Introduction
As I spent the last two and a half weeks with 2/3 of the family in London and Belgium, I thought about how I might frame the Fantastic Four review that I had yet to write. Then, it came to me in a flash. When I reviewed Thunderbolts* and, even, Superman, I talked about family. Three movies, one common theme. Also, the time in Europe. It’s really simple if you make it. The Summer of Family.
A Recap
The family in Thunderbolts* is chosen family. Superman, of course, focuses on adopted family. Both of these concepts are near and dear to me. Those who have been around for a while know that I often say that “family ain’t nothing but blood”. It sounds brutal and, I suppose on some level, it is. But, there’s no guarantee that the people who birth you or live with you from an early age, based solely on that birth, are good people.
And, I don’t think there should be a requirement to stay in that shitty situation simply because you share blood with those people. It’s unhealthy (both physcially and emotionally). It might be downright dangerous and life-threatening. Why shouldn’t you be allowed to tell them to fuck off and find people who will love you and care about you for who you are?
In Thunderbolts*, Red Guardian does just that. He keeps pushing the people around him to love and care about each other. Ultimately, that’s all Bob needs to help him control the Sentry and Void (or at least keep them at bay). In Superman, when he learns that his parents are supremacist assholes, initially it breaks his entire identity. Then, Pa Kent sets him right and he and the world are better for it.
Fantastic Four (THE Summer of Family Movie)
Fantastic Four, as with many Marvel comics, involves actual blood relations. Reed and Sue are married. Sue and Johnny are brother and sister. Franklin is Sue’s and Reed’s child. Ben is adopted since he is a close friend of Reed. And, while they fight with one another (all families have some friction), they ultimately love one another and that love keeps them together as a team.
Some might argue (actually, I know for a fact that they have because I stumbled on the articles soon after seeing the movie) that all of this love and devotion might make for a shitty movie. I don’t agree. Maybe it’s because I’ve often been surrounded by people that love and support me, but when I see that on a screen, it makes me more likely to enjoy that movie. And, this one is no different.
Ultimately, I go to movies to be entertained. And, this movie was highly entertaining. I laughed more than once. Some of you believe that the old funny pages ain’t supposed to be funny. I say, to you sir, pull that stick out of your ass. When the Silver Surfer showed up, it barely even registered that she was female instead of male. She played the part so well that it gave me chills. The most common argument lately is that the “coolest” characters get almost no screen time. This time it was Galactus. But, I liked the design of the character and hope to see more.
The Verdict
These three movies gave very different representations of family, but they all did a great job in getting the point across. I loved every single one of them and even saw Superman twice. I await a rainy day to plub myself in front of Disney+ to watch the other two again along with Captain America and enjoy myself with one last glimmer of “The Summer of Family” before school takes over. The grumps out there? I guess post more dumb shit on Twitter and message boards.