Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007)
Starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Andre Braugher, Doug Jones, Beau Garrett, Stan Lee and the voice of Laurence Fishburne.
Screenplay by Don Payne and Mark Frost.
Directed by Tim Story.
Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. 92 minutes. Rated PG.
The first Fantastic Four movie, while not exactly good, was a refreshing change in the current comic book movie trend. Unlike most comic-based blockbusters, it didn’t take itself too seriously. Instead it celebrated the campy pulp history and remembered that comics are supposed to be comic – light and fun. Superheroes don’t have to be tortured loners. Possibly, you can even enjoy having super powers and saving the world.
Despite the fact that the original was met with critical brickbats, the movie turned out to be a pretty big hit – leading to this sequel. Funny thing is, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer has the same carefree attitude and fun of the first – but it’s probably a better movie.
The Fanfastic Four are the world’s stupidest brilliant scientists. They can figure out the density of an atom and yet they don’t know that it’s bad news to preface their marriage with a line about the only thing that could get in their way would be a disaster. They can figure out where an alien will show up on the earth, but never on time. They spurn the military but enjoy the paparazzi.
They have weird powers and use them in offbeat ways. I didn’t know whether to laugh or snicker at a scene of the rubber man on a disco dance floor. The Human Torch didn’t want to ruin his suit. And just the idea of Jessica Alba invisible… well it’s just a crime.
Mad props for them bringing the Silver Surfer, another Marvel character from the sixties into the fold. The Surfer, an inscrutable force who flies around the Earth, leaving volcano sized holes in the Earth’s core, may be a villain or may just be misunderstood. Unfortunately, Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon), the bad guy from the first, is also resurrected here. He is a much more one-dimensional heavy and the movie bogs down when he is in it.
Still, the movie is cool. There is not much you can say about it, except that it is big, dumb and loud – but all in the best ways.
Alex Diamond
Copyright ©2007 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: July 27, 2007.
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