Archives for 2025

A social media influencer threatens global devastation, forcing Hawkeye and The Avengers to expand their ranks. The heroes discover that fighting viral threats requires more than just their usual superhero skills.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Jackson N. comments, “LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails is a hilarious and action-packed return to the LEGO Marvel Universe. This two-episode adventure perfectly blends humor, chaos, and superhero fun, while including tons of clever nods to the original Marvel comics.” Zoey F. adds, “LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails is a good film for younger kids. Though it is quite different from the original Marvel Movies as well as other LEGO movies, it is a worthwhile watch.” Ari C. wraps it up with, “This series is hilarious – Not only does it have humorous scenes, but the entire storyline itself is ridiculous. It had me cracking up and completely invested in it. I am a huge Marvel fan, and I love how LEGO adds a comedic twist to this series.” See their full reviews below.

LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails

By Jackson N., age 12, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails is a hilarious and action-packed return to the LEGO Marvel Universe. This two-episode adventure perfectly blends humor, chaos, and superhero fun, while including tons of clever nods to the original Marvel comics. It’s an awesome way to keep the Halloween excitement going a little longer, especially with its mix of spooky magic and silly moments.

The story follows Hawkeye (Chris Cox), who finds himself in a strange new situation after the Avengers mysteriously vanish. With his teammates gone, Hawkeye ends up leading a group of leftover heroes on a mission to stop a social media-obsessed villain who turns cats into a full-blown crisis. As if fighting evil wasn’t hard enough, now he has to deal with literal cat chaos! Along the way, he learns what it really means to be part of a team—even when things get weird—but can he put a stop to this CAT-tastrophe?

The animation in LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails looks great and feels sharper and more colorful than ever. The LEGO characters move smoothly, and their expressions are full of energy, which makes every joke land perfectly. The backgrounds, like Doctor Strange’s magical world and the city streets packed with cats, are filled with fun details that made me want to pause and look closer. The voice acting is also top-notch, with Chris Cox giving Hawkeye just the right mix of confidence and sarcasm. What really stands out, though, is the music— something that’s not common in many LEGO series. The custom soundtrack adds a lot to the action scenes and makes everything feel more epic. This installment also has a ton of surprises for Marvel fans. Seeing Spider-Man, the Thing, and Wolverine all pop up in LEGO form is really exciting. One of the funniest moments happens when Sabretooth gets thrown through a wall while a group of heroes plays Go Fish in the background—it’s random and ridiculous in the best way. The humor works for both kids and adults, balancing silly puns with clever jokes about the Marvel universe. This is absolutely the best series to introduce kids to Marvel fandom.

The show’s message is that teamwork is the key to success. It also shows how friendship and trust help people overcome even the strangest situations. Parents should know there’s some mild cartoon fighting, but it’s all in good fun and totally age-appropriate.

I give LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. You can stream the show in full on Disney+ beginning November 14, 2025.

LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails
By Zoey F., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14

LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails is a good film for younger kids. Though it is quite different from the original Marvel Movies as well as other LEGO movies, it is a worthwhile watch.

The storyline follows Hawkeye and The Avengers facing their wildest threat yet – social media. To save the world, The Avengers have to recruit a new team to fight their new rival – cats! Specifically, these magic cats are controlled by the evil influencer, Meryet (Alia Shawkat), who is also in control of The Avengers. She devises an evil plan of world domination all for likes and views on her channel.

From a huge fight scene, recorded by an aspiring cat influencer, Meryet, the Avengers save the day, but not without the help of Hawkeye (Troy Baker). It seems that fighting comes easy to him, but nothing could prepare him for his biggest rival to be cats. Let’s talk about the humor in this film because a big part of Marvel Movies is the humor. Though this film definitely has some good lines, it is a lot more toned down than The Avengers. I like the irony that Hawkeye hates cats while having to work with a team of cat superheroes in episode 2. The film does keep the lightheartedness of the jokes that are so well loved in the original Marvel films, but a lot of the humor is geared for a younger audience. Viewers, like me, who are attached to the original Avengers’ movies, might have a hard time adjusting to different voice actors and aged-down humor. The animation of action scenes is beautiful in the LEGO style, but I missed Marvel’s well-delivered jokes. I was expecting something similar to LEGO Batman but got an extremely watered-down version of that. Despite that, the characters are fun, and it is interesting to see different interpretations of their voices. As a long time Marvel fan, I enjoyed seeing new characters like Meryet and Tigra (Cat Taber). These characters have the potential for a bigger presence in future movies and TV shows.

The film’s message is about how being famous or popular does not define how good of a person you are. Hawkeye gains fame and then loses it to all the cats. He feels irrelevant and questions why he even tries when no one likes him. But he remembers why he is an Avenger and that he does good things regardless of his fame. We are also reminded how a lust for fame can corrupt someone. Meryet starts out as an innocent aspiring influencer, but becomes power hungry and doesn’t stop until she gets what she wants. This is a very important and powerful theme for a kids’ movie.

I give LEGO Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. It is available on Disney+ starting November 14, 2025.

Lego Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails                                                                                                                By Ari C., KIDS FIRST Film Critics, age 13

I absolutely love Lego Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails. It is comedic, has a great storyline and amazing voice acting. It teaches an important lesson as well.

This series follows Hawkeye (Chris Cox) who has recently experienced a surge in fame and little does he know that fame will soon disappear. Suddenly nobody cares about superheroes; instead everyone is obsessed with cat videos. Hawkeye despises cats and is maybe a little jealous of them. He is able to see that something fishy is happening and it turns out that all the cats are being controlled by an evil influencer. Hawkeye must put together a team of cat themed superheroes to save the world.

This series is hilarious –it had me laughing throughout the episodes. Not only does it have humorous scenes, but the entire storyline itself is ridiculous. It had me cracking up and completely invested in it. I am a huge Marvel fan, and I love how LEGO adds a comedic twist to this series. It is so fun seeing the Avengers get defeated by cats – that had me laughing up a storm. I find it amusing how Hawkeye puts together a team of cat themed superheroes to defeat an army of evil cats. Even if you look past the comedy, it still has a great plot. I was completely enthralled by the action and the plot.  The voice acting is fantastic. Chris Cox perfectly captures the pitch and tone of Hawkeyes’ voice throughout the series.  There is a fine line between doing something for fame and doing it because it is the right thing to do, and it is easy to mistake one for the other. This show reminds us to watch that line and choose to do things for the right reasons. My favorite part is the ending when Santa comes in and beats up a bunch of bad guys.

The film’s message is that fame doesn’t define you, but your actions do. Note that there is some violence but nothing bloody or gory.

I give Lego Marvel Avengers: Strange Tails 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18 plus adults. You can find it on Disney Plus beginning November 14, 2025.

Sarah’s Oil is inspired by the remarkable true story of Sarah Rector, an African American girl born in Oklahoma Indian Territory in the early 1900s, who believes there is oil beneath the barren land she’s allotted and whose faith is proven right. As greedy oil sharks close in, Sarah turns to her family, friends, and some Texas wildcatters to maintain control of her oil-rich land, eventually becoming among the nation’s first female African American millionaires-at eleven years old.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic IvyJoy C. comments, “I like Sarah’s Oil because its amazing storyline and messages, great acting and outstanding cinematography… The entire cast is convincing, but Naya Desir-Johnson especially stands out, because her performance feels so real – her emotions jump right off the screen.” Tia O. adds, “Sarah’s Oil is a dramatic time period piece. The acting is well done and the plot is very interesting – one I was unaware of… The film’s message focuses on trusting in your faith and having the strength to persevere through tough times.” Julie S. wraps it up with, “Sarah’s Oil brings to life the inspiring story of Sarah Rector, a real-life figure whose determination and faith propelled her into history. I was truly unaware of this incredible narrative before viewing the film, and it is inspiring in multiple ways—from its strong faith-based core to the sheer strength of an 11-year-old girl standing up for her rights during a tumultuous era.” See their full reviews and Ari’s interview with Naya Desir-Johnson below.

Sarah’s Oil
By IvyJoy C., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

I like Sarah’s Oil because its amazing storyline and messages, great acting and outstanding cinematography.

The storyline follows a young African American girl, Sarah (Naya Desir-Johnson), who is determined to find oil on her land. Not only does she find oil, but unfortunately, she finds enemies too. She must not only deal with greedy crooks in the oil business, but she must also deal with great loss. This movie takes place in Oklahoma, in 1931, a time when racism and persecution were pretty predominant towards people of color.

The entire cast is convincing, but Naya Desir-Johnson especially stands out, because her performance feels so real – her emotions jump right off the screen. Mel Rodriguez’s portrayal of Mace perfectly captures the dramatic flair that the script calls for. Kenric Green, as Sarah’s father Joe portrays a loving father figure wonderfully; he emanates paternal instincts. Kudos to Johnny Derango, the director of photography, and the entire cinematography department. All the shots are so perfectly framed; I felt as if I was right there observing all that was going on. The character development and the pace of the film are spot on. As I am half Black myself, I resonated with the messages of equal rights in this film. Hats off to Cyrus Nowrasteh for bringing this story to our attention and to the producers and crew for their sensitive delivery. I love the settings of the various scenes as they really match the mood of the story. Plus, the background music is well selected for the times and the topic. This movie teaches great lessons about equality and persistence that are important for everyone to learn. My favorite part is when oil rains down on Sarah because it reminds me of when I get to play in the rain and we see how her faith has delivered the oil she predicted was on her land.

The film’s messages are to treat everyone equally and never back down from what’s right.  Take note that there is some profanity, lots of violence, and a murder.

I give Sarah’s Oil 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It opens in theaters on November 7, 2025.

Sarah’s Oil
By Tia O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 16

Sarah’s Oil is a dramatic time period piece. The acting is well done and the plot is very interesting – one I was unaware of. But I wanted more historical information from it.

Sarah’s Oil is a dramatic film set in the early 1900s which follows the real life story of Sarah Rector (Naya Desir-Johnson). After inheriting a massive plot of land, due to birthright as a Black grandchild of Creek Indians, she believes that there is a large bank of oil underneath her land. After following her gut instincts and persevering through hardships, eleven-year-old Sarah turns out to be right about her hunch and becomes America’s first African-American millionaire.

I found the story very interesting. I had never heard of Sarah Rector’s story before watching this movie, and the film left me wanting to learn more about her life. The acting from both Naya Desir-Johnson and Zachary Levi really elevates the film. Both actors take on thick Southern accents and manage to maintain them throughout the entire movie, staying fully in character even during the most intense scenes while still maintaining great chemistry. Their characters, Sarah and Bert, originally meet inside of a cafe and end up crossing paths again shortly after. During this meeting, Sarah asks Bert to help her lead the journey in extracting all that oil. Eventually the two grow very close, with Bert acting as a business mentor for Sarah. While the plot is captivating, there are a few issues that broke the illusion of the 1900s setting. For instance, many people treat Sarah unusually kindly for that time period. While there is an attempt to showcase the racism that she and her family faced, it feels inadequate.

The film’s message focuses on trusting in your faith and having the strength to persevere through tough times. It is an inspiring message, reminding us that nothing good comes easy and that hard work always pays off. Note that there is some minor violence and profanity used.

I give Sarah’s Oil 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it 8 to 18, plus adults. It releases in theaters November 7, 2025.

Sarah’s Oil
By Julie S., KIDS FIRST! Adult Reviewer

Sarah’s Oil brings to life the inspiring story of Sarah Rector, a real-life figure whose determination and faith propelled her into history. I was truly unaware of this incredible narrative before viewing the film, and it is inspiring in multiple ways—from its strong faith-based core to the sheer strength of an 11-year-old girl standing up for her rights during a tumultuous era.

The story follows Sarah Rector, a young African American girl born in Oklahoma Indian Territory in the early 1900s. As a Black grandchild of Creek Indians, she was allotted 160 acres of land under the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887. While the land appeared barren, Sarah firmly believed there was oil beneath the surface. At a time when oil wildcatters were rampant in Oklahoma and Texas, Sarah had to fiercely fight for what was rightfully hers. She eventually succeeded, becoming the first female African American millionaire at the age of eleven.

Kudos to Cyrus Nowrasteh for co-producing, co-writing, and directing this essential piece of history. The cast is wonderful, especially Naya Desir-Johnson as Sarah and Zachary Levi as Bert. The film opens powerfully with Sarah accepting the deed and immediately expressing her faith-filled conviction about the land’s potential. She finds an unlikely ally and protector in the local wildcatter, Bert (Zachary Levi). Levi excels as the scoundrel with a good heart—unreliable at times, but ultimately redeeming himself as he supports Sarah against the local oil company, led by Garret Dillahunt. The performance of Naya Desir-Johnson stands out, flawlessly balancing Sarah’s deep faith and innocence while demonstrating a fierce refusal to take flak from anyone. The pervasive racism of the era is evident, though it is handled sensitively for a broader audience.

Sarah’s Oil is an enjoyable and profoundly moving experience. Its message about faith, family, and legacy is an uplifting one that will surely brighten your day at the movies. With a powerful true story and exceptional performances, it earns a high recommendation.

I give Sarah’s Oil 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. It releases in theaters November 7, 2025.