Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Posted by Loukas Tsouknidas (loukas@filmschoolrejects.com) on June 11, 2007

Super-hero movies could go on forever and no one would really be bothered if it wasn’t for their self-indulgence and total unawareness of their superficiality. The first “Fantastic Four” meant to introduce the characters and villains and test the field for a sequel. It was a bad movie but kind of true to its skin-deep origins. The second installment by Tim Story continues in the same fashion with one new asset: The Silver Surfer, the coolest dude you’ll find in comic book history.

Dr. Reed gets ready to tie the knot with Sue Storm while Ben has a meaningful relationship with blind Alicia and Johnny keeps on play(boy)ing around every chance he gets. Unfortunately, a flying surfer with a nickel suit makes his appearance scouting earth, in behalf of a planet eating force named Galactus, while Dr Doom scouts him for his own devious plans. The marriage stops as the team has a “new” mission, to save the world…

This movie is so typical that there is no room for criticism. It’s everything you might expect after that first one, plus it’s better, simply because it couldn’t get worse. Unarguably, the Silver Surfer is a pleasure to watch. Surfing is already one of the coolest things in this ugly world and nickel is another one. Put those two together on one person, make him surf through space and you can’t go wrong. Doug Jones specializes in playing people behind heavy make up and cgi so he gets it right once more. That’s it.

Tim Story is so mediocre and procedural, like a poor man’s Ron Howard. No vision of his own, clearly meaning for family entertainment and nothing more. How someone can “desexualize” Jessica Alba like that is beyond my understanding. Respect for the small run time though. It shows a restraint few super hero directors have nowadays. Chris Evans is the only one,next to Nickel Doug- who has real fun on the screen and after his great acting on Danny Boyle’s “Sunshine”, i hope he has moved on from flicks like this one.

I won’t even begin with the bad humor. It’s like when you are reminded of a joke that cracked you up at grade school, only to realise it not so funny any more. Pitty. A dude that stretches like that could be funnier than Borat if they let him. Noooooooot.

I hate the term pop-corn movie but I’m afraid FF2 is the prototype for it. Two steps out of the theater and it’s forgotten already.


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  • The Silver Surder was the lamest super-guy Jack Kirby ever created, until he created the Black Racer - a totally paralysed Viet Nam vet on life support who rises and becomes the avatar of Death on flying cross-country skis.

    And i began reading FF with issue #2 (at age 12), and probably didn't miss more than an issue or two till i went to Viet Nam in 1969, so i know grandiosely lame pretty well.
  • Loukas
    Coooooooooooooool!
  • Billy
    The rise of the Silver Surfer was doomed from the start. First, you can't choose a director with no experience in epic action movies. Second, the screenwriters did a poor job with continuity. Marvel fans simply want ACTION! fight scenes, and endless, edge-of-your seat special effects. I understand the budget was a little more than the original but we want to see marvel characters show off there powers and more of it. Marvel has plenty of stories to work with but please make them full of action. Check out the non-stop action in movies like Transformers, Matrix (all 3) and Spiderman (all 3).
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