21 Years Since 'Fantastic Four' Premiered: From Worst to Best in Superhero Films

Twenty-one years ago today, moviegoers got their first modern big-screen look at Marvel's First Family.

When Fantastic Four premiered on July 8, 2005, it was a commercial success, but critics weren't nearly as impressed. Over the years, the film has earned a reputation as one of the least-loved superhero movies ever made, with Rotten Tomatoes ranking it as the seventh-worst superhero movie of all time.

One of the Lowest-Rated Superhero Movies

Starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, and Julian McMahon, Fantastic Four follows four astronauts who develop extraordinary powers after being exposed to cosmic radiation.

While the cast would go on to include several major stars - most notably Evans before he became Captain America - the film struggled to win over critics.

Today, it holds a 28% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 45% audience score on the site's Popcornmeter, cementing its place among the lowest-rated superhero films ever released.

The Reboot Told a Very Different Story

Two decades later, the franchise received a fresh start with an entirely new cast, and the results couldn't have been more different.

2025's The Fantastic Four: First Steps was recently included on Rotten Tomatoes' roundup of the greatest superhero movies of all time, a dramatic turnaround and full-circle moment for a franchise that once appeared on the site's list of the worst.

Critics have embraced the new take, giving it an impressive 86% critics score, while audiences have been even more enthusiastic, awarding it a 90% Popcornmeter score.

A Franchise Turnaround

Superhero reboots don't always work, but Fantastic Four proved that a franchise can completely reinvent itself with the right creative approach.

Twenty-one years after the original movie debuted to disappointing reviews, the series has gone from appearing on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the worst superhero movies to earning recognition among the genre's very best, which is a turnaround few franchises can claim.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jul 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 11:52 AM.