FANTASTIC FOUR WEEK — NO SPOILERS! — It’s FANTASTIC FOUR WEEK! Because there’s a big ol’ movie out! Click here for the COMPLETE INDEX of columns and features! Flame on! — Dan — This is the whole reason we’re doing FANTASTIC FOUR WEEK, so let’s get right to it — 13 QUICK THOUGHTS ON FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS! (NO SPOILERS — and PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS in comments either here or in any of our social media threads. Don’t be a dick.) — 1. It’s a fun movie. It, like James Gunn’s Superman, is also an unapologetically comic-book movie, as opposed to a movie with comics characters. It’s a refreshing change from what we’ve gotten used to. — 2. The other comparison I’ll make to Superman is that it is relentlessly optimistic and upbeat. It also goes further and depicts society how we’d like it to be, as opposed to how it is. — 3. In that regard — and others — it’s also firmly entrenched in the Silver Age, with its retro-futuristic surroundings and very ’60 vibe. Besides all the groovy tech, design and furniture, it’s filled with snippets of what media was like in the 1960s, particularly television and magazines. — 4. It is the first Marvel movie that really leans into the legacy of Jack Kirby. I’m not a Stan Lee basher by any stretch, but it’s about time Disney and Marvel Studios paid heavy tribute to the King. — 5. It’s Earth-828, in case you’re wondering. — 6. I recommend the recently released comic book Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is a direct prequel to the movie and deepens the movie’s lore without spoiling anything. — 7. The movie isn’t an origin story, as you probably know, but there are fabulous flashbacks that were taken straight from the ’60s FF comics, with a big line-up of villains who make cameo appearances. Those are some of the movie’s best parts. — 8. Reed Richards: Pedro Pascal is excellent, as always. The guy is never not good (though his Wonder Woman 1984 appearance was strange). His Reed is less cold and distant and more (humorously) neurotic and frustrated. He knows he’s supposed to be able to connect more emotionally but struggles to do it. — 9. Sue Storm: Vanessa Kirby is probably the most charismatic of the Four. She’s ferocious. — 10. Johnny Storm: Joseph Quinn is better than...