Better than the first one ...

Rating: 5/10 (15 June 2007)

After enduring the first installment of Marvel's "Fantastic Four," ANY sequel would have looked good by comparison, so while I did have high hopes, I would have accepted much less.
It's safe to write, however, that "Fanastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," is entertaining enough to be much more successful than the first installment. The movie is often dark, funny and exciting at the same time.
Hey, as far as second servings go, it's no "Empire Strikes Back," (it's not even a "Jaws 2"), but it keeps one in their seat for its rather short, 90-minute running time.
Picking up from where the initial film left off, our intrepid quartet (the ultra flexible Reed Richards, Ioan Gruffudd; invisible force-field lady Sue Storm, Jessica Alba; human torch Johnny Storm, Chris Evans; and the rock-like monstrosity Ben Grimm, Michael Chiklis) is now used to the constant publicity extolling their exploits.
Johnny is especially prone to this publicity, constantly looking to make endorsement deals and mugging before any camera he sees.
The paparazzi is even ga-ga over the upcoming wedding of Reed and Sue (despite the oil-vinegar mix of the beautiful, sensual young lady and the goofy dullard), which has been in the works several times now, always falling through at the last minute.
Meanwhile, a strange meteor flashes across the globe, completely freezing whatever it passes over (the Sea of Japan, the Sphinx, Los Angeles, etc.); the anomaly also creates huge craters and eventually dries up the surrounding vicinity.
During the latest wedding, the phenomenon disrupts electrical and communication transmissions and causes a helicopter to crash, wrecking chairs and ruining a lot of perfectly good food. It's a literal media circus, not unlike the nuptials between Sean Penn and Madonna.
Johnny Torch then follows the thing, only to discover it is the Silver Surfer (we have a title!), who is the guide for Galactus, a huge cloudy entity that absorbs and destroys planets to stay alive.
Look, this premise was never really fleshed out in the film, suffice it to say the CGI looks pretty awesome here (not during the rest of the movie, though). Anyway, the Surfer pummels the Torch and escapes. His flyover also thaws out Dr. Vincent von Doom (Julian McMahon, "Premonition") from his metallic freeze prison, which adds another villainous subplot.
In addition, a group of gung-ho soldiers, led by Gen. Hagar (Andre Braugher, "Glory," "Poseiden"), gets involved, as well. And, thanks to his contact with the Surfer (body by Doug Fisher, voiced by Laurence Fishburne), Torch loses control of his powers, passing them along to the other three and taking upon theirs in turn.
These are the rare funny moments in this picture.
Finally, Reed (who is reluctantly forced to accept von Doom's assistance) tracks down and captures the Surfer with a series of scientific devices that we - as the audience - have no business comprehending. It is only then that we discover the humanity of the character.
He doesn't mean to lead the carnivorous Galactus to eat, digest and eliminate all these worlds, he's just made that way, I suppose. No one realizes this more than Sue, who tries to convince him that, somehow, helping to destroy the Earth would be a bad thing ...
After a short, climatic battle, however, things just come to a rather unsatisfying conclusion. We're never really presented with the motivation behind what Galactus is or why its always so hungry for energy; or, as an all-powerful, omnipotent being, why it needs the Silver Surfer in the first place.
Still, with all of its faults, its often disjointed plot line, its ambiguous ending, it still keeps you interested, and its short duration is just enough time to spend with these rather tepid superheroes.