The Fantastic Four and the Rise of the Silver Surfer: A Brief Biblical Analysis of Popular Cinema

Recently, I had the opportunity to take in the better part (latter part) of a recent release known by the title above, whose storyline is taken from the older Marvel comic books series, known as the "Fantastic Four." Each of the four has a special set of unique abilities (not unlike the equally well-known "X-men" of recent cinematic fame).

A few preliminary points are worth noting. None of them but one -- Susan Storm -- are exactly "human," for one of them is mostly plastic (it would seem), the other composed of a rock similar to granite, and one is half man, half flying torch (Susan's brother, Johnny Storm).

The character development proceeds in an exaggerated and haphazard manner, making their interactions (now and again, just shy of corny). The acting simply does not match the efforts of the likes of Hugh Jackman -- as the X-men's "Wolverine" -- who corresponds to the impetuously reckless Johnny Storm in the former movie.

Reed Richards are Susan are lovers whose wedding seems forever postponed (until the very end) by emergency and the call of duty. She represents the longing maternal type, with strong nesting instincts, who strongly desires the "normal life" forever denied her by her superpowers and inescapable publicity. The 2 car garage and "white picket fence" are implied but not stated.

The "Thing" -- Ben Grim -- in the comic, lives for the fight, notorious for his "It's clobberin' time" introduction to many of his frays, who plays a pick-on-you-at-all times "big brother role" to the human torch.

The villians number three in this episode, a reluctant and mysterious alien surfer -- known as "Noren Radd" in his own world -- whose arrival, our heroes learn to their chagrin -- always precedes the abolition of life on that planet 8 days later. The Surfer turns out to be extremely powerful, and yet a hesitant Nemesis to the Four.

Victor Von Doom (a.k.a. "Doctor Doom" in the comic series) temporarily joins forces with the distrusting Four to acquire the Surfers source of power, the board he rides.

The shorter dialogues in the film actually prove the most telling.

Sue Storm (Actress Jessica Alba): "Why do you want to destroy us -- destroy our world?"

Surfer: "I have no choice."

Sue: "We always have a choice."

Surfer: "I am NOT the destroyer."

In the end, a super-strengthened (via his encounter with the silver alien) Johnny Storm overcomes Dr. Doom, and retrieves the board for the surfer, who turns his full power against his former master (Galacticus, the destroyer to whom Noren refers).

It is the combined power of the four in Johnny and the quiet wisdom of his sister that win the day. She persuades the surfer with genuine concern, and fairly good logic.

Each of the Four has extraordinary powers of a different kind, making them in the ancient world what would have been demi-gods. It is their foibles, bickering, and semi-comedic squabbles which prevent this identification. Neverthess, the human torch possesses all the power of the Greek god, "Hephaestus," and more, and Ben Grim the power of a Hercules. Reed Richards, a kind of human rubberband (shapeshifter in the extreme) forms the brains behind the Four. He is a Silicon Valley super-geek persona possessed of extra-ordinary intelligence -- unsure of himself at times, and alternately very successful in his endeavors. Doom is his counter-part for mental abilities.

The Four however, have a quietly nationalistic bent. Though the Surfer represents a "world-threat," the four are seen aiding only the U.S. military against the threat. No U.N. forces, or transnational group, ever shows up in the script. These are American demi-gods, who fight for the values and culture that we identify as those of the United States, including the Invisible Girl's "American Dream." By way of contrast, the Silver surfer, is much more powerful, and appears utterly serene, without humor, and transcendent. He can be persuaded by a strident appeal to reason, and his emotions are ascetically subdued even when very strong. He uniquely displays self-control, patience under fire, an unwavering calm, and the virtues of honesty and integrity (and a notable lack of personal vanity) you do not find in the others.

He is their superior not only in strength, but in virtue as well (Sue comes the closest in the latter department. She shares his sensitivity to things that ultimately matter. Even when the Surfer sees no escape for earth's inhabitants, he sympathetically urges them, "You have only three hours; cherish every minute you can."

He is a more universal (non-national), non-patriotic god. His implied knowledge of many worlds suggests his greater wisdom. His heed of Sue's patient arguments suggests his greater humility. He is, in the end, by a total exertion of his ability, able to stop even the destroyer of worlds, though at total cost to both himself and the prime villain. Doctor Doom, we learn earlier enough, is no match for the Surfer, who overcomes him with a single exercise of his power.

Nevertheless, the combined powers of the four (in Johnny Storm) are easily able to subdue (i.e. clobber) the rogue Doom who has absconded with the Surfer's board and powers for a short while. The lesson? American ingenuity and ability can rise to overcome even the greatest of problems.

This raises the question no one asks, "Since the combined efforts of the four in one proved so efficiacious against Doom, why not against the Silver Surfer much earlier in the show when they knew their powers had become somewhat transferable by Storm's first fight with the Surfer (which did not go well for the torch)?

In any case, the "united we stand" theme comes through loudly enough. This is clearly -- as are all the universes in the Marvel comics -- polytheistic worlds. There are not only many worlds, but very many superheroes in the pantheon. There is also a kind of implied pecking order, where some beings are higher on the food chain than others.

Here is what we are never told, but which logical substratum operates in all such movies. This kind of world (or "multi-verse" as some comic-book dialogues have it) only makes sense in an evolutionary context. The order of beings, similar to Plotinus' (Neoplatonist) ancient "chain of being" comes about because the process of evolution favors some species (and individuals within the species -- usually mutants of some kind) which process confers upon them their abilities to save the world -- or in the case of the villains -- wreak extraordinary havoc in the world.

Even with Spiderman, Peter Parker becomes who he is because of an accident, and encounter with a mutant (radioactive) spider. In evolution, it is ACCIDENCE (chance) that makes the difference. Thus, we find a logical connection between evolutionism and (an implied) polytheism, common to many religions of the world (for instance, Hinduism, which is evolutionary in its cosmology, and promotes over 300 thousands gods in its total history).

All of "X-men" are mutants, both blessed and cursed by the process of evolution. They are on the one hand, ostracized and hunted, and (on the other hand) uniquely gifted. And these blessings and curses are always held in a kind of Taoist (dualistic) tension of the yin and the yang. Neither ever fully prevails over the other.

The fact that there are "good guys" and villains - and we never doubt that Doctor Doom is a bad guy, or that the recklessly winsome human torch is a good guy - implies and objective ethical standard known not only to humans, but to their demi-gods and even the transcendent beings like Noren Radd, who can be turned from the dark side by soft appeals to reason. and well-chosen words, which convey the conventional wisdom of contemporary American values, like the absolute freedom of choice.

The source of these values never receives attention (because this would end up -- if held consistently -- promoting the Christian message, which alone provides the foundations for logic, science and morality). But the transcendent Surfer is won over by American values. This implies that our contemporary values are themselves not the values of merely any one nation, or any one planet. For even the gods -- who decide the fates of worlds -- must acknowledge them.

Paradoxically, it is the ordinary and soft side of Susan Storm, not her preternatural powers of invisibility and force -field creating, that win the day. The ordinary woman is extraordinary, when she reasons and quietly teaches.

The implied message is that there is a little superhero in every person who holds these values. Begin waving the American flag now. The dark side of this message is the lie of evolutionary polytheism, that it is THAT world in which we can all be heroes after a fashion (since that world is entirely fiction).

The cosmology never receives direct attention in the movie. It is either implied or simply assumed, as with most movies that wish to sell a little something more than just entertainment. They are teaching tools. The Surfer was not the alone target of the Ms. Storm's reasoning, but the popcorn munching audiences, who pay top dollar to come watch the Anti-american villans (like Doom) get their just desserts at the end of an All-American fist.

A final note of assessment worth the mention is the larger question of "cinematology" itself. The Larger Catechism (presumably following the Bible since that is its characteristic habit) tells us that God forbids "stage-plays," an ancient and Medieval counterpart in most ways to the modern cinema theater.

This was the context from which the word "hypocrite" arose, though this fact by itself does not prove the point conclusively without committing the "etymological fallacy." The origin of a word's history does not account for the changes it undergoes through time, and it does not tell us whether the original identification of word and idea was a correct one. Hypocrites, were, simply put, "mask-wearing actors," or "pretenders." The fact that the Lord Jesus used this term repeatedly with the clear intent of roundly chiding his opponents in each case cannot but arrest the attention of every disciple of Christ when considering the question.

For now, I shall leave the question open-ended, with the additional notation that the Bible repeatedly warns against the "lust of the eyes," favoring instead auditory forms of learning -- the preached word (not the "teevoed" Jesus film). This suggests that radio (and internet, since the printed word -- reading of the Bible -- is also favored) , rather than television, is the more preferred mass medium of biblical choice by implication.

This question is worth exploring further at a more convenient time. It has been said that culture merely displays the outward projection of a society's religion. Every movie which conveys a lesson (most do) promotes a set of values. This activity, by any other name, is still preaching. This is obvious in the case of the Fantastic Four's overdone patriotism, but less obvious in other films.

I suggest our takeaway lesson for the day is two-fold: every movie conveys a worldview which sits most often in the backdrop, never receiving direct attention. But the lessons it teaches, and values these convey, will in the nature of the case be informed by the tacit cosmology.

If you chose to watch -- leaving the WLC question aside -- at least watch critically. For the need of a watchful eye, and care taken to avoid the counsel of the wicked, occupy many a page of the Holy Scripture. Parents must always retain the attitude that when others intend to promote falsehood -- apologetically speaking -- It's clobberin' time. We do not have to (and dare not) simply adopt what we are told. Remember, we ALWAYS have a choice.

Even the Silver Surfer agrees.