What Do The Critics Say?

Much better than the original. The big improvements come in the action scenes, in the battle between the F4 and the Silver Surfer, who gets power from his surfboard that is greater than Johnny's fireflying, Reed's elastic body, Susan's invisible force field and Ben's strength. The Silver Surfer - played under metallic CGI effects by Doug Jones - is a cool invention, sort of a cross between the morphing alien robot in "Terminator 2" and Gort, the robot giant in the classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still." He is also an alien with a heart, vulnerable as Superman sitting on kryptonite. Scary, but you learn to love the big lug." Jack Mathews NEW YORK DAILY NEWS "I had a few laughs, I enjoyed the elaborate special effects, the characters are entertaining and unpretentious, and I got out of the theater in about 90 minutes." Jack Garner ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE "This is one of those superhero movies in which the superheroes are not nearly as charismatic as the villain. Luckily for this sequel, the Silver Surfer is on the scene." Pam Grady REEL.COM "Better than its juvenile predecessor. "Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer" finds the lovers in the quartet trying to tie the knot. Only duty keeps tugging at Reed Richardson and Sue Storm's superhero personas Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. Power surges and climate shifts are vexing the planet: Lakes freeze solid beneath trawlers; the Great Sphinx gets a dusting of snow; massive power outages put the West Coast on lockdown." Lisa Kennedy DENVER POST "Rise is exactly what a superhero movie should be: an entertaining, family-friendly popcorn flick with even doses of humor, heroism and heart." Tyler Hanley PALO ALTO WEEKLY

"Clocking in at a mere yet mighty 92 minutes, this superior sequel to 2005’s Fantastic Four skillfully crams loads of action, humor and even (gasp!) character development into its short but sweet flight of comic-book inspired fantasy." Brian McTavish KANSAS CITY STAR "It might not be the end-all, be-all of comic book movies, but it’s undeniably great summer fun for all ages." Jeffrey Lyles GAZETTE "At last! A comic-book block-buster that doesn’t feel the need to justify its own existence with ponderous philosophical subtext and bloated running times." Kevin Maher UK TIMES "It takes a while to get going, but once it does, it clips along, entertains & doesn't overstay its welcome." Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL "Rise of the Silver Surfer is roughly 300 percent less cringe-inducing than its predecessor." M E RUSSELL OREGONIAN "Earnest, gee-whiz and foursquare, this simple and intentionally inoffensive sequel gets points for being easy to take and scrupulously avoiding obvious sources of irritation." Kenneth Turan LOS ANGELES TIMES "If not exactly meriting the term "fantastic" yet, this second installment is a slight improvement over the first film. Things take off more quickly, Reed Richards is less dour and the villain is the Silver Surfer, cooler and more intruiging. The premise" Nell Minow MOVIE MOM AT YAHOO! MOVIES

The Inside Story "We’ve got a new character coming to the scene, the Silver Surfer, who is one of the coolest comic book characters of all time. So we’ve upped the ante with bigger stunts, more action, and more CGI characters and situations," Director Tim Story explained. "With the origin story firmly established, screenwriter Don Payne, a lifelong fan of the Fantastic Four comics, set out to take the next step with the series. "I wanted this movie to be the rare sequel that’s better than the original, with more excitement, more drama, more humor, more action," Payne says. "I also really wanted to explore where the characters are at this point in their lives. They’re much better off financially, but they’re dealing with the downside of celebrity. Sue and Reed are moving on and trying to get married. Ben and Alicia are enjoying being a happy couple, while Johnny’s got his own issues. So there are exciting things happening with characters and relationships. But most of all, I’m excited about the dimension added by the Silver Surfer." In fact "Fantastic Four Rise Of The Silver Surfer" is an amalgamation of storylines from the Fantastic Four comic books, as well as new story developments and characters. "The movie draws from the first appearance of the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four #48-50," says Payne. "But we’re also using story elements from Fantastic Four #57-60, where the Silver Surfer encounters Dr Doom. There are a couple of moments inspired by the recent Ultimate Extinction series as well." For those interested in a little bit of comic book history, the wedding between Reed Richards and Sue Storm, was first depicted in Fantastic Four King Size Annual #3 in 1965. The Silver Surfer, the "Sky-Rider of the Spaceways", whose real name is Norrin Radd, made his debut on the pages of Fantastic Four #48 in 1966. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at the early stages of the 1960s counterculture explosion, the Silver Surfer soon became a mainstay of Marvel Comics, appearing regularly in the pages of the Fantastic Four, and eventually launching his own self-titled series. "He’s got a Zen-like detachment from the world, but he still feels compassion. He’s heroic, having basically sacrificed his own life to serve Galactus in order to save his planet and the woman he loved. However, in doing so, he’s also bringing about the destruction of other worlds and species, so there’s a real moral ambiguity to him. He looks at the world and humanity through an outsider’s perspective, which people find fascinating," notes Payne. "We try to stay as close as possible to the Silver Surfer from the pages of the comic book," Story adds. "Technically, what’s been great about this experience with the Surfer is, because he’s a CGI character, we’re able to create him from scratch, meaning I can sculpt him to look exactly like the comic book character. Our Silver Surfer is the Surfer we all know and love. So I think the fans and everyone who’s familiar with this character will appreciate that he’s going to be living and breathing exactly how they’ve always known him to be." "It’s a fantasy movie so characters can come and go, and die and resurrect," producer Ralph Winter explained. "Doom has figured out how to come back. He’ll be interacting with everyone; still making eyeballs at Sue, still trying to denigrate Reed and thinking that he’s better than Surfer. He’s going to try and grab everything he can for himself." So is he on the team? "For the first time Victor and the Fantastic Four must actually work together to achieve a specific goal," says Story. "At the end of the day we’ll see that you can never trust Victor Von Doom. He always has an ulterior motive." Also reprising their roles from "Fantastic Four" are the four who play the 'super heroes'. "It’s always very exciting to revisit a character because you’ve had a chance to play him in the past," says Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd who plays Reed Richards. "I’ve evolved a little bit over the last two years and grown older, so Reed Richards has evolved and has much more confidence and is much more in control. He’s much more of a leader this time. He’s happy in his position as being the leader of the Fantastic Four." Jessica Alba reprises her role as Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman. "In the first film I was trying to figure it out and stay as close to the comic book as possible," Alba says. "Now I already know the character so I have a lot more freedom. Ioan, Chris, Chikie (Michael Chiklis) and I have all played these characters before so we’re all really comfortable with them, and it gives us an opportunity to discover new things about each other’s characters and ourselves." Chris Evans, who plays Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, was thrilled to return to the character. "It’s a real treat as an actor, because you feel like you’ve not only spent some time in the guy’s skin, but you’ve been lucky enough to see what works and what translated," Evans says. "They want Johnny to be a bit more ready for romance this time. Because of Reed and Sue’s wedding, and Ben and Alicia’s relationship, it’s a nice story arc for Johnny to all of a sudden feel lonely. Though he discovers it’s more about realizing that the people in your life that you are lucky enough to love and be loved in return are truly valuable and shouldn’t be taken for granted." Emmy ® and Golden Globe ® winner Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") returns as Ben Grimm, The Thing. "I think anybody living in that skin would be a little cranky," he said. "But I guess that he’s over the initial shock and has moved on to a degree. Now he’s into the day-to-day business of helping save the world. I look at Ben Grimm as really the heart and soul of the Fantastic Four. He’s the strongest, but he’s a gentle giant. And he gets really all mushy inside. And the idea of him having a love interest with Alicia actually makes the role much more satisfying. He’s not just sort of a grumpy curmudgeon who’s a one-line joke all the time. He has a heart and a soul and it’s the thing that makes you love The Thing." Julian McMahon reprises his role as the Fantastic Four’s archrival, Victor Von Doom (aka Dr Doom). Dr. Doom was encased, locked away and shipped off to his home country of Latveria. "He sat in a tomb for a long time and he’s pretty upset," says McMahon. "He’s a little bitter and determined to get back at the Fantastic Four, which is what he sets about doing at the beginning of the movie." Reprising her role of blind sculptor Alicia Masters is Kerry Washington, who recently co-starred with Forest Whitaker in the acclaimed film "The Last King of Scotland". "Alicia is very intuitive and insightful, and has wisdom beyond her years because of the blindness and how it’s affected her life," Washington explained. A new addition to the cast is longtime fan of the Fantastic Four comics, Andre Braugher, who plays General Hager, a no-nonsense career soldier. "I remember very clearly when the first Fantastic Four comic book came out, and the introduction of all these characters, as well as the Silver Surfer and Galactus," Braugher said. "So it’s really rewarding to be in this film. The chance to jump out of a helicopter, the tank work, and the rocket launchings are all a lot of fun. I think if you’re going to be in a comic book movie you ought to do some fun stuff." Of course the real reason everyone will come to the film is to see the Silver Surfer. So who is he? Surfer wields 'the power cosmic', absorbing and manipulating the universe's ambient cosmic energies. He can augment his strength to incalculable levels, and as such, is almost totally indestructible. He can navigate space, hyperspace and dimensional barriers, and can fly at near limitless speeds on his board, entering hyperspace when he exceeds light speed. He has even proven capable of time travel on occasion. The Surfer does not require food, drink, air or sleep. He’s sustained entirely by converting matter into energy. He is immune to temperature extremes and most radiation, and can survive in vacuum environments such as outer space and hyperspace. The Surfer's board, his source of power, is composed of the same impervious, cosmic-powered silvery material as its master's skin and is mentally linked to the Surfer; it moves in response to his thoughts, even when he is not in physical contact with it. According to producer Ralph Winter, accessibility is the key to the Fantastic Four’s endurance and popularity with worldwide fans. "They’re a little lighter in tone," he says. "You can see the sort of natural connection and squabbling that happens in a family. They have real-world problems like we do. They can’t hide their powers, the way mutants in X-Men movies can hide or change. These guys don’t; they’re right out there. It makes it a little more fun for everyone." Finally, look out for a homage to the final frame from Fantastic Four Special King Size Annual #3 from 1965, the wedding of Sue and Reed issue, Lee appears as himself as a party crasher to the wedding. However, he’s not on the list and is asked to leave. By the way, in the first "Fantastic Four", Lee had a cameo as the Baxter Building mailman. Synopsis

The Fantastic Four are about to meet their greatest challenge yet when the enigmatic, intergalactic herald, The Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As he races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery before all hope is lost. Sue Storm and Reed Richards are about to get married in what is seen as the 'Wedding of the Century'. Well that's the plan. But it doesn't come to fruition thanks to a mysterious visitor from outer space who will become known as, The Silver Surfer. He interrupts their wedding ceremony before they can say, 'I do'. Now Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing and The Human Torch must combine their powers and join forces with General Hager and Victor Von Doom to save the world. It won't be an easy task but Reed Richards believes the secret is in seperating the surfer from his board.

The Verdict "I always believed that when it came to 'super heroes' the reader or in this case the viewer should feel an energetic, awesome connection to their hero(es). And there-in lies the answer to why the Fantastic Four are failing to win over audiences in there droves such as "Superman" and "Spider-Man" have. It's a big lack of connection. Unlike Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, Reed Richards and Sue Storm are lack-lustre characters who hardly invoke any feeling other than they are just plain old boring. They visually and literally need to 'get a life'. What has saved the two films is the villians. Both Doom and the Silver Surfer add that missing zing which in the end have made "Fantastic Four" and "Fantastic Four Rise Of The Silver Surfer" passable entertainment. There's no faulting the CGI & SFX work, they are excellent. McMahon, Washington, Jones, Fishburne, Evans and Chiklis are the life-force for this latest adventure but they only just manage to save the day. Whether they have saved the franchise is another story. Only time will tell. Certainly worth a look at but hard to give a big tick to. 3 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER" stars .......
Ioan Gruffudd ["Very Annie Mary", "Black Hawk Down" and "King Arthur"]; Jessica Alba ["Never Been Kissed", "Honey", "Sin City" and "Into the Blue"]; Chris Evans ["The Perfect score", "Cellular" and "Sunshine"]; Michael Chiklis ["The Rain Killer", "Nixon" and "Do Not Disturb"]; Julian McMahon ["Chasing Sleep", "Meet Market" and "Premonition"]; 2001 Teen Choice Award winner Kerry Washington ["Save the Last Dance", "Ray" and "The Last King of Scotland"]; Two Time EMMY ® Award winner Andre Braugher ["Frequency", "Duets" and "Poseidon"]; Doug Jones ["Hellboy", "Doom", "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Lady In The Water"] and Two Time EMMY ® & Two Time Image ® Awards winner Laurence Fishburne ["Assault on Precinct 13", "Bobby" and "TMNT"] as the voice of the Silver Surfer.
"FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER" was .......
directed by Tim Story ["Barbershop", "Taxi" and "Fantastic Four"]; screenplay by Don Payne ["My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and TV'S "The Simpsons"] and Mark Frost ["The Believers", "The Repair Shop", "Fantastic Four" and TV'S "The Six Million Dollar Man"]; costume design by Saturn Award winner Mary E Vogt ["The Hard Way", "Batman Returns" and "Men in Black I & II"]; production design by Kirk M Petruccelli ["Blade", "The Patriot", "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider I & II" and "Ghost Rider"]; set decoration by Elizabeth Wilcox ["Double Jeopardy", "Along Came a Spider", "X-Men 2" and "X-Men: The Last Stand"]; director of photography Larry Blanford ["For Which He Stands", "Red Ribbon Blues", "Smokin' Aces" and "Night at the Museum"]; original music by John Ottman ["Lake Placid", "Cellular", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "Fantastic Four" and "Superman Returns"]; produced by Avi Arad ["X-Men 1, 2 & 3", "Ghost Rider" and "Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3"], Bernd Eichinger ["Nowhere In Africa", "Resident Evil 1 & 2", "Fantastic Four" and "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer"] and Ralph Winter ["Star Trek III, IV, V & VI", "Mighty Joe Young", "Planet Of The Apes" and "X-Men 1, 2 & 3"]. Who's Who?

Ioan Gruffudd Jessica Alba Chris Evans Michael Chiklis Julian McMahon Kerry Washington Andre Braugher Laurence Fishburne Doug Jones Beau Garrett Brian Posehn Zach Grenier Dawn Chubai Chris Gailus Kevin McNulty Andy Stahl

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Reed Richards Sue Storm Johnny Storm Ben Grimm Victor Von Doom Alicia Masters General Hager The Silver Surfer (voice) The Silver Surfer Captain Raye Wedding Minister Mr Sherman/Rafke Anchorwoman Anchorman Baxter Building Doorman Tailor

Run Time 93 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - 20th Century Fox - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.