Charles Merritt thinks that this latest Marvel offering has a lot to say about the value of the church as family
Film: Fantastic Four: First Steps
Age rating: 12A
Runtime: 115 minutes
See this if you liked: The Incredibles
Synopsis:
Set in an alternate universe, this version of the Fantastic Four are the heroes of a retro-futuristic 1960s. Adored by the public and able to stop any scheme from those who wish the world harm they are riding high, particularly after the news that there is a new member of the family on the way. This all changes when a silver herald declares that the Earth has been marked for destruction by the being named Galactus. Will Marvel’s first family be able to stay strong together, even when the fate of one of their own is on the line?
What I liked:
For me, I love the Marvel films where you’re not constantly wondering ‘why don’t the Avengers just come and save the day?’. By setting this film in an alternate universe, it allows it to feel distinct and unique enough in its own right without being bogged down by the weight of an interconnected universe.
The retro-futuristic setting is a lot of fun and visually gorgeous. The set design is beautiful and (for the most part) feels real and lived in. It also feels very comic booky in a good way – as though you’re reading a comic from the 60s come to life.
the greatest strength of a family is relying on each other
Marvel’s first family have been adapted several times now into live action and so they decide to skip the origin story for this iteration, although they do give a good synopsis for those who haven’t seen those films (myself included). The family’s dynamic is particularly strong and each character feels as though they have a unique personality that compliments the whole. The main cast, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Barach do a great job at bringing depth and humanity to these fantastically powered heroes.
The plot (without giving too many spoilers) is also very interesting and throws some moral dilemmas into the movie that I wasn’t quite expecting. There’s a brilliant sequence set in space that has huge personal stakes that stands out to me as the best of the film. The narrative threads that the movie sews at the beginning of the film, that felt like a throwaway joke, actually all pay off by the end of the movie too.
What I didn’t like:
Although I liked the story, I do feel it was a bit rushed. Trying to set up the family dynamics whilst also trying to do a big blockbuster movie may have been too ambitious. It could have benefitted with another entry before this one or even one after, instead of barrelling towards Avengers: Doomsday. It’s a similar complaint with Thunderbolts* and makes me wish we hadn’t wasted so much time with the mess of other Marvel content post-Endgame (I’m looking at you Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) and The Marvels).
As ever with a big superhero movie, some of the CGI was dodgy – particularly when it came to baby Franklin. I get it, you can’t always use a real baby during production but equally there were some clunky moments that took me out of the film.
I also felt as though we could have seen more of their powers. Reed Richards in particular felt as though we hardly ever saw his stretchy powers. In comparison to the Incredibles, Reed as a lot to learn from Elastigirl…
Faith thoughts:
(Warning: This contains spoilers)
Family dynamics are always difficult. Different personalities, different priorities. But despite this, the greatest strength of a family is relying on each other. That’s the tagline to this movie (Their greatest strength is each other) and I do think that’s something we can learn from as a Church.
Are we too eager to cut off members that no longer serve a purpose to us?
There’s a moment in the movie where the characters are faced with a big problem. In order to save the world, they must sacrifice one of the members of their family. They obviously refuse to do this, they don’t want to lose a part of themselves. But when the rest of the world finds out about this, they turn on the heroes and calls for them to handover that person grow stronger and stronger.
This is obviously both very similar to the Jesus story and at the same time different. Jesus willing sacrifices himself to save the world and God the Father, although deeply saddened, is willing for him to do so.
Sue Storm takes to the crowds that have formed outside of the Fantastic Four headquarters to confront them. She tells them that they are a family and that family is about ‘fighting for something bigger than ourselves’. She also tells them that she thinks of everyone as family and so although they are not willing to sacrifice one member of their personal family, they are not willing to sacrifice the whole world either and will take a stand against the threat that is looming.
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I wonder whether we are all too willing to sacrifice members of the Church for the sake of our own version of faith. Are we too eager to cut off members that no longer serve a purpose to us or disagree with our own theological viewpoints? The Church is meant to be a body, but have we become so divided that we are no longer functioning?
The parable of the Lost Sheep declares that the Good Shepherd is not afraid of going after the one that is lost. And yet, I sometimes feel as though the church does not care about those who leave its pastures.
I have seen churches where members leave, and no one notices or cares enough to fight for them back. This is not to say that they have fallen away from faith entirely but when the church doesn’t make an effort to reach out to them, can you blame them for not wanting to be a part of it anymore?
That is not the image of the Church we are called to. We are called to be one body, every part integral. It’s not just about the members who turn up every week and are on every rota. It’s for the ones who are quiet, still figuring out what’s what and distracted by all that life throws at them too. We are called to be a family. A family that cares for one another, that notices when one person is missing, that rejoices, that mourns, that may disagree with each other from time to time but still loves one another enough that it doesn’t rip itself apart. The Church’s greatest strength is each other.
