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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