Rises High Above the Original

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2007)

Fantastic Four was a movie I had very mixed feelings about. As I have never read a single Fantastic Four comment I couldn't complain about the storyline being different, or certain character be interpreted in the wrong way, no the reason I had mixed feelings about it was the fact it was poorly made. There is no doubt in my mind that had someone like Sam Raimi or Christopher Nolan been given the directors job they could have made a better movie. However, could they have given it the fun, energetic tone that the story requires. Honestly I don't think they could have done. For all its faults the original movie was fun, it was poorly written and the characters poorly visualised, but the movie itself was fun, and I still had high hopes for the series. I was very much looking forward to Rise of the Silver Surfer. The trailers were brilliant, the storyline sounded interesting, and the fact that the origin storyline was out the way is always a good thing. So does it surpass the original? Does it live up to my expectations? Yes on both accounts. Rise of the Silver Surfer is a success, it still is flawed on many ways. But the movie is a lot better than the original and the fun tone has improved greatly. The performances seem to have improved, the storyline actually exists here, and the special effects for the surfer are spectacular. Its surprised me that the best comic book movie of 2007 so far has actually been this, not hard really when you see that Giost Rider was an unmitigated disaster, and Spiderman 3 was overlong and dull.
Anyway, the cast here seem to have settled in nicely to their roles. I had a major problem with Ioan Gruffudd in the original, a shame as I know he is a talented actor. I just didn't feel he had much to work with. Thankfully his character has improved here, he seems a lot more likable, his performance less strained, and his dialogue at times really works. I also found his action sequences didn't feel as lame as they did in the original. Jessica Alba has thankfully improved, she is now average in this series with a few bright spots along the way. I still believe a more talented actress is required for her role, but in some scenes, such as the very well executed wedding sequence, her character and performance worked very well. But of course, like the original, two actors dominate this movie. Michael Chiklis as The Thing, and Chris Evans as The Human Torch. I think I liked the fact that The Thing is used more often for comic relief, it suited the character more, and he has some really great comedic moments. Chris Evans has also improved, he was very funny in the original and had great charisma, here he shows some emotional weight on a few sequences, but generally he's the same guy. Julian McMahon's performance for me was an improvement on the original. He's definitely decided to be a pantomime villain, which this time very much works. Special credits must also go to Doug Jones, who as the surfer, gives him the grace required. Laruence Fishbourne's voice also is perfect for the surfer.
So what of the big action sequences? Well the action here works a hell of a lot better. The original suffered quite a lot because apart from two decent scraps, we really didn't see the Fantastic Four being fantastic. Here we see them doing a lot more action, and we also see them do a fair bit of globe trotting, which in my opinion highly benefits the storyline. The much advertised sequence of the Human Torch and Surfer chase looks amazing, but is nothing compared to what follows. We have a well executed sequence in London, a great bit in Shanghai, and various other little fights along the way. All of them look pretty impressive. However, some of the effects do look very naff. Which leads to me to one of the films flaws. The effects for Reed, and even at times the Human Torch, looked pretty naff. Annoying as the surfer looks so brilliant that whenever you compare the effects together it always makes the bad effects look even worse. The action also has a more intense feeling that the first movie lacked, the Shanghai and very final bit (won't spoil it) definitely feels a lot more epic than anything the original dared to attempt. This new found style, added with the entertaining factor from the original, makes the movie a vaster improvement, and makes the Fantastic Four definitely a franchise I'd be happy to return to in the future.
The storyline here has improved a great deal, the threat seems a lot better, the off screen Galaktus is a great villain and we never see him. But this is the surfers movies and the fantastic fours movie. I liked the family dynamic still being front and centre, and also the fact the cheesy humour is no longer intolerable makes the movie a great experience. Of course there are flaws, Jessica Alba's still mediocre performance and the special effects definitely being the main two. But also the script still needs a bit of polishing here and there. But all this is overshadowed by a generally good cast and a great sense of fun. The fact the movie doesn't feel overly long, but never too short, is always a good thing. Rise of the Silver Surfer definitely has given life back to a series that could have flagged badly if this movie was a failure. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the summer, and will definitely entertain all kids of all ages.