Better this time

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2007)

Possible Spoilers Ahead I'm not reviewing this as if it were Citizen Kane or the Godfather, so fanboys take notice: This is a fun summer movie. It is better than the first(which I enjoyed as well).
The team did not squabble as much and audiences were given a classic Marvel situation of heroes versus hero with the appearance of Silver Surfer. Doom was used just enough to give the team someone to battle.
True, Galactus was not actually seen in his comic form, but truthfully, that would have been overkill- which is what made Spider-Man 3 such a drag. Rise of the Silver Surfer was just enough that it was still enjoyable to watch.
Thankfully, there were also fewer "hip tunes" interlaced in this one, and a better focus on the theatrical score. The movie was well paced, with fewer dragging moments.
FF's cast is pretty low-key in the media (with the possible exception of Jessica Alba, but even she is not as over-hyped as Kirsten Dunst).
Folks, this is the kind of stuff, the little things, that make summer movies fun and not just "events". Is this mindless entertainment? To a degree, yes, but much worse has been done in the past (and I'm sure will be done in the future).
To me the real appeal here, the true key, is that we don't have to suffer through secret identities with the FF. Their characters are established as celebrities, so we can fore go the usual crap and get down to battles! Here's the wrap up with just a wee bit of rant: It's enjoyable. See it. I sincerely hope we get a third installment (but that's enough) possibly with Mole Man as the heavy.
This picture is going to be overshadowed by Spider-Man 3, but unjustly so. In my opinion, FF is a much better summer flick and I'll give you two reasons why: 1. FF was not hyped and rammed down the public's throat like Spidey.
2. FF was not the victim of over-marketing like Spidey. I have become convinced that the more marketing tie-ins a picture has attached to it the bigger the disappointment it will truly be. You literally cannot turn around in a supermarket or department store without being smacked in the face with Spidey, Shrek, or Pirates merchandise and to me this over-saturation is what heralds the true quality of a movie. All of these pictures hit big opening weekend and then sunk like a stone. More merchandising says to me that an effort is being made to make money a movie that will fall fast because it's quality is poor. Hulk, Phantom Menace, The Grinch, the list goes on and on. End of rant and review.