The child’s touch brings his mother back to life. Children have a way of doing that, don’t they? The theme of life. The value of life permeates every action and reaction in the film.

The new Fantastic Four film is, in a word, fantastic.

Its 1950s futuristic aesthetic was charming, with a dash of campiness, courtesy of characters like Mole Man and his underground haven, “Subterranea.” The score was fitting, the characters well-developed, the plot easy to follow, and the dialogue believable. The jokes landed for not trying too hard, with relatable dynamics between spouses, best friends, siblings, and colleagues. If you can get past Pedro Pascal’s off-screen antics, his portrayal of the quirky Mr. Fantastic lives up to the name.

But more than all these other factors, easily the most outstanding aspect of the film is its overtly pro-life message. It’s the entire point of the plot.

(Warning: spoilers!)

In the opening moments of the film, astronauts-turned-superheroes Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) and her husband Reed Richards (Pascal) — imbued with extrahuman powers after encountering cosmic rays in outer space that leave their DNA radically altered — react with glee to a positive pregnancy test. After having written off the possibility following two years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive, they welcome the news that their lives are about to be turned upside down by the new life growing inside her womb — despite the many unknowns.

And they have more of those than most people. Will the child of two mutated parents be deformed? Will he be a monster? A superhero? An ordinary child in a family of extraordinaries?

Yet Sue’s brother, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and family friend and soon-to-be surrogate uncle Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) respond with as much delight. Despite the fears and questions, everybody is thrilled at the news, and Reed and his robot assistant, H.E.R.B.I.E., immediately set to work, baby-proofing the Baxter Building and tracking villainous threats. Duty, love, and protection define the family’s posture toward the developing child from day one.

Little do they know how much protecting they’ll have to do.

As Sue’s pregnancy progresses, an otherworldly herald, Silver Surfer, visits the family’s beloved New York City to announce to Earth’s inhabitants that their planet has been marked for destruction. An intergalactic god-like being known as Galactus will soon devour it. Employing his scientific prowess, Mr. Fantastic tracks down Galactus’ location, and the band of astronauts embarks on a plot to negotiate with the being in space before he descends upon the Earth. After the crew is captured, Galactus agrees not to decimate their planet — in exchange for Sue and Reed’s yet-unborn son, whom Galactus identifies as an all-powerful being that will succeed him.

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