Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer — Fantastically Boring Despite The Silver Surfer's Presence
Written: Jan 06 '08 (Updated Jan 07 '08)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Silver Surfer; Chilkis and Evans; Fantasti-car
Cons: Dr. Doom and Galactus
The Bottom Line: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer fared better than the first movie, but it still had some serious flaws, one namely Galactus.
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| elvisdo's Full Review: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer |
The potential to do the Fantastic Four franchise a great service was wasted. The title says it all: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Silver Surfer! One of my favourite Marvel Comics’ character was finally coming to the big screen. And where the Surfer appears, it’s safe to say that the big guy—Galactus—follows right behind him. Like I said, the potential for this movie to be great was right there, but director Tim Story failed to capitalize on such a great moment. Instead, it turned out to be a yawnfest, and that’s no exaggeration. I actually fell asleep watching this movie. How embarrassing, though I did rewind to watch the parts I missed.
I complained the 2005 Fantastic Four movie lacked the whole family unit feel to it. The Incredibles, Pixar’s animated movie that pays great homage to the Fantastic Four, did a much better job in that depiction. This was corrected greatly in this sequel, and I especially enjoyed the banter between Ben Grimm (The Thing) and Johnny Storm (Human Torch). To be honest, they were the ones that really saved the movie.
Two years have passed since the first movie and the Fantastic Four are now superhero celebrities. They really make headlines of late, not from their recent exploits, but from the upcoming nuptials between Reed Richards and Sue Storm. The media is all over it making it out to be a bigger circus than necessary. Sue, in particular, is really uncomfortable with the spotlight and is wondering whether she and Reed will ever be able to live a normal life without the media scrutiny.
And she is correct in her assumption. During the wedding ceremony, a huge cosmic phenomenon occurs in the form of the Silver Surfer. His presence raises a lot of questions, one that Reed is determined to solve. Unfortunately, through his discoveries as he traces the Surfer’s cosmic energy trail through space, he learns that the series of planets the Surfer has visited before Earth have all been absolutely destroyed.
The American military is not taking an chances with this alien and force the Fantastic Four to team-up with a re-emerged Victor Von Doom, who has escaped his metal prison thanks to an early encounter with the Silver Surfer. But can Doom be trusted to help them or is he really there to help himself to the incredible powers the Silver Surfer possesses?
And if that isn’t enough, there is bigger problem facing the Earth as Galactus, the devourer of worlds, is targeting Earth as his next meal.
Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm) and Chris Evans (Johnny Storm) really saved this movie from disaster. The chemistry and bantering between the two is exactly on par with how the characters are portrayed in the comic books. It was also ironic to see Ben Grimm, in his grotesque form, living a happy life, while Johnny, despite his great looks, feeling lonely and unfulfilled. Director Tim Story actually understood the dynamics between these two characters. Too bad he didn’t get a handle on the rest.
Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba return as Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and (Invisible Woman). There was nothing spectacular by their portrayals that were truly memorable for me.
But the sore spot is having Julian McMahon continue to play Dr. Doom. I like him as an actor, but hate him as this character. He doesn’t bring that certain ruthless and pompous arrogance needed for Doom. I equate his role as having George Clooney playing Batman… the wrong person in the wrong role.
The special effects are good, especially when it comes to the Slver Surfer’s look. Doug Jones provides all the physical attributes for the Silver One, while Laurence Fishburne contributes with the voice. It’s Darth Vader for the next century, ala a David Prowse/James Earl Jones collaboration. It works for me as Fishburne definitely delivers his lines with an alien aloofness though not coming off as someone very cold. Plus, the addition of the Fantasti-car is just plain, for lack of a better word, fantastic.
Did I say the sore spot was Dr. Doom? I take that back. The real sore spot was in Galactus’ depiction. This is where Story dropped the ball. My son, who isn’t versed in comic book lore, still knows what Galactus is supposed to look like, and this movie’s portrayal was a far cry from it. In his own words he said, “Did they run out of money on special effects to show Galactus?” I blame Warren Ellis’ take on Galactus for the Ultimate Marvel line that the screenwriters decided to use and adapt for this movie. Fans wanted to see the purple buckethead and were denied. To say that the ending was a letdown would be an understatement.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer improved on a couple of things from the first movie, such as the Thing and Torch’s bantering, but seriously added more disappointments than a failing report card. It’s actually more jovial in spirit, something that children will like, but lacks any depth or substance to it to make it captivating. At the end of the movie, both my wife and I looked at each other, after the luckluster ending, and felt we were bored to tears after watching this. Falling asleep before the film ended wasn’t a good indication that I was enjoying myself. I have a feeling that there will be four movies made for this franchise, and I pray that the fourth one will live up to its name by being fantastic.
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Other Comic Book Movies
DC Comics
Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941) || Batman (1943) || Batman: The Movie (1966) || Batman (1989) || Batman Returns || Batman Forever || Batman & Robin || Batman Begins || Batman: Mask of the Phantasm || Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero || Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman || The Batman Superman Movie || Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker || Catwoman || Constantine || Steel (1997) || Superman: The Movie || Superman II || Superman II: The Donner Cut || Superman III || Superman IV: The Quest for Peace || Superman Returns || Superman: Brainiac Attacks || Superman: Doomsday
Marvel Comics
Daredevil || Doctor Strange (2007) || Fantastic Four (2005) || Ghost Rider (2007) || The Invincible Iron Man (2007) || The Punisher (2004) || Spider-Man || Spider-Man 2 || Spider-Man 3 || Ultimate Avengers: The Movie || Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther || X-Men || X2: X-Men United || X-Men: The Last Stand
Independent Comic Books
The Mask of Zorro || Men in Black || Popeye || Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles || Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze || Transformers: The Movie (1986) || Transformers (2007)
Recommended:
No
Movie Mood: Action Movie
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Member: Charles "The Grim One"
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