All the Fantastic Four movies ranked

Marvel's first family of superheroes, the Fantastic Four, has had quite a journey up until the announcement of its reboot in 2025. While the first movie with these superheroes was made in 1994, three more attempts have been made to bring them on-screen.

Created in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it established the Marvel Comics universe. Mr. Fantastic aka Reed Richards, Invisible Woman aka Sue Storm, Ben Grimm who turns into The Thing, and Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch formed the powerful team of superheroes who set out to save the world from eternal troubles.

While plagued by many problems, this set of superheroes has four movies to their name with a fifth consisting of a new cast on the way. So if you're itching to know which of these movies is for you, look at this list of all Fantastic Four ranked from worst to best, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's own opinions.

---

What we loved, what we didn't like:

4 Fantastic Four movies ranked, according to Rotten Tomatoes

4) The Fantastic Four (1994)

a still from The Fantastic Four (image via New Horizons Pictures)

This movie was never officially released. This first attempt at adapting the comic was not a good one. The movie recounted the origin story of the four superheroes and their first conflict with Doctor Doom.

Made with a shoestring budget of $1 million, this movie was produced within a month. But Marvel later purchased the movie from Roger Corman's New Horizons Pictures to prevent it from being released because it didn't quite hit the mark.

Choppy dialogue and bad special effects were the main reasons for Marvel's decision. Although the attempt was genuinely commendable, the movie unfortunately couldn't reflect that. The cast included Alex Hyde-White as Mr. Fantastic, Rebecca Stabb as the Invisible Woman, Jay Underwood as The Human Torch, and stuntman Michael Bailey Smith played Ben Grimm.

---

3) Fantastic Four (2015)

Based on Marvel's Ultimate Fantastic Four comics, this film failed to impress fans. The plot of the film follows four young innovators who find themselves equipped with superpowers after teleporting into a dangerous universe. Imbued with powers beyond human imagination, the four must fight a friend turned enemy.

Marred by inconsistencies and production drama, this movie couldn't do justice to the brilliance of the comic book. While some fans noticed Sue Storm's hair color change between the two halves of the movie, others found scenes in the trailer that did not match the final cut of the film. Overall, it was a rather insignificant film in the superhero genre.

---

3) Fantastic Four (2005)

A still from Fantastic Four (image via 20th Century Fox)

This was Chris Evan's first attempt as a superhero, and this movie is better when compared to the first two on this list. Following the same plotline as the other origin movies, this film attempts a faithful iteration of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's comic.

Unfortunately, the film suffers from letting its characters run loose without much control over the consequences. Too many interpersonal conflicts among the Four derail much of the film. Not even the respite of some well-handled action sequences is offered to the audience. However, it does a half-decent job of being humorous at times, and that saves much of the film.

---

1) Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

The best film amongst the 4, this movie improves upon the 2005 version. Furnished with the same cast as the previous movie, this film is quite a thrilling watch. The superheroes team up with the recently resurrected Doctor Doom to defeat Silver Surfer, who is causing havoc on Earth and Galactus, a planet-eating being.

Adventurous and captivating, this film does a great job of bringing elements of the superhero genre to this set of superheroes for the first time. Although it lacks in being one of the better superhero movies that the audience has known this past decade, this movie is undoubtedly fun to watch.

---

As fans eagerly await the fifth movie about Marvel's original superheroes, these 4 films should do a great job of keeping company until 2025.