Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer - Articles - Zimbio

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Fri, 16 Aug 2008 17:07:00 GMT

posted by rabinstha

Directed by: Tim Story
Produced by: Avi Arad, Bernd Eichinger, Ralph Winter
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Doug Jones, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne
Music by: John Ottman
Cinematography: Larry Blanford
Editing by: William Hoy, Peter S. Elliot
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) PG - 3½ Stars

Mon, 27 May 2008 23:27:00 GMT

posted by Zola
Action packed and full of special effects, it's a battle of good vs. evil to save our planet. The four superheros are back in Marvel Comics, Fantastic Four as they take on the Silver Surfer.

It's wedding day for Sue and Reed when their special day is interrupted by the appearance of a new alien life form. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) aka Mr. Fantastic, Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) aka The Human Torch, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) aka The Invisible Girl, and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) aka The Thing, must do battle to save the city of this new menacing force, The Silver Surfer (Larry Fishburne). It's apparent the Silver Surfer has rode into town to see how much havoc he can invoke on Manhattan causing blackouts and tropical storms. His mission, to destroy the earth.

Ben and Johnny get a head start taking on the Surfer and also must contend with the their mortal enemy, Victor Von Doom (Julian MacMahon) aka Dr. Doom, as he has broken out of his prison of ice. Can our hero's save the planet before it's too late - of course they can.

I viewed 10/07

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Thu, 15 Jun 2007 12:07:00 GMT

posted by gr750

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a 2007 superhero film, and the sequel to the 2005 film Fantastic Four; both were based upon the comic of the same name. The film was directed by Tim Story, who also directed the original, and Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd, Julian McMahon and Kerry Washington reprised their roles from the original. Doug Jones and Beau Garrett appear in the sequel as the Silver Surfer and Frankie Raye, respectively, along with Laurence Fishburne as the voice of the Surfer. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is scheduled to be released on June 15, 2007. It is rated PG by the MPAA for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo.

Reed and Sue are attempting to marry early in the film. The film's remaining story centers on the appearance of the Silver Surfer on Earth, as well as the return of Doctor Doom. The Silver Surfer befriends Sue.

The film begins two years after the first, with Doctor Doom having spent two years trapped in a casket and taking over Latveria. Doom desires to take the Silver Surfer's powers,having been reverted to his organic form after provoking and being attacked by the Silver Surfer.

During Reed's wedding, the Surfer happens to fly past, disrupting the whole thing. The Human Torch then battles with the Silver Surfer, and by coming into contact with him gains the ability to absorb the powers of the rest of the Four by touching them. Reed learns that the Surfer uses a Cosmic Energy similar to what gave the group their powers. He also finds out that a planet dies eight days after the Surfer passes it.

The military captures the Surfer with the help of Doom and the Four's devices. They learn that the Surfer's powers come from the board and he is thus powerless without it. Without the board, he turns dull. The military proceeds to torture the Surfer for information. The Surfer tells Sue that he is not the Destroyer of the Worlds; it is his master, Galactus. It is also revealed that his Surfboard acts as a homing beacon for Galactus to follow.

Meanwhile, Doctor Doom betrays the military and steals the Surfer's power by taking the Surfer's board. Sue is stabbed by Doom in the ensuing conflict, killing her. As the Surfer is powerless to help, the Human Torch absorbs all three of his teammates' powers in order to become strong enough to defeat Doom and free the Surfer. The Thing manages to knock Doom into a lake after a battle between him and the Torch, where he is seen sinking, returning control of the Surfboard to its owner.

However, Galactus (portrayed as a massive cloud-like mass, somewhat akin to Gah Lak Tus) has already arrived, turning the local climate into a total mess. His power restored, the Surfer resurrects Sue and decides to defend his newfound friends by flying into Galactus. After managing to repel Galactus, the Surfer is shown floating in space along with his Surfboard.

wikipedia.com

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer...rising to the top

Sun, 18 Jun 2007 01:35:00 GMT

posted by dietjaffe
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Tim Story - 2007 - 7/10

Summary:

Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) is about to marry Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) amid the incessant gossip and paparazzi invasion of the private lives of the Fantastic Four. Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) is in a good place right now with his girlfriend Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington) but Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) is not in a good place. While Johnny tries to convince the Four to give way to marketing schemes he's hatched, and surrounding himself with the best eye candy, he fights to hide the simple fact from himself and everyone else, that he desperately needs someone - desperately needs a real relationship. Meanwhile, a strange "comet" has appeared, a fast moving force emitting its own energy that creates strange weather conditions. After this "comet" has a literal run in with Johnny, the name him "the Silver Surfer." Reed looks into the other places the Surfer has visited and finds that within eight days, those worlds have been swallowed up. It becomes crystal clear that the clock is ticking down until an all powerful force destroys Earth and the Four have to battle both the Surfer, and Doom (Julian McMahon), who has reemerged with a new plan. Their attempts to finally finish off Doom are thwarted when General Hager (Andre Braugher) forces them to work with Doom. While the Four are professionally forced into relationships they don't want, Reed tries hard to maintain the relationship he wants as does Johnny who pursues a relationship with the one woman in Manhattan who seems to want nothing to do with him. With the clock counting down, the Four have no choice, but to accept the help of one of their two enemies, the Surfer, or Dr. Doom.

Critique:

Quite simply, this movie FAR AND AWAY exceeded my expectations. My expectations were pretty simple though, I just wanted this movie to be better than the first movie. While the first movie was a very solid origin story, it was little more than that. In that first installment Story showed some promise but couldn't quite finish his vision, perhaps because actors like Gruffudd and Alba couldn't act and their chemistry seemed forced at best. In those movies, all of those things change as Story keeps his movie running fast and sure - charting a plot that is pretty good, pretty airtight, and pretty simple. Additionally, Gruffudd and Alba have learned to act in the last year, making their relationship light years ahead of other atrocious fanboy movie romances like Hayden and Natalie. Instead, their relationship is beleivable, and so are they. Plus they get to execute a tight script with plenty of humor and plenty of clever lines. Story also tries pretty hard to give Johnny more depth and push his character to grow. Honestly, I'm not sure I would consider it a complete success, but Evans and Story are trying really hard. Frankly, the only reason this movie isn't better is because the Fantastic Four suck. I just don't think its good source material for a sustainable franchise. It seems to me that both their powers and their personalities have already been greatly expanded upon in just two movies. Even looking to wikipedia for some help, I can't really think of another villain for the Four for a possible third movie. But, these macro-issues aside, I really liked this movie. It was fast paced, lots of development, simple "believable" story (in the superhero sense), and a very good ensemble comic book movie.

Verdict:

It's worth $9

If you liked this movie, see...
...The Fantastic Four
...X2: X-Men United
...X-Men

Movie Review: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Thu, 15 Jun 2007 21:31:00 GMT

posted by twsraven
Review: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Heading into Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, my expectations were pretty low. The original was slow, dull and gimmicky, with too much set-up and not enough punch. That said, I'm about to make a very bold statement -- not only is this film far superior to its predecessor, but it's also one of the best sequels this summer has to offer. Granted, that's not saying a whole lot, but when it comes to entertaining a mass audience -- delivering equal parts quirk and fast-paced action -- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer serves up fun on a, well, silver platter. Unlike other recent comic adaptations content on force-feeding you bland melodrama to a point where the entire theater begins to reek like cheese, Silver Surfer never takes itself seriously. It's PG-rated summer popcorn fluff at its best, and while the new additions might irritate the hardcore FF fanatics, those simply looking for a check-your-brain-at-the-door night out at the movies will certainly surf away satisfied.

It's hard enough focusing all the attention around one superhero, and four makes the task even tougher. Director Tim Story took a real chance with this sequel; although fans would've loved a darker, more sinister tone, he went in a completely different direction -- opting to instead tap into the old school, feel-good vibes of the original Superman films (parts 1 and 2), while utilizing a bigger budget to really make this thing sail. However, not all the effects hit their mark (specifically Mr. Fantastic's stretch technique, which looked completely silly and over-the-top in more than a few scenes), but the work done on the Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne) more than made up for the minor faults in our main characters. In fact, the worst part of FF2 was the actual "all-media" screening -- chock-full of of delinquents who wouldn't stop talking the entire time. Not at the screen, mind you, but at each other. And I sat next to a homeless guy. Seriously. So if I can walk away from that experience and still enjoy this film more than any sequel/adaptation/threequel/you name it this summer, that's saying a lot for what the FF gang offered up for this, their second time around the block.

The greatest aspect of this sequel is that all the backstory was shoveled out in the original; we know who is who, as well as what their powers are, so there's no need to stomp down that road again. When we open, the Four are fantastic celebrities. Reed (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue (Jessica Alba) are attempting to plan yet another wedding around more obstacles than those featured on an episode of Double Dare. Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) is still in love with himself, but now he's spending most of his time working endorsement and sponsorship deals (in one of his first appearances, the guy is dressed in a full-body Nascar-like suit with the FF logo stamped in the middle). The least developed character out of the four is Ben, aka The Thing (Michael Chiklis) who, apart from his oh-so-cute relationship with Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington), doesn't do much except tack on more "Oh crap, I'm still stuck being a human rock" shtick.

Family and team issues aside, there's a new disturbance in the force. When the weather patterns go wacky and gigantic craters sabotage several cities around the world, strong military types (lead by General Hager, as played by Andre Braugher) seek out Reed (and his brilliant scientist brain) to help determine what the heck is going on with the planet. Little do they know, but earth is about to be devoured by a massive storm cloud named Galactus for breakfast, and its go-to messenger, the Silver Surfer, is the one prepping the meal. As the team attempts to piece it all together in time, their nemesis Dr. Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) somehow finds a way to use this situation (and this mysterious Silver Surfer) to his advantage, slowly becoming more powerful than he's ever been before.

Right off the bat, fans of the comic will be disappointed in Galactus. The gang's planet-eating nemesis is never fully explained, and its grand entrance is nothing like what you had hoped it would be. Surfer's backstory, however, is pretty much intact. except in order to make him more relatable the writers threw in a little long-lost love angle (which I don't believe was included in the comics). Surprisingly, the meat of the story lies with Johnny Storm -- a character who certainly adds a ton of comic relief (greatly helped by Evans' perfect timing), but also enjoys the most development out of the four. He's the only one who really showed some pure growth, and I wish I could say that for the rest of them. If more time would've been spent exploring the mythology of Galactus and Surfer, instead of randomly throwing in confusing and unnecessary molecule-speak, them Tim Story and his crew would've pulled off the perfect sequel.

But nothing is ever perfect, and it's refreshing to find a comic adaptation that reminded me of how much fun it was playing with action figures back when superhero characters weren't in desperate need of daily therapy sessions. Not everything needs to be dark, or deep, or disturbing -- finally, this summer offers up a superhero flick geared toward the young at heart, and aims to please those of us craving a light, breezy moviegoing experience. The dialogue may not be smarter than a fifth grader, but the pace is smooth and the eye-candy is plentiful. It's not extravagant, and there's certainly nothing ground-breaking featured here, but Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer never attempts to become something it's not. Like I said, it's risky to introduce this sort of tone in an environment that's constantly searching for "something better." Although it's easy to nitpick, why do so when the waves all look the same. After all, it's not about what you ride, it's about how you ride it. And judging by the smiles of those kids leaving the theater, I'd say they found a way to surf around the rocks. It was a long time ago, but I remember doing the same thing when I was their age. Occasionally, it can't hurt to try it again.