The Fantastic Four: First Steps (what to expect)
Scorecard, Watchlist Worthy, New Pod Drop
Are you not entertained?! What a run of blockbusters we’ve had over the last month. This week we are capping it off with Marvel’s latest entry, but if you are cool kid and don’t love the big budget popcorn movies, don’t you worry. We have some fun indie movies we’ll be reviewing in the coming weeks.
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Watchlist Worthy: Paul Mescal and Josh O’Conner are making out again
New Pod Drop: Talking the Dune books and the film/tv adaptations with a special guest
This week’s movie - The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Letterboxd Description:
Welcome to the family.
Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel’s First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.
Best Watched With
Anyone who is still holding on to the hope that a Fantastic Four can be good and Dominic Toretto.
End credit thoughts
Yet another Fantastic Four, after four attempts at bringing this superhero team to the screen, First Steps takes a first stab at making a Fantastic Four film a set-piece. Set in the 1960s, with a heavy retro vibe yet a futuristic feel. It has an incredible, award-winning, and nominated cast, led by Pedro Pascal, who has been on a hot streak. But is it enough to do what hasn’t been done before: make a decent Fantastic Four movie?
The world-building stands out from the first scene and carries through to the end after the end credits finish. They went for a retro, futuristic vibe, and they nailed it. We were immediately taken back to when the television set first entered the American household, streets were filled with chrome-detailed neon cars, and technological advances in household appliances made home life a little easier. Despite none of us being alive in the 1960s, the nostalgia is palpable. The futuristic Jetsons-family elements only enriched the blast from the past set designs and costumes for this period piece.
The performances made sure the scenes weren’t stuffy, but felt less dazzling than one would want from Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actors. As the story develops and the stakes ramp up, there’s real emotional depth in their performances. Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Pedro Pascal shine when the risks are significant and big decisions must be made.
The movie has a slower pace and less action than other superhero movies released in 2025, but perhaps this mirrors the speed of life in the sixties. Home life was important in the American household during that time, and having scenes of dinner time and conversations with the family were important. This is not to say the action was dull. The action sequences are well done, and the Silver Surfer is a spectacle to watch utilize her speed, powers, and silver surfboard. This is a well-rounded movie, and we never felt like it was dragging or putting us to sleep.
There were risks taken and high stakes on screen, as usual, when saving the world, but one could argue that the stakes were even higher and the risks even greater off the silver screen. Who wants to crash and burn like the previous renditions? It’s safe to say making this movie was well worth it. It is, by far, the best iteration yet, and leaves unanswered questions that set up future films. Will they be just as good? To be determined.
What we do know is that we give the edge to the theaters over waiting till streaming. Whether because of the galactic space travel and war between the Silver Surfer and the space god Galactus was a thrill in vibrant colors and loud sound, or because the set pieces were so convincing that it only makes sense to watch a 1960s superhero period piece in a theater? To each their own, but this one is worth the price of admission.
Watch in a theater near you.
**Stay for the mid-end-credit scene for a gasp, and for the end-end-credit scene for a chuckle.
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The History of Sound by Oliver Hermanus
First, Dear Readers, I need to come clean. This movie looks gross. Not because Josh and Paul are making out so much, but the actual visuals look like a BBC soap opera nightmare. So flat, so drab, bleh. BUT these two actors and this story look so promising I’m willing to look past having my eyeballs disrespected for two hours. This trailer is giving O Brother, Where Art Thou? but it’s a gay drama.
-NMD
Letterboxd Description:
Two young music students, Lionel and David, attending the Boston Conservatory in 1917, bond over their shared love of folk music. They reconnect a few years later, embarking on a song collecting trip in the backwaters of Maine.
Also Directed by Oliver Hermanus:
Living (2022)
Mary & George (2024)
Dune Part 1 and Dune Part 2 w/ Special Guest Patrick D’Silva, PhD: A Medium Project #58🎧
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
Josh welcomes guest Dr. Patrick D’Silva, PhD, to discuss the expansive universe of 'Dune' spanning books, movies, and TV shows.
Patrick J. D’Silva writes about spaceships and dragons (among other things) at Worlds Beyond Worlds. An Islamicist specializing in Persian Sufism by training, he has taught in Philosophy and Religious Studies departments at several universities in Colorado. He lives in Boulder, CO, with his family.
Patrick, an expert in religious studies and a lifelong science fiction enthusiast, offers insights into themes such as religion, colonization, and environmentalism in 'Dune.' The discussion covers the adaptation process for the Denis Villeneuve films, their casting choices, and the visual depiction of key elements such as desert landscapes and the iconic sandworms.
The conversation concludes with a critical look at the portrayal of characters and themes, touching on cultural appropriation and Orientalism. Patrick also shares information about his new Substack, 'Worlds Beyond Worlds,' where he'll continue exploring connections between speculative fiction and real-world issues.
Subscribe to Patrick’s Substack: Worlds Beyond Worlds
Links to Patrick’s essays mentioned in this episode:
Desert Warriors and White Saviors: The Shared Destinies of Rand al’Thor and Paul Atreides
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