150 Word Reviews: 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' (2025)

Excelsior

Jul 27, 2025

Hello friends. Yes, I saw the new superhero movie. And the non-horror Ari Aster one, too. Peacock is streaming ‘The Woman in the Yard’, which came out a few months ago. I loved it. And then I wrote up a few flicks I haven’t seen, including the classic indie ‘Killer of Sheep’, which is currently streaming on Criterion. Thanks for subscribing.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps carves out its own little universe within the massive MCU. This adaptation of writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby's genre-defining 1960s comic book about a super-powered family takes place in an alternate reality where America in the 1960s was a high-tech, Jetsons-inspired utopia.

This vision of a futuristic past where people of all races and religions co-mingle is director Matt Shakman's greatest achievement, followed by the casting. Pedro Pascal is both dashing and nerdy as Mr. Fantastic, a human rubber band. Joseph Quinn is appropriately hot-headed as the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach shines through his CGI as The Thing, a down-to-earth pile of orange rocks. Vanessa Kirby is the heart of the movie: mom, wife, sister, all-powerful goddess. The plot is Lovecraftian. Julia Garnia is a silver angel of death announcing the coming of Galactus, a space monster the size of a skyscraper.

New 150 Word Review: ‘Eddington’ (2025)

Hello, beloved subscribers and followers. I am launching a new newsletter in a few weeks. It will be called Advice For Men. There will be advice and essays about therapy, anxiety, and loneliness. And BBQ? The newsletter will be for men . What is a man? Great question. Here’s the link to the About Page where you can sign up!