Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

 

Release Date: June 15, 2007

You may recall that I wasn’t that hot on the previous Fantastic Four film, considering it to be merely average. Because of that, I wasn’t expecting much from the sequel, besides more of the same, but I am pleased to report that Rise of the Silver Surfer is an improvement on the original.

Reed Richards and Susan Storm are planning on getting married, but the wedding is gatecrashed by the Silver Surfer, a mysterious being who has come to Earth, and is causing strange weather and rolling blackouts with his presence. Johnny Storm comes in contact with the Surfer, but is unable to catch him. This event has made Johnny’s DNA unstable, causing him to switch powers when he touches another member of the Fantastic Four – and before you ask, yes, that does mean Jessica Alba gets naked after burning her clothes off. 

The Fantastic Four are ordered by the military to capture the Silver Surfer, but when their first attempt fails, the military brings in Doctor Doom, who was defrosted after the Surfer flew over his home country of Latveria. Doom reveals that the Silver Surfer’s board is the source of his power, and the key to defeating him is to separate him from his board. The Fantastic Four develop and use an energy pulse designed to separate the Surfer from his board, and he is taken into military custody.

The Fantastic Four are forbidden by the military from interacting with the Silver Surfer, but Susan manages to sneak out and ask why the Surfer came to Earth. He explains that he scouts planets to be destroyed by his boss, Galactus, in exchange for his home planet being spared. Susan tells the Surfer that he is not a gun, he is who he chooses to be, and he chooses to be a hero, as it turns out Doom wanted the board for himself, and was only helping until he got it. Johnny is able to defeat Doom and take the Silver Surfer’s board back by touching the other team members to get all their powers combined (a neat reference to the comic villain, Super Skrull,) and wiping the floor with Doom. Johnny tries to do the same to Galactus, but the Silver Surfer won’t let him, “You… stay. I… go. No following.” The Silver Surfer then flexes his muscles, passed down the Silver Surfer line for generations, until he bends the fabric of reality itself, creating a wormhole that sucks in himself and Galactus. “Superman…”

One of the complaints I had last time was that Johnny could be a little too mean-spirited at times and came off as a jerk because of it. Fortunately, his attitude has been toned down this time. He’s still confident and egotistical, but the nastier extremes shown in the previous film have been reined in, which makes his teasing funnier. It also helps that the Thing teases back more this time. The team have come closer together since the first film, and the relationship between Johnny and Ben is the best example of this, in that they still tease each other, but it’s good natured ribbing this time, without any malice behind it.

The Silver Surfer is the star of the show this time. The character looks very imposing, and his voice helps to convey an aura of authority and dignity about him. The effects used to create him are also very good, with a liquid metal type motif. In this way, he is reminiscent of the T-1000, with the highlight being the scene where he flies through a building, and comes out on the other side instead of breaking through. Johnny describes this moment as “So cool,” and apparently, the marketing department agreed, as the scene was the money shot of the trailer. Speaking of effects, they’ve improved since the first film as well, especially Reed’s stretching, which isn’t nearly as evocative of the Uncanny Valley this time.

Unfortunately, the other villains aren’t nearly as good as the Silver Surfer. Doctor Doom is still as rubbish as he was in the first film, so there isn’t much to discuss there that wouldn’t be re-treading old ground. The difference this time is that instead of being a Norman Osborn knock-off, he’s an Emperor Palpatine knock-off. Woohoo. The bigger disappointment is Galactus. To put it bluntly, Galactus is lame. Like, really really lame. Let’s get the big one out of the way first. Anyone looking forward to Galactus is going to be disappointed, because this Galactus is a cloud. (Now you know what I was getting at with the clue in the last review. That was my classiest one yet, wouldn’t you agree?) First, it’s hard to be scared by a cloud, unless you’re Sephiroth of course, which means that it’s difficult to take him seriously as a threat. Galactus was more intimidating in Lego Marvel, and that version said "Om nom nom" whenever he ate something! Second, it reduces his role as a character. In fact, Galactus barely even qualifies as a character. He only appears in the final scene, which doesn’t give him much time to make an impression. The movie’s almost over when he shows up. Who does he think he is? Venom? Consequently, he’s more a force of nature than a character. If that was the case, why waste Galactus? Why not replace him with a space storm or something if they wanted something that could destroy Earth? Finally, Galactus being a cloud makes the climax really anti-climactic once Doom is defeated, since there’s no form there for the Silver Surfer to attack, hence the muscle flexing. Galactus being taken down so easily here doesn’t help with the first issue either.

 Jon Tron accurately conveys my feelings regarding Galactus.

Despite my grievances, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer proved to be a pleasant surprise. Many of my grievances with the first film, but not all, have been fixed. Another bonus is that, as the films get longer and more cluttered, it makes a nice change to watch one that ends in a brisk 80 minutes, before it can overstay it’s welcome.

Stan Lee Spotter: Stan Lee appears as himself, being refused entry to Reed and Sue’s wedding, (“But I’m Stan Lee!” he protests.) This is a reference to when they got married in the comics, and two characters representing Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are refused entry.

Next Time: The Marvel Cinematic Universe begins.

Bonus: The Silver Surfer was the subject of a short film in the early 1990s, which was made to prove that there was potential for CGI characters in film. Read the story behind it here.