'Surfer' is a considerable improvement over the strained original

Rating: Null/10 (18 June 2007)

Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer; This sequel picks up a little while after the original ended, where the group was revealed to the world as a newly formed group of popular heroes. This time, it's a considerable time after, and the foursome have their own portion of a building, shaped like a giant 4, in New York City. After a funny, refreshing re-introduction with our heroes, we learn that Susan and Reed have had some issues in the planning of their wedding, which the public goes insane over. However, what seems like it could be finally tying the not is interuppted by the shocking appearance of the Silver Surfer, which Reed suspects is linked to bizarre occurrences previously around the globe. The foursome joins forces with their previous villain, who seems to have an agenda all his own, in order to bring down this mysterious new villain.
Fantastic Four was a box office success, but a critical and general audience failure. Still, it's no surprise that this sequel was churned out by Marvel almost two years later. Thankfully, you can step off the edge of the cliff. 'Surfer' is a considerable improvement over the original in just about every way. It's slicker, louder, funnier, more creative and with better special effects and a better story.
Everyone seems to be having a funner time making this when compared to the original. 'Surfer' has frequent doses of light humor and touches. Performances are better and less stiff here, particularly for Alba. Evans, as in the first film, is the one who pops the humor flashbulbs. The re-introduction of the foursome is probably the best part in the film, and 'Surfer' gets a good, although stretched, gag about a switching powers incident. This film does have a problem, however. It aims for a younger age range, and this plays as a fault for the film. Some of the sequences seem down-played, as they feel as if you could have been bigger, and a little bit better. However, most people at any age will have fun with these heroes. 3 from 4.