This is what comic-book movies should be like!

Rating: 10/10 (14 June 2007)

The first Fantastic Four film was met with a slew of negative reviews from the entertainment press. Not that any of that stopped audiences flocking to see the exploits of the much-loved Marvel family. Audiences lapped up the family friendly antics of the four, and this lit the way for a sequel to follow.
For the sequel all the core cast return - Jessica Alba as Susan Storm, Iaon Grufford as Reed Richards, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm - as the team of heroes with cosmic powers. As The Invisible Woman, Mr Fantastic, The Human Torch, and The Thing respectably the four have now settled into their high-profile super-lives, although it has meant a few problems for them at times. One such problem is the many attempts by Reed and Sue to get married - always put on hold as another world-wide emergency strikes. As the film starts (with a teasing pre credit sequence of a planet being sucked dry of it's energy and a silvery streak shooting away from it towards earth) the family of four are preparing for the big day once more. Even as strange events strike around the world, Reed focuses his main attentions towards the big day. Unfortunately it is on the big day itself that things come to a head and the Silver Surfer makes his presence known. His motivations for the disturbances he causes are unknown, but it seems to have something to do with a strange energy cloud that is devouring planets. Can the four save the day once more, and what is the sinister Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) - mysteriously escaped from his statuesque cocoon - up to? The first film, as enjoyable as it was (I'm a huge fan of the four) did suffer from the occasionally glitched effects, and the troubles with being an origin story. The cast didn't quite find their feet in that film. This time around things are much improved! The cast are so comfortable in their roles, and the interplay between the four is spot on throughout. The wit and charm, and the conflicts are all present, correct, and this time natural. This IS the four from the pages of the comics, represented as good as you could hope for. The action is ramped up this time also. With the origin out of the way, the plot can just zip along from set piece to set piece with great momentum. The effects - this time provided by Weta Digital - are much more polished than last time, and the key sequences (such as the London Eye disaster) are jaw dropping and exciting.
Much praise must be laid to Tim Story who once more proves he is the right man for the job of director, and also shows his passion for the comics. The action is fun and glorious, and the characters are allowed to breath - even more impressive given the short 90 minutes running time. The film is paced and edited beautifully, never feeling rushed whilst also never feeling bogged down. Perhaps a lesson can be learned by other super-hero directors that they don't have to make epic-length films.
As for Galactus (which many fan-boys have already made their minds up about) - as a huge (read: lifetime) fan of the Four I was more than pleased with the representation of the big G. It works cinematically without actually showing the 'core' essence in the cloud.
All of this without even mentioning the new 'star' of the film, the Silver Sufer. Beautifully portrayed, and given the heart that the character needed to be given, fans of the Surfer will be more than happy (and here's hoping for a Surfer movie next).
This is what comic book movies are all about, and which the whole family can enjoy together. FF:ROTSS is the best super-hero flick of this year! In addition - Stan Lee spotters can't miss him this time around as he shows up as himself!