Much of the movie enjoyment experience is affected by expectations. When Fantastic Four was released in 2005 I was not terribly excited about it and I didn't expect much from it. After all this was from the director of the not-in-the-least-bit-comic-book movie Barbershop and there was so much negative buzz about it that it practically fell off my radar completely. It certainly didn't help that The Incredibles (a far superior 'Fantastic Four' movie) came out the previous year to rave reviews and it was rumoured that Fantastic Four had to go into reshoots to add more action because of it. Fortunately I'm of the opinion that movies don't always have to be high art. Sometimes they just need to distract me for a while. Fantastic Four wasn't a terrible movie in my opinion, but it wasn't very impressive either. It's the kind of thing I'll watch a half hour or so of when I flip to it on HBO if there's nothing new on the Tivo. It's not really good or bad, it just exists. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is an improvement on its predecessor, but still not good enough to carry with me very far out of the theatre.

The story for the sequel is a loose adaptation of what is known as "The Galactus Trilogy" first published in "Fantastic Four" issues 48 - 50 in 1966 (and now considered a comic classic). It concerns the mysterious arrival of a cosmic being known as the Silver Surfer who flies around the Earth causing meteorological disturbances and creating very large holes. This immediately gets the attention of the US military who seek help from the now world-famous Fantastic Four. All the shock and surprise that might normally accompany the arrival of an extraterrestrial interstellar traveller gets waved through the intersection so we can get on to the typical American military movie response of, "Find it and kill it." In this case it's perfectly acceptable since we don't have all day for this story anyway. Reed Richards eventually figures out (it doesn't matter how) that eight days after the Surfer visits a planet all life on that planet is extinguished. This puts the Fantastic Four firmly on path with a ticking clock to keep them going and your summertime sequel is underway. Due in part to the story's origin and in part to all the outer-spaciness, this is the most "comic book" comic book movie to be released so far. Rather than grounding the story in a believable reality a la the X-Men series and the Batman relaunch, Rise of the Silver Surfer hopes you'll stretch with the story like Reed reaching for a soda. The thin plotting and poor performances may bother the adult-minded or serious movie-goer, but this film will play well to the kids.

Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, and Michael Chiklis in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

When I found out they were doing the Silver Surfer in the sequel, my first thought was of Galactus, also known as the Devourer of Worlds (or so his business card claims). Could they be doing a live-action Galactus? Statements were later released from the production that stated unequivocally, "Galactus is in the movie and comic fans will not be disappointed." They were wrong. As a comic fan I have to say I was disappointed in the movie Galactus. Not that I was expecting Jack Kirby's Galactus all decked out in a giant hat and purple skirt ensemble, but a skyscraper-sized space god fighting the Fantastic Four in a live-action film was certainly enticing. I definitely did not want Warren Ellis's modernization (named Gah Lak Tus) from the Ultimate comic universe that was a disappointing swarm of robot insects, but I did want something in between. There's a hint of the classic Galactus helmet shape as a shadow creeps across a planet, but the tease is about all you're going to get. What makes it worse is there's a certain amount of dramatic build-up to what could have been a fantastic reveal. Instead we're treated to an exciting parting of the clouds with very little behind them. The Silver Surfer, on the other hand, saves the movie. His look and origin from the comics are completely intact and the performance of Doug Jones, Lawrence Fishburne and some whiz-bang special effects bring to life a character I thought would never see the light of film. He could have been an absolute disaster but by sticking almost exactly to the mystery and nobility he signifies in the comics, he steals the movie. I would love to see a spin-off movie come out of this.

Rise of the Silver Surfer suffers in the same places that the first one did: narrow-sighted directing by Tim Story, lacklustre performances by Jessica Alba and Ioan Gruffudd, and an absolutely terrible Doctor Doom in Julian McMahon. I believe that Jessica Alba speaks dialogue but I was so distracted by her hair and contact lenses that I never heard a word she said. She's a beautiful girl but perhaps not a wise choice to play a blonde-haired blue-eyed fair-skinned woman. Ioan Gruffudd once again fails to convince me that he's one of the smartest men alive, and his groan-inducing dance scene was completely unnecessary. What is with superheroes dancing this summer? If the Hulk dances next summer I may just call it quits. I guess the kids like it. If Gruffud's transparent performance wasn't bad enough the Friday-afternoon CGI job done on his stretching abilities would have ruined it. It appears that all the time and money was spent on the Surfer and rightly so. Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis are both well-suited in their roles, but they can't carry the movie between the two of them and spend a lot of wasted time trying desperately to pry laughs out of the audience. It's Doom that takes the harshest beating in this, though. I know he can be grandiose even in the comics, but casting an effeminate pretty boy to play him without the armour for much of the film is not doing the character justice. This isn't the Doom from the comics. If anything he may be worse than in the first movie since he isn't the main antagonist here. I want comic book Doom. I want a guy shaking his metal-clad fist in the air talking about himself in the third person and threatening God in a long soliloquy. It's too bad that both Galactus and Doctor Doom suffered their live-action debut under the paint-by-numbers eye of director Tim Story. Oh, what might have been...

Doug Jones embodies the physicality of the Silver Surfer.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a good summer matinee and an adequate movie to take kids to see. It has comic-book action without the angst and moodiness of Spider-Man 3 or the duration of Pirates 3, and it won't completely punish the adults in the group. The acting is hit and miss, the storytelling is so-so, and the direction, while improved from the first film, still doesn't have the scope of a Raimi or a Singer. It won't satisfy comic book guys looking for a faithful retelling of The Galactus Trilogy, but it should put a smile on the faces of Silver Surfer fans and the casual movie-goer at least while you're in the theatre.

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