots of exciting visual effects that will thrill fans. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is extremely dynamic sounding, especially during the outer space and action scenes, such as Shalla-Bal's attacks and Galactus' pursuit of Sue's baby. Sound effects are supported with intense bass energy and .1 LFE sub-25 Hz extension during, for instance, Reed's spaceship launch and explosions, as well to bolster all action segments. Atmospherics, such as city sounds and crowd protests, sound realistic. But it is the sound effects that excite and are intense and dynamic, such as the numerous flying segments of Shalia-Bel and the Fabulous Four. Foley sound effects are perfectly crafted. Michael Giacchino's orchestra/choral score delivers both soft backgrounds as well as a strong forward presence. The music spans a wide and deep soundstage with aggressive envelopment of the surround field. Dialogue is clear and though often ADR produced can sound spatially integrated, especially when the actors are on sets.

The Immersive Sound element is primarily an extension of the music to the height layer. Sound effects are sporadic such as a helicopter, crowd noise, beaming sounds, change radlng, heavy rumbling machine sounds, Galactus movements and panned whooshing sound effects. As well, there is announcement dialogue, some main dialogue and Shalla-Bal and Galactus voices.

This is an exciting and often intense hollosonic spherical surround soundtrack with segments of intense bass energy. (Gary Reber)