This weekend Fantastic Four was on HBO and my son has been wanting to see it. I like that he’s into superhero movies, but I wasn’t sure about the movie being appropriate for his age yet. I began looking online to try and find some websites that would give movies reviews with information I was really interested in getting to help make me make the decision for my son.
I found ChristianityToday’s Movie site and the Decent Films website.
The Christianity Today Movies website provides sections on their site for: new theater releases, new to video releases, discussion forums, interviews, commentary and news reports.
Two of the features that really came in handy for me in getting information for watching the “Fantastic Four” with my son were the sections:
- Talk About It
- The Family Corner
Here’s the type of information the “Talk About It” section provides for each film:
1. Consider each member of the Fantastic Four. How does each respond to their unique condition? Do they consider themselves gifted or freaks? Do they rely more on their own self-esteem or on the affirmation of others? How are they examples of finding strength in weakness?
2. Though only two members are blood related, the Fantastic Four are often referred to as a family. In what ways do they function like a typical family? Aside from the superpowers, how are they different? How do they resolve their family squabbles?
3. The Fantastic Four are somewhat unique in that they don’t have secret identities and are well known by the public. What are the advantages and disadvantages to this? What does it say about the price of fame and the responsibilities of being in the spotlight?
4. Some say that Reed’s fault is that he overanalyzes everything, whereas Johnny recklessly acts without thinking. Is there a time for either course of action, or should we generally try for a balance of the two in life?
 and “The Family Corner” had this to say about the film:
Fantastic Four could have easily been a PG film, as most of the action is bloodless, kid-friendly fare with lots of things simply crashing into each other and exploding. There’s very little in the way of bad language, despite a couple irreverent references to God. But once again the studio has favored adults over children by pursuing a PG-13 rating, albeit a light one. The “intense action” refers to a man who literally has a hole burned through his chest, while the “suggestive content” involves fixation on Jessica Alba’s cleavage and some sexual innuendo. Apart from those few things, the film is generally lighthearted and family friendly.
My son and I just finished watching “Fantastic Four” and we were able to talk about the areas that had some of the more adult themes in them and bad language. Going into the movie knowing what to expect again was very helpful.
On a side note, Ioan Gruffudd, who played the role of Mr. Fantastic is now starring in another family friendly movie called “Amazing Grace”. It’s the story of William Wilberforce who championed the abolishment of slavery in Britain.