Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Andre Braugher, Laurence Fishburne (voice), Doug Jones
Directed by: Tim Story
Rating: PG
Genre: Action
Box Office: $
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 4

Summary: The Fantastic Four (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis) are called upon to help solve a series of strange disturbances involving an extraterrestrial entity called The Silver Surfer (voice of Laurence Fishburne) who announces that he is simply a herald for a planet destroying creature bent on destroying the Earth.

Review:
Tim: I am a Fantastic Four apologist, so while some people disliked this movie, I thought there was enough here so that I really, really enjoyed it. The film's strongest aspect is always the family atmosphere of the Fantastic Four. Their interactions are so much fun to watch. While the level of humor is not quite as apparent as in the original, there are still some great moments.

I did like that the movie has expanded its scope. The first film was fairly small in a number of ways. Even the original's climax was on a relatively small scale. This film is much, much bigger- in fact, the entire planet is at stake. Our heroes travel all over the world. The movie just feels bigger. We also get to see the Fantasticar, which is a pretty amazing contraption. The special effects also looked much better than they did in the original.

I loved that Ioan Gruffudd seemed much more comfortable in his leadership role as Mr. Fantastic. I greatly look forward to his progression in this area if the franchise continues. I thought that Jessica Alba took a step back in this film. She seemed far weaker than the original, and there was a few moments where her acting was pretty bad. Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans were both great, although they didn't have as many opportunities for more lighthearted banter. I was glad to see Julian McMahon was back as Dr. Doom, but he felt like almost an afterthought. The most memorable part of the film is obviously the Silver Surfer. His appearance and the look of shiny gunmetal is pretty amazing. His scenes (especially the one being chased by the Human Torch) is incredible.

One of the biggest problems I had with the film is a lack of action. I just wanted a little bit more. Also, the film's conclusion felt a bit rushed and a little too convenient. I'd have liked to have seen this a bit drawn out more, with some more suspense built in.

All in all, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer does a few things better than the original, and a few things worse. I absolutely love the Fantastic Four, so I really enjoyed this movie. It could have been better, but I really liked it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Spider-Man, Spider-man 2, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Hulk, Fantastic Four