Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer REVIEW

In the wake of 2005's shockingly successful first film comes the bigger and better sequel, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”. An awkward title perhaps, but nonetheless accurate. Marvel's popular angst-ridden gleaming soarer of the spaceways makes his big screen debut, and it shouldn't leave his fans wanting, as long as they go in with their expectations in check. Remember, despite his name being in the title and his omnipresence in the ad campaign (ahh, marketing!), this is still a movie about the Fantastic Four. Silver Surfer gets some prime screen time, but he never quite steals the show as some may've feared and many others probably hoped.

But none of that is the real story here. The real story is, to my complete and utter amazement -- this movie is actually pretty doggone good. This, despite the fact that the original FF film is a flawed guilty pleasure (at best) for those who admit to liking it at all. (And there are many -- I know, I'm friends with quite a few fans of that film who, quite frankly, should know better.) Me, I never could get behind the low-scale first film. The flaws were just too numerous. The Human Torch was too annoying, the forced coolness factor was too blatant (snowboarding?!?), the Thing was too rubbery, and the heroes spent most of the movie bickering amongst themselves, unaware of that Dr. Doom was their enemy. And worst of all, the film's treatment of Doom: reducing one of the greatest villains in modern-day pop culture to a space-faring Donald Trump. The one thing it did offer was the possibility of a decent sequel. I have to say, I went into part two with reasonably very low expectations. Which is why it is my surprise to say that it is not only better than I thought it would be -- it is honestly good. (Brace yourself) Better than “Spider-Man 3” good.

Yes, you read that right. How can the goofy old FF sequel possibly be better than the juggernaut that is “Spider-Man 3”? (I know, I never thought I'd be saying this, either.) Well, it helps that “Spidey 3” is simply not that great of a film. While “Spidey 3” doesn't suck, “FF2” does an overall better job of staying on track, and it's plot is considerably less transparent. (Even if it's penchant for product placement unfortunately isn't.) As prime Marvel Comics properties with sequels in the same summer, these film demand comparison. The most obvious shared flaw: both films feature embarrassing dance numbers spotlighting the decidedly out-of-character funky moves of science nerd characters, miss-stepping with the women they love all the while. The difference is that in “FF2”, Reed Richards' dance number is mercifully brief, and at the beginning of the film, thus giving us plenty of time to forget it and move on. But more to the point, the actors are more game for the material in “FF2”, and plot twists never feel forced and mechanical. Even the dialogue is better. (Still can't believe I'm typing this.)

All the flaws of the first “Fantastic Four” thankfully do not matter here. Doom's frozen body has been shipped off to Latveria, the country he lords over in the comics. Once he is not only revived, but physically restored by the arrival of the Silver Surfer on Earth, his comeback and eventual double-cross is absolutely in character with the Doom I've grown up reading. The Silver Surfer himself arrives early in the film, disturbing the gala rooftop wedding of Reed and Sue Richards, bringing with him the threat of the end of all life on Earth. Now THAT'S a bigger, better FF story plot. With these characters, the more cosmic, the more far-flung, the better. Fantastic Four stories need to be BIG, and the arrival of Galactus, the gaseous entity that has enslaved the Surfer to do his bidding, is just the antidote to the low-rent first film's four-on-one showdown-in-the-street finale.

Now you may be saying, “Galactus, the gaseous entity?!?” Yeah, I know, I was saying the same thing when I caught wind of that particular element prior to seeing the movie. Galactus, as created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the comics, has always been a menacing 40-foot tall purple techno alien giant who uses contorted machinery to suck the life force out of his target planets for sustenance. Even non-comic fans may be familiar with Galactus, as he has achieved some level of notoriety in the mainstream culture, thanks to his herald, the Surfer. So why they opted to change him into a huge swirling could, I don't know. My guess is that it was a cost-cutting measure. It's also quite possible that a huge purple guy just didn't work on screen the way it does in print. Whatever. I was none too happy about the chance before seeing the movie, but in context of the rest of the movie, the new immaterial big G works well enough.

Sure, some of the special effects are fakity-fake looking, and yeah, the Silver Surfer does seem to have acquired some weird new powers we've never seen him display before, but I'll take those quibbles any day in exchange for a well-executed story and solid, comfy acting. To be completely honest, this film's plot and structure shares a lot in common with the much-celebrated “X2: X-Men United” (often referred to as the Best Super Hero Movie Ever Made). The filmmakers could've done a lot worse in looking for material to emulate. In the growing pantheon of Marvel movies, the part twos are, across the board, superior to their originals. Likewise, part threes have been letdowns. (That's you, X-Men and Spider-Man franchises.) So it stands to reason that this may be as good as it's ever going to get for the old FF. But I'm sure we can expect a Silver Surfer spin-off film sooner than later -- they did leave plenty of stones unturned in his muddled garden of angst.

So, bottom line, shock of shocks, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” is a cozy, highly watchable, enjoyable comic book film. Not too breezy, not too heavy, and never overstaying it's welcome (unlike a certain web head I keep bringing up). This may not be the best movie you see this year, or even this summer. It certainly doesn't break any new ground within its genre. But the fact that a skeptical, very vocal critic of the first FF movie is recommending this at all should amount to something. Silver Surfer's fans should be happy, Jessica Alba's fans should be happy, and most of all, fans of good super hero movies should be happy. This is one sequel this summer worth rising up for. (Can't believe I just typed that line, either.)

- Jim Tudor