Speaking of sequels, this summer also brings us the follow up to one of 2005′s most lamentable films with Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The first go around, for all the promise of the premise, gave us nothing but indiscernible plot, stony acting, amateur writing, and just enough special effects shots to keep you in the theatre but not enough to make you forget everything else. With two years in the corner to think about what they’ve done, director Tim Story and screenwriter Mark Frost return with an improved effort, even if they haven’t recovered from all their bad habits.
Rise of the Silver Surfer begins as Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic, Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm (the Invisible Woman, Jessica Alba) are approaching their fifth attempt at marriage, their first four media circus weddings having been interrupted by one world crisis or another. Naturally, their nuptials are delayed again by sudden cosmic changes to Earth’s weather patterns; it is discovered that the cause is the Silver Surfer (body of Doug Jones, vocal chords of Laurence Fishburne), an alien being whose planetary visits consist of eight days of havoc followed by the world’s destruction. To bring down the Surfer, the Fantastic Four have to work with the U.S. Army and the reincarnated Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon).
Following one of the themes of Spider-man 2, Rise of the Silver Surfer also sees Reed and Sue questioning their future as super heroes, leading to conflict with Sue’s brother Johnny (The Human Torch, Chris Evans) and Ben Grimm (The Thing, Michael Chicklis). The plot point is weak, but it gives time for Evans and Chicklis to interact. Their childish teasing kept the first movie alive, and it makes a welcome return here. Evans’ pitch perfect playing of the Torch is perhaps the best reason for the series’ continued existence.
The fights with the Surfer yield some spectacular action sequences, allowing the story to move along at a nice pace. It’s hard to argue with good chase sequences and cool graphics, and Rise has them to spare. The moral implications behind the Surfer’s story are cheesy, and the way he confronts Galactus, the interplanetary force that he works for, is questionable even to those who don’t follow the comics, but if you can suspend a certain amount of disbelief, you can have some fun watching this movie.
Of course, the Fantastic Four franchise would be more enjoyable – and more conducive to continued success – if they had gotten it right the first time. That said, Rise of the Silver Surfer is an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes in a theater, one you can quickly forget and, unlike its predecessor, one you won’t immediately regret.
Rating: * * 1/2 of 5