Susan Granger’s review of “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (20th Century Fox)
Although the original 2005 “Fantastic Four” was a forgettable entry in the superhero movie genre, following behind “Spider-Man,” “Batman” and “Superman,” kids loved the simplistic Marvel Comics mutant concept, and it was a surprising hit.
For the uninitiated, the Fantastic Four consists of Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), a.k.a. elastic Mr. Fantastic, who can stretch and contort his body at will; Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), a.k.a. The Invisible Woman, who can project force fields; Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), a.k.a. The Human Torch, who can fly and burst into flames; and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), a.k.a. The Thing, who is a super-strong rock-like hulk.
Now, the Fantastic Four learn they aren’t the only super-powered beings in the universe. At the request of Army General Hager (Andre Braugher) and Captain Raye (Beau Garrett), they must contend with the enigmatic Silver Surfer (vapidly voiced by Laurence Fishburne), the hunky harbinger of the arrival of amorphous, planet-devouring entity, Galactus, which takes ages to show up. Plus there’s villainous Dr. Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), back after his apparent destruction in the first installment.
If this movie makes money, which it undoubtedly will, credit director Tim Story and visual effects supervisor Scott Squires (“Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace”) and Weta Digital (“Lord of the Rings,” “King Kong”) for creating the title character, a bodaciously buff alien gliding around the galaxy on a surfboard. He actually looks like a shiny hood ornament, but don’t tell anyone!
Briskly paced at 90 minutes, the dialogue is dumb drivel and the acting is atrocious, so on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” glides in with a 5. The best parts were in the theatrical trailer.
