Movie Review: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007)

** (OUT OF FOUR)

Expectations were low for the second installment of the Fantastic Four franchise after the first film clocked in just a notch or so above Ghost Rider and Catwoman. It was stale and played more like a superhero sitcom than a superhero movie. Fantast Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (from here on, Fantastic Four 2) has not re-invented itself, but has played more towards the first film's strengths and away from its weaknesses. In other words, it's not great by any stretch of the imagination, but it does its job serving as passable summer entertainment, which is more than we can say for some of those other summer blockbusters.

We begin with two of our heroes, Reed Richards and Sue Storm as they are preparing for their wedding, which is, thanks to the quadruplet's popularity, something comparable to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or for the more dramatic types, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. The ceremony takes a backseat, however, because of an anomaly that the military has witnessed whizzing through the Earth's atmosphere bringing snow and causing lots of blackouts. We know this anomaly as the Silver Surfer, an alien who serves Galactus, a giant planet-eating being, in order to preserve his own home planet. The team makes many efforts to stop the surfer in accordance with the effort of the military who pretty much just stands by and watches them work, offering plenty of criticism when things don't go as planned.

But there's more, Victor Von Doom, who's been reduced to a state similar to Emperor Palpatine (and has the look go with it), in an attempt to join forces with the powerful surfer has been mysteriously healed by his powers and recruited by the government to assist the Fantastic Four on their mission. Doom, however, is more concerned about acquiring the surfer's board, the source of his energy.

The film is, like all comic book films, filled with elaborate set pieces as the backdrop for even more elaborate action sequences. But give director Tim Story some credit for not filming them in some completely incomprehensible manner and letting the action and special effects actually compliment each other, rather than feeling forced like the SFX team was simply just trying to out-do the other guys.

My problems with the film lie mainly in the studio's decision to dumb it down and go for a PG rating. I'm not sure if this was a premeditated decision, but it feels that way as the character's dialogue is quite cheesy most of the time and the sight gags are usually laughable in the wrong kind of way. I just think that these characters could have benefited from having more mature personalities. The kids are going to love it either way, why not spice things up just a little?

I know it sounds ridiculous and childish and I'd be a liar if I didn't say that it is. But that is The Fantastic Four 2's strength – its ability to just wash over you without pretentiousness or the need to justify its own existence, a fate which many comic book franchises have suffered from as of late (including the latest, but still enjoyable, installment of the Spider-Man series). It also benefits from its running time which, at a mere 95 minutes, doesn't overstay its welcome and feels more like a two-part comic book issue instead of a complete mini-series. In a summer that's been full of disappointments, its nice see a film that actually exceeded my expectations. (Note: keep an eye out for Stan Lee's cameo – it's probably the best one he's done yet) - Brandon Nease