Quite an improvement over the first film, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is actually a good bit of light-hearted fun that is sadly overlooked and underrated.

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2014)

There's something about the two "Fantastic Four" movies that makes it impossible for me to dislike them as some others do. For a while, I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I just sort-of realized the simple truth- these are fun films. They are light-hearted. They are silly.
And that's why I like them. In an age where just about every single other Superhero film has to be dark, gritty and practically psychologically scarring (including the recently released "Man of Steel" where Superman of all people has a vision of being drowned in skulls), I just appreciate that 20th Century Fox and director Tim Story were content with giving us a fun, fluffy set of films to enjoy. It's almost admirable that a studio could look at a comic book and say "Hey, let's make a film out of this that the whole family could enjoy!"
And I do have to say, while not a particularly strong film, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (no, it's not called "4: Rise of the Silver Surfer", to the people who insist it is), is actually one of my favorite "dumb fun" movies, and I think it is a much better film than the first. (Although I will admit the first is a definite guilty- pleasure for me) It's a film I can pop in after a rough day and know that within 15 minutes, I'll be chuckling and having fun for it's relatively short running length.
The story begins with the titular Silver Surfer (an alien entity that resembles a human, only with metallic, silver-like skin, who rides on a surf-board like vehicle) arriving on Earth, causing various climactic and weather phenomena. At the same time, Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Susan Storm (Jessica Alba) are preparing for their big wedding day, amongst a media circus, as the "Fantastic Four" have become huge celebrities during the films. However, after a disastrous (and pretty exciting) action sequence, the Four (also including "Ben Grimm/Thing" as portrayed by Michael Chiklis and "Johnny Storm/Human Torch" as portrayed by Chris Evans) are forced to abandon the wedding in order to learn more about the Silver Surfer and what dark forces he may be an omen to, as well as contend with the return of Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), who they are forced into an uneasy alliance with.
I think the cast works a lot better here. As was the case in the first film, Gruffudd and Chiklis are the strongest performers, but I feel that Alba and Evans do a good job as well, and play their characters more naturally and evenly this time around. And it makes the chemistry of the characters all the better. McMahon is also good once again as Von Doom. And the two new actors portraying the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones as the physical body performer and Laurence Fishburne as the voice) do a wonderful job bringing the iconic character to life. Supporting roles by the likes of Andre Braugher and Kerry Washington are also well-played and a lot of fun on-screen.
I think the script this time around is what makes this a better film. The first film's script had a lot of issues. It meandered and was too overlong for the sort of story it was trying to tell. It made the clichés and some of the flatter jokes stand out more. Here, we have a much better pacing, less meandering with the shorter length and the characters are showcased a lot better. It also doesn't hurt that some of the subplots this time around are actually a ton of fun, and easier to relate to than in the first film. And it has a better balance of action-to-story, which was a big issue with the first film. (In that the first film barely had any action, whereas here, there's a pretty decent amount)
Director Tim Story is also a bit more in his element this time around. Part of my issue with the direction in the first film is that it felt a little plain. I think in part because it was Story's first big action film. Now that he's had experience, the action is a lot better, and feels more exciting and organic. It's genuinely a lot more fun this time around. He also seems to have learned some lessons by the mistakes of the first film.
Asides from that, I think the rest of the production is quite nice. The effects are generally good. The set and costume design is great. And John Ottman's score is a lot of fun.
I honestly do consider this to be a good, fun film. And I think it is tragically, criminally under-recognized and underrated. I was actually sort-of sad when it was announced that Fox had plans to reboot the series, because after this film, I wanted to see a third entry in the series. I wanted to see more work from this cast. And it's a shame that we won't have that chance now, because I think a third film could have potentially even been better.
But as it stands, the two "Fantastic Four" movies are a lot of fun. And I would recommend both of them (this one in particular as it is the better of the two) to anyone seeking a good, silly, fun time with a good, silly, fun film.
I give "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" a pretty-good 7 out of 10.