Fantastic Four: First Steps (Christian Movie Review)
Boasting a stellar cast, a delightful throwback aesthetic, and an earnest pro-family and pro-life message, Fantastic 4 is an enjoyable comic book film and an intriguing foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
About the Film
As the reality (and inevitability) of superhero fatigue sets in, the question is whether audiences are growing tired of superhero narratives in general or merely of the brand of uninspired stories Hollywood keeps telling. The answer is probably a little of both, but Fantastic 4 proves that there are still some exciting tales to tell within the crowded genre. Boasting a stellar cast, a delightful throwback aesthetic, and an earnest pro-family and pro-life message, Fantastic 4 is an enjoyable comic book film and an intriguing foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After the pleasant surprise of Thunderbolts* (aka The New Avengers) earlier this year, Fantastic 4 feels like another purposeful recalibration of the languishing MCU post-Avengers: Endgame. The film forgoes cheap spectacle (almost to a fault) in favor of compelling character drama, narrowing its focus to the heroes at hand rather than hijacking their journeys to establish future franchises. Refreshingly, Fantastic 4 feels like a captivating start to a “Fantastic 4” story, not just “chapter 36” of an increasingly bloated MCU narrative.
The film’s focused approach works due to the strength of its central heroes. The characters are perfectly cast and have compelling, unique relationship dynamics. Despite an ever-expanding pantheon of cinematic superheroes, the four members of the team manage to fill previously unoccupied space. While many of Marvel’s superheroes represent universal qualities of morality and goodness, they seldom represent one of life’s most foundational experiences: existing as part of a family. For the heroes who do have family attachments, those relationships are typically explored in a negative light (Thor and Loki) or are an afterthought (Hawkeye). Refreshingly, Fantastic 4 puts an emphasis on family, showcasing heroes who are also spouses, parents, and siblings. Even though one of the heroes is a giant rock creature and another is a super genius, the characters feel more like real people than many of their superhero peers.
The retro 1960s aesthetic is one of the film’s most inspired creative choices, instantly giving it a distinctive look. But it also feels like a throwback to the earlier (and simpler) days of the genre in other ways. It is unashamedly playful and goofy, like a Saturday-morning cartoon come to life (a connection that is made within the movie itself). The film is not only set within an 1960s-inspired era, but it also approaches the genre in a manner befitting of that time. It lacks any trace of the cynical tone or sarcastic humor that have crept into the MCU’s latter phases.
Fantastic 4 forgoes the mindless spectacle of other recent comic book films (or blockbuster films in general), though the pendulum may be swinging too far in the other direction, as the story suffers from inconsistent pacing and a lack of action. There’s a repeated gag in which The Thing refuses to use his classic catchphrase, “It’s clobbering time!” The movie feels equally as reluctant a t times to deliver crowd-pleasing spectacle. It is not until the climax that the team members fully utilize their unique powers in an escapist, comic book way. For much of the film, their superpowers feel almost like an afterthought. Instead, they derive their strength from their noble character. It’s admirable on a thematic level, but not always thrilling on a cinematic one.
As a big baddie, Galactus is a menacing threat, but he is too distant and overpowering to be used often. Thus, the responsibility falls to the Silver Surfer. There has been much online chatter about the decision to gender-swap the traditionally male character. I’m not a comic book purist, but I liked this version. In fact, the film could have used more of her, placing greater emphasis on her complicated motivations. Making the character a woman establishes an interesting contrast with Sue Storm and fits well with the central theme of motherhood.
Overall, whether the MCU is already too far down the tracks to change course remains to be seen, but Fantastic 4’s long awaited introduction is successful. The film reminds audiences of the superhero genre’s potential when films focus on compelling characters and their emotional journeys rather than on flashy spectacle or the complicated mechanics of maintaining a shared universe. Fantastic 4 may not be the most inventive or dynamic comic book film, but it is exactly the type of story that might hold superhero fatigue at bay. The film’s subtitle is First Steps, and Fantastic 4 feel like an exciting new beginning for the series.
For Consideration
Language: A few minor profanities, although “God” and “Jesus” are both used multiple times as well.
Violence: Nothing beyond standard, bloodless comic book action.
Sexuality: The sculped form of Silver Surfer leads a character to refer to her as a “sexy alien” and a “naked space alien” (although others correctly point out that she is not actually naked). While there is a sensual quality to the character, she is not overly sexualized.
Other: There is a surprising number of religious or spiritual allusions. Reed discusses a strategy that will require them to “move heaven and earth,” (in context, he means literally move the earth), before adding, “Well, just the earth” (a rare acknowledgment of spirituality in the MCU). Characters wonder if Galactus is a god, and there is a scene set in a synagogue.
Engage The Film
Pro-Family and Pro-Life
Superheroes typically represent an ideal of virtue and self-sacrifice, but their lives also often exhibit a degree of selfish individualism. Their days are full of danger and excitement, and they never really settle down or experience the responsibilities of everyday life. In contrast, Reed Richards (aka Mister Fantastic) may be the first superhero who has to set aside his superhero responsibilities to change a dirty diaper!
The film plays out as an extended metaphor for childbirth and parenting. Significantly, the opening scene is the discovery of Sue’s pregnancy. That scene is followed by the team’s superhero origin story and an exploration of how discovering their superpowers changed the course of the heroes’ lives. The birth scene occurs as their spacecraft skirts around the fringe of a black hole, narrowly avoiding being sucked in (a possible extension of the emotional state of the new parents).
In perhaps the film’s most striking sequence of visual storytelling, when the child is born, Sue Storm loses control of her powers and momentarily becomes invisible, which may be symbolic of a woman losing part of her previous identity when she is reborn as a mother. Despite her fear of losing herself, Sue ultimately finds strength and purpose through her bond with her child. She declares, “I won’t abandon my child for the sake of the world, but I won’t abandon the world for the sake of my child.” Through the lens of parenthood, the film explores the tension between individual and communal identity in ways most superhero films never touch.
Fantastic 4 also has a strong pro-life message. The central narrative tension revolves around Galactus’s offer to spare earth in exchange for Reed and Sue’s newborn child (a request notably made while the child is still in the womb). As crowds of people protest and callously call for the sacrifice of the child, a desperate Reed briefly considers the idea, calling it, “mathematical, ethical, and available.” The evil of his words is quickly exposed by the sound of the baby’s cries. He realizes no gain could ever justify the sacrifice of their child. When Sue confronts the angry mob and introduces them to her precious child, they lose their resolve too. Their worldview and arguments sound sensible in the abstract but crumble in the face of new life. Likewise, prior to the child’s birth, Reed and Sue fret about how “different” the baby might be due to their own superpowers. They repeatedly scan the unborn child for “abnormalities,” which calls to mind the real-world discourse about children born with special needs. Though abortion and childlessness are often viewed as ways to keep children with “abnormalities” from being born, the film affirms that all life is a valuable and precious gift from God.
