Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer [Blu-ray]
Starring: Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Laurence Fishburne, Zach Grenier, Doug JonesStudio: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release: October 2nd 2007
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DVD Review
Marvel Fantastic Four 2: Rise Of The Silver Surfer (Blu-ray)
Catch a wave of "terrific adventure" and "non-stop action" (CBS-TV) in this fun and fantastically entertaining smash-hit! "Invisible Woman: SueStorm and "Mr. Fantastic" Dr. Reed Richards are about to be married when a mysterious alien... the Silver Surfer... crashes the proceedings and heralds Earth's impending destruction. With time running out, the "Fantastic Four" reluctantly teams up with the nefarious Dr. Doom in a thrilling effort to save our planet!.
User Reviews
Embrace The Fantastic... - Rating: 4/5
With the great commercial success that 20th Century Fox's superhero adaptation "Fantastic Four" enjoyed with audiences it was only a matter of time before a sequel would make its way onto the big screen, though much to the dismay of the critics. Essentially all critics, and even some audiences, disliked the more tongue-in-cheek approach to superhero movies that director Tim Story brought with his adaptation of Marvel Comics' first superhero family, but most audiences loved the more light-hearted approach to heroics that is often times missing in these types of films, such as; "Batman Begins", "Daredevil", and "X-Men". Jump forward a couple of years, gather together the cast of the original film, along with director Tim Story, and with the obligatory origin tale out of the way, 20th Century Fox was ready to send Marvel's first family back into the fray in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer".
"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" begins with the members of the Fantastic Four and the world preparing for the impending nuptials of Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) and the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba). However, this happy time is proving to be anything but that for the members of the FF as the media is constantly meddling into their lives, prompting Sue to wonder if it's at all possible for her and Reed to raise a family and be superheroes at the same time. As the stress builds, Reed and Sue decide to break-up the Fantastic Four after the wedding, a decision that greatly disturbs the Human Torch (Chris Evans) and the ever-lovin', blue eyed Thing (Michael Chiklis), who feel the decision should have been made as a group. Shortly before their wedding date, a man named General Hager (Andre Braugher) alerts the team to an impending threat that could mean the end of the world, as a giant world-eating monstrosity known as Galactus is approaching Earth, and leading the way is its herald the powerful Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne). Now, the Fantastic Four must put aside their differences with not only each other but also with their former nemesis, Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon) who has apparently returned from the dead with knowledge that may possibly save the world or condemn it under his oppressive rule.
As a fan of the first film, "Fantastic Four", I was hoping that the sequel would at least equal its predecessor and maybe even surpass it at times, but I have to say that I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed this movie quite a bit more than the original. Almost everything about "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" was better than the first film, not that the first film was bad. I mean the first film is like most first superhero movies, it was the origin tale which is needed for the audience members that aren't up on the comics to know just what exactly these characters are all about. For an origin movie the original was well done, and captured the feel of the comic rather well, there were a few gripes (the main one being the film wasn't as serious as it should have been, a little less humor would have been nice), but nothing that really took away from the overall enjoyment of the movie. The direction felt much more focused, it seemed like Tim Story was more confident with special effects this time around, which was evident in the more visually exciting action sequences, the camerawork was much more fast-paced and exciting, utilizing more movement with the camera to make the audience have a sense that something was always happening on screen.
Assisting the director in elevating the quality of this sequel was the improved storyline that focused on a much bigger threat than what was featured in the first movie. The drama the team dealt with seemed a little more refined, and it was especially appreciated that we didn't have to deal with anymore sulking moments on the part of the Thing regarding his appearance. Most of the characters had evolved since we last left them in the previous movie, a must for any sequel to be successful, and this is especially true for superhero films, and this film took this rule to heart and the movie was better served because of that. I was surprised that Johnny seemed the least developed from the first film, his character was essentially the same as he was when we last left him, which felt a little strange that he wouldn't have matured at all, but by the end of this movie his character's story arc had matured him into more of a man rather than a hot-headed kid who only looks out for himself 9 times out of 10. I was pleased that the writers took this film into a little bit more of a serious direction than the previous one by balancing the drama and the comedy better than the original had done.
The actors all gave terrific performances, the cast seemed like they were truly enjoying themselves even more so than they did in the first movie. Each actor looked just as confident, maybe even a little more so, with their characters, a benefit of having played the same characters previously so that the actors knew the characters much better and therefore felt more comfortable in their skin. The most improved performance was without a doubt Jessica Alba's, not that she was bad in the first movie, but she seemed much more at ease with her role, delivering a more confident and in control Sue Storm than she had seemed before. The newest members of the cast, primarily Andre Braugher as General Hager and Laurence Fishburne as the voice of the Silver Surfer and actor Doug Jones (previously portrayed Abe Sapien in "Hellboy") supplied the physical movements for the character, were welcome additions to the franchise and gave the movie some fresh conflicts to deal with. Braugher did a very good job portraying Hager as a man with an axe to grind with Reed, and it would have been nice to see or at least hear a little bit more of their history to better understand what had occurred between these two characters in the past that causes such obvious animosity. The character of the Silver Surfer was by far the best addition to the franchise, and served as the catalyst for the Fantastic Four's newest threat that they face. The physical movements of Doug Jones that gave the Silver Surfer an air of superiority, combined with the deep, resonating voice of Laurence Fishburne molded the Surfer into a commanding presence, which comic book fans and moviegoers would like to see more of as this film merely piqued the audience's interest.
Lastly, the special effects work on this film, as I briefly mentioned above, was far superior to what had been done in the first movie, so a big thumbs up must go to the talented team at Weta that supplied the effects. The effects for the main members of the Fantastic Four seemed more refined, but the biggest achievements by Weta on this film, were the work done on bringing the Silver Surfer to life and also creating the cloud/machine used by Galactus (the Silver Surfer's master) to drain various worlds of their energies. Both aspects of the film looked excellent, and I'm sure bringing a highly reflective being such as the Silver Surfer to life on the big screen was no easy task, because there's only so much reflecting that you'd want his body to do before there'd be no way of knowing where he ends and the environment around him begins. Kudos must go to Weta on finding the perfect balance of reflectivity for the Surfer, and for giving comic book fans a living, breathing, realistic looking Silver Surfer for us to enjoy.
To sum up, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is a highly entertaining sequel that builds upon the already solid story put forth by the first film, and serves to point this franchise in the direction it needs to be heading. Namely bigger and badder foes, more serious conflicts, and more drama in their lives, but without losing some of the lighter moments that make this franchise so entertaining for families who feel that there's not much out there for them to enjoy.
"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is rated PG for brief language and violence.
fantastic four-rise of the silver surfer - Rating: 3/5
Grandsons enjoyed this last viewing of the fantastic four.They are looking forward to the next one.
Isn't a wedding stressful enough? - Rating: 3/5
It's the fourth time Dr. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Susan Storm (Jessica Alba) are going to tie the knot. This time, Reed's not going to let a petty little thing like an alien invasion get in the way. Sue won't let him.
So he sneaks around to develop the system to track the alien--unfortunately, the call interrupts the wedding...again.
Turns out, space tyrant Galactus is back and he's sent his minion Silver Surfer (voice by Laurence Fishburne) as his precursor. He's out to destroy the Earth and a newly resurrected Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) is going to help.
Reed and Sue, who are about to break up the Four for a normal life and children, realize they cannot save the world on their own.
The film was interesting, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first "Fantastic Four." The teamwork and the use of powers in this film was better; however, Von Doom just made me think of a poorly executed homage to Emperor Palpatine from "Star Wars."
Shirlee - Rating: 5/5
I purchased this movie for my son, he loves all of the Fantastic Four movies, any super hero movie for that matter.
Fantastic 4 Rise of the Silver Surfer - Rating: 5/5
I don't usually enjoy movie sequels, but the entire family enjoyed this one. Of course, the special effects are fantastic. The casting is terrific--so glad they were able to get the cast back from the first one.
