Silly, fun, and pretty to look at

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2007)

You know, I could easily examine Rise of the Silver Surfer from the pessimistic side and claim that it's script was fatally flawed, that it was full of improbable "deux-ex-machina's", or that it was hammy and clichéd.
But after a summer of bloated, incoherent screenplays (Pirates 3), passive and dull screenplays (Shrek 3), or sugary and self-indulgent screenplays (Spiderman 3), F4-ROTSS was positively refreshing. It was a straight, coherent story, with its tongue firmly in it's cheek, and it didn't over-complicate things with too many characters or too many plot turns.
ROTSS knows exactly what it is - a simple, special effects driven, comic book panel - and sticks to its guns. It's dumb fun, fast and pretty, and it never gets much deeper than that. But in all honesty, what else are you looking for in a superhero summer blockbuster? I thought it hit the mark perfectly and I found it made for a thoroughly enjoyable night at the movies.