SCREEN IT! ARTISTIC REVIEW: FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER

"FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER"
(2007) (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba) (PG)
If you've come from our parental review of this film and wish to return to it, simply click on your browser's BACK button.
Otherwise, use the following link to read our complete Parental Review of this film.

QUICK TAKE:
Action/Adventure: A quartet of superheroes unites with their former enemy to battle a powerful alien whose presence damages and then seems poised to destroy Earth.

PLOT:
Having previously defeated Victor Von Doom (JULIAN MCMAHON) and his nefarious plans, the Fantastic Four -- the rubbery Reed Richards (IOAN GRUFFUDD), invisible woman Sue Storm (JESSICA ALBA), her human torch brother Johnny (CHRIS EVANS), and the rocky, hulk-like Ben Grimm (MICHAEL CHIKLIS) -- must contend with being viewed by the public and press as celebrities. That's a bit problematic considering that Reed and Sue are about to get married at a rooftop ceremony attended by the likes of Ben's blind girlfriend Alicia Masters (KERRY WASHINGTON).
There are bigger issues at hand, however, in the form of a silvery metallic being known as the Silver Surfer (voice of LAURENCE FISHBURNE) who's arrived on Earth and whose surfing fly-bys knock out power grids, freeze things over, and create huge holes deep into the Earth. Not surprisingly, the military is concerned, prompting General Hager (ANDRE BRAUGHER) to request aid from the Fantastic Four. Yet, they quickly learn they're no match for this strange, surfing alien, and things get worse when they learn he's just a scout for an enormous, intergalactic cloud known as Galactus that destroys planets to feed off the resultant explosive energy.
With things looking dire, and much to the group's dismay, Hager brings in a recently resurrected Von Doom to join their effort. From that point on, they try to figure out how to stop the Silver Surfer before he leads Galactus directly to Earth and its potential complete destruction.

OUR TAKE: 3 out of 10
Let's go surfin' now
Everybody's learning how
Come on and safari with me
"Surfin' Safari" The Beach Boys
Despite having superhero characters who can fly, have fun techno gadgets, or possess unique physical characteristics or abilities, there's something decidedly retro about one who surfs. And I'm not referring to waves of aqua, but rather the wind or any atmospheric condition. Such a talent might not be as powerful as "Up, up, and away" and the surfboard's plainness might not stand up to batmobiles and such in terms of any sort of wow factor. Yet, you have to admit -- particularly if you're into hanging ten -- that the Silver Surfer is one cool, not to mention very shiny dude.
As the title would seem to suggest "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" not only introduces that character to the big screen for the first time (after debuting in comic form in 1966), but also the return of the superhero quartet who had their coming out back in 2005 in the generally poorly received film bearing their group name.
Alas, but not surprisingly, this one isn't likely to generate much more in the way of positive support. That is, except from the releasing studio that obviously wouldn't mind jumpstarting another superhero franchise (with there already being talks about the Surfer getting his own film in the near future).
Let's just hope any such offering turns out better than this middling one, an effort that suffers from most if not all of the same problems plaguing the first. From the mediocre performances to even worse special effects, lame dialogue, bad makeup, and a generally weak plot, there isn't much to recommend here. That is, other than it being shorter than most of the other would-be blockbusters of summer '07 and that the content has been softened from the first film's original PG-13, presumably in an effort to make it seem more family-friendly.
Directed by Tim Story from a script by Don Payne and Mark Frost, the offering can't shake its "B" movie status, where everything feels a step (or two or three) below its counterparts in terms of look, feel, and viewer engagement. Like other sequels, it falls prey to the "bigger is better" mindset, so instead of just the one villain last time (Julian McMahon as Dr. Doom), we have two (okay, three if you count an intergalactic cloud named Galactus that has all of the personality of, well, an intergalactic cloud since that's the only way it's presented).
Joining a conveniently resurrected Doom, the Silver Surfer arrives, voiced by Laurence Fishburne and spit out by a computer to look like a kissing cousin to the equally shiny and reflective T-1000 from "Terminator 2." While dated now, Robert Patrick's computer-generated counterpart was jaw-droppingly amazing at the time, something the effects wizards are unable to replicate here with the Surfer (apparently because they must have had a budget just a bit north of $100 or so considering how some of the other effects turn out, especially regarding the stretchy Reed Richards).
Anyway, Surf-boy is zipping along on his silver board, wrecking havoc in his wake, so the Fantastic Four (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis all reprising their roles) are called in to save the day by Andre "Don't I Have Anything Better to Do" Braugher's Army general character. However, the stakes are raised once they learn about the big menacing cloud and its appetite for planetary cuisine.
Unfortunately, the filmmakers didn't watch the "Doomsday Machine" episode from the original "Star Trek" TV series to see how to make an effective and engaging "stop the planet-killer" story. As a result, everything feels far too bland, which also holds true regarding a subplot where the superheroes end up temporarily swapping their unique super powers. Despite the potential, none of that's as creative or fun as it could and should have been.
In my review for the first film, I noted how forgettable it was, a characteristic shared by this unnecessary (at least artistically) sequel. As far as the title is concerned: Four? Check. Silver Surfer? Quite shiny. Fantastic? Hardly. "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer?" A 3 out of 10.

Reviewed June 14, 2007 / Posted June 15, 2007

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.