A proper revival for “The Fantastic Four”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened in theaters this week, ushering in a new era for four of Marvel’s most beloved heroes and a new phase of films for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). First Steps distinguishes itself amongst the storied history of the superpowered quartet and the overcrowded genre of modern comic book movies. 

The film’s bold themes and unique choices have proven well-received with an 88 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and 7.6/10 on IMDb. Early reception mirrors that of Superman, which was released two weeks ago. Such positive feedback on the $200 million motion picture serves as an opportunity to revisit how we got here.

When the original Fantastic Four film was released in 2005, hopes were high. The movie had a recognizable cast, a significant budget, and was released on the heels of two groundbreaking blockbusters in the comic book genre: Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 came out a year prior, and Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins came out just one month earlier! 

But while Fantastic Four did well at the box office, it suffered significant criticism, and the sequel two years later was a flop. They attempted to reboot the series in 2015, but it was a disaster waiting to happen—a poorly made product released in the heart of the public’s enthrallment with Disney’s MCU, from which it was completely disconnected. 

When Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019, it gained the highly coveted rights to both The Fantastic Four and The X-Men, allowing them to integrate those characters into their storyline for the first time. Despite being a cornerstone in the comic book world, The Fantastic Four had not yet been justly represented on the big screen…but that changed this week.

What sets First Steps apart

The Fantastic Four: First Steps brings a completely new flavor to an MCU that has begun to grow stale for significant portions of its audience. The visual aesthetic is unlike any of the other films in Marvel’s library, as we are transported to a distant version of Earth where the 1960s live on and the colors pop off the screen. 

The retro style blends well with the dialogue, which illuminates the authenticity of the characters. The film has a memorable musical score, the actors are virtually all fantastic (oops), and the simple but intriguing storyline keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. And beyond the surface-level observations, the movie carries important and culturally relevant themes that leave viewers with a wholesome message. 

To begin with, our four heroes are public figures from the moment they become super-powered. They do not hide their powers, wear masks, or work in the dark, as most other modern heroes seem to do. 

Furthermore, there is no moral ambiguity in any of them. Each of the four is purely righteous in their intentions and in every way that they wield their powers.

In a similar sense, the antagonist of the film is purely evil in his intentions. It has become increasingly common in recent years to provide justification for a villain’s actions or desires. Oftentimes, audiences will get a glimpse of a villain’s traumatic past, or they’ll hear a brief manifesto filled with nuance and half-truths, in order that you might sympathize with the villain despite their nefarious deeds. 

First Steps gives no such credit to the bad guy, whose origin is hardly delved into and whose actions are consistently reprehensible.

Despite the crystal clear good versus evil plot, the movie does leave proper room for a redemption arc, and our characters face a few challenging ethical dilemmas. Thankfully, they have superpowers to save the day.

Three Christ-centric themes

Much of the black-and-white storytelling, purity in the characters, and elevation of themes like justice and protection feel like callbacks to an older way of telling stories. Yet there seems to be a modern revival for these concepts. 

First Steps parallels Superman in its pursuit of metamodernist storytelling, which Mark Legg recently wrote about in depth.

At the end of the day, the movie leaves the audience with three important takeaways that have strong, Christ-centric tie-ins.

First, the film is pro-family. 

A husband and a wife, happily married, having a baby together, is a central part of the story. That may not sound groundbreaking, but it is exceedingly rare in the comic-book genre, where characters are often outcasts or aliens, and increasingly rare in movies in general. 

The movie elevates the importance of doing everything to protect your family and leaves you with a reminder to care for and cling to your loved ones every day, not knowing if you’ll see tomorrow.

Second, the story is anti-wickedness.

It seems like every superhero film should fit into this category, and yet many of them do not. So often the hero has their own wickedness that he or she partake in, whether it is substance abuse, sexual immorality, selfish pride, or unrighteous anger. Audiences are taught to embrace that as part of the hero’s character, never to be extinguished. 

Meanwhile, villains are often nuanced and justified in their villainry. First Steps holds its ground on the issue of wickedness, which has no place in the lives of the world’s righteous protectors.

Third, the movie is pro-life.  

Whether intentional or not, the movie is distinctly pro-life. There are multiple sequences that give agency and personhood to a child in the womb. Repeatedly, the movie speaks out against child-sacrifice, and specifically the concept of sacrificing children for the sake of the world. 

The film quite literally sets up the great spiritual battle of Christian parents today: Satan, the purely evil villain of real life, wants your child’s heart and mind and you have to fight daily to ensure that he does not succeed. Unlike The Fantastic Four, we are not purely righteous in our actions and intentions, but, if we are in Christ, we have been declared righteous by Him, and received the gift of the Holy Spirit to walk with us in that daily spiritual battle (Romans 5:1-5).

While there are certainly fair criticisms to be made about individual scenes, minor plot questions, or CGI problems, these concerns are rightly overshadowed by the positives. The film does have some mild language, mild violence, and some important but mature thematic elements. However, this movie is worth the watch and may create great conversation points for families with age appropriate kids. 
Perhaps The Fantastic Four: First Steps is just the beginning of a lineage of movies touching on critical topics, prompting spiritual conversations, and reminding us of why Godly morality is foundational for human flourishing.