Sure, Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld in a vampire movie sounds like a pretty neat concept, especially with Jordan playing twins in the film, Sinners. Gimmicky? Perhaps but actually…no. Not at all, apparently.

Sinners currently has a rather stunning 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics, and not just a few critics, more than three dozen now. That makes it the best-reviewed wide-released film of 2025 so far, now more than a third of the way into the year. It’s written and directed by Ryan Coogler, who is best known for his pair of Black Panther movies. He also did Creed back in 2015, another Michael B. Jordan project, his fourth with the ac tor, which also includes Fruitvale Station. What can we say? He’s his Scorsese/DiCaprio-type muse.

All three core Sinners contributors have now fled the MCU temporarily for this new, wholly innovative project (in addition to Coogler directing two Black Panthers, Jordan was Killmonger in those and Hailee Steinfeld was and still is Kate Bishop). Again, this is all Coogler, his own writing and not an adaptation of a book or comic or anything. Here’s the synopsis about the 1930s period piece.

“Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.”

Though reviews are in, Sinners does not come out until a week from today on Friday, April 18, so we’ll have to wait a bit to see how it is for ourselves. Until then, listen to what some critics are saying about it:

• Vanity Fair: “Sinners is propulsive and stirring entertainment, messy but always compelling. The film’s fascinating array of genres and tropes and ideas swirls together in a way that is, I suppose, singularly American.”
• The Hollywood Reporter: “As much arthouse as grindhouse, it’s a blood-drenched mix tape that shouldn’t work. But it does, thanks to Coogler’s muscular direction, a terrific cast, enveloping IMAX visuals, body-quaking sound and music that stirs the soul.”
• IndieWire: “A bloody, muscular, barrelhouse of a vampire movie that throbs like the neck of a blues guitar on fire, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” might be the first story the “Creed” director has ripped straight from his own guts.”

One thing to note about the film that you don’t often hear is that it’s best-seen in an IMAX theater, with visuals designed for that experience, and the entire movie shot on film. It’s something you don’t usually see in this day and age of blockbusters.

Whether the film is profitable remains to be seen with a reported $90 million budget. Even perfect critic scores sometimes won’t translate into a big box office, but Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld are known stars, and Coogler essentially doesn’t miss with his projects. Hopefully we’ll see it do well.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.