Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) (Dual Side; Movie Cash)

Fantastic Four 2 Rises To The Occasion

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Oct 7, 2007

Pros: The action sequences are outstanding. The history lesson on the Surfer in the special feeatures of the 2-disc set is fun for purist, hardcore comic book fans.

Cons: The movie has a few too many jokes, and focuses too much on Johnny Storm.

The Fantastic Four are back again, with a movie that is just as fun as its predecesor in Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer. While it's enjoyable, Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer (those who bought the 2-disc set will note in the ...special features that one of the crew makes sure everyone knows during a pre-production meeting, this is not FF2, but the prior title), it does have a couple of problems, albeit only couple. The main setback to this movie is that while there is plenty of action, and a good storyline, writers John Turman and Mark Frost wrote a story that has a bit too much comedy to it. The jokes are funny where they are, but it seems like there are far too many. And it feels like this movie focuses primarily on Johnny Storm (A.K.A. The Human Torch) rather than trying to look at the development of all of the characters. Yes, there is the focus on the marriage of Reed Richards and Sue Storm (Mr. Fantastic and The Invisible Woman). But even Ben Grimm (The Thing) is not as much of a focus in this "sequel." That takes away a little bit from the overall storyline. Johnny makes the statement at the end about not making it about him, but the reality is that the entire story really is more about him than any of the other members of the team. Despite the focus on Johnny Storm, there are some positives to this movie, too. Among the positives is the history lesson of the Silver Surfer in the special features on the second disc of the 2-disc set. True, purist, hardcore fans of comic books will thoroughly enjoy this look into the past and present of the Silver Surfer, much like with the history lesson on the Fantastic Four in the special edition of the first FF movie. Another positive of this movie is from a combination of elements from the movie itself and the special features. One of the team makes a statement to the cameras in the special features about hoping to be filming another movie in another year or so after the second movie wrapped. This is directly related to a certain scene at the very end of the movie. The scene in question comes just after the first couple seconds of credits. Fans who sit and watch know what this is referring to (That will not be revealed here to those who have yet to see the movie, as always). And that scene is also related to something that one of the former writers of the FF and Silver Surfer comic books said in the special features. He noted that for the longest time, Silver Surfer as a comic book alone did not sell. So, in seeing the very end of this movie, the ending leaves the movie open for either a third FF movie or a spinoff of the Silver Surfer. There is one more surprise that purist comic book fans, and fans of FF/Silver Surfer will appreciate in this movie. It is in relation to Galactus. Yes, in the comic book, Galactus was this huge demi-god-esque being (great comparison made by Stan Lee himself in interviews within the special features). But those who see/saw the movie see that Galactus ws a giant cloud, so to speak. That may have upset a lot of fans. However, those who go back and look closely as it passes over Saturn on its way to Earth, there is a silhouette of Glactus's head, with the helmet and all. And even when it begins encircling the planets, the giant tornado looking things also look like fingers grabbing the planet. So while it may be a disappointment on screen that Galactus is just a cloud, fans will also be put to rest noting tiny nuances such as this. This being the case, Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer makes for a wonderful companion piece to the original Fantastic Four. Call it a sequel, call it what you will, but it is at least an enjoyable ride from start to finish. Read more Less