FANTASTIC FOUR: Rise Of The Silver Surfer - Another Letdown

FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (sci-fi thriller)
Cast: Michael Chiklis, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans and Jessica Alba
Director: Tim Story
Time: 95 mins
Rating: * * (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? The Fantastic Four comic book-turned-movie franchise has never been a big deal especially after the disappointing 2005 'original'. Fans who have waited for that movie went back to rummaging their Marvel comics to revive their interest and to find out what went wrong. This sequel is just as bad...

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? After the 'death' of Dr Doom, the Fantastic Four are getting used to their superpowers. Reed Richards and Sue Storm (Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba) plan their wedding but are interrupted when the Silver Surfer and Galactus show up, trying to destroy the earth and it's up to the Fantastic foursome to deal with them, as well as with the return of Dr Doom. Galactus has decided that Earth is his next target, sending his henchman, The Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) to prepare the invasion.

HIGHLIGHTS & LOWLIGHTS: For the first few minutes when the Silver Surfer is introduced, sci-fi fans would probably go 'wow' at the mid-air chase and battle between the new villain and the Human Torch (Chris Evans as Johnny Storm). After that, it is all downhill with incessant build-up and little in terms of payoff. Comic book fans who are waiting for the entry of Galactus will be sorely disappointed.
Galactus doesn’t have a single line of dialogue here and he appears at the end of the movie as a giant dust storm. Not only do the film-makers downplay the character from what he was in the comics, but the Silver Surfer so easily defeats Galactus that it is disgraceful. Character development is lame, with the usual kiddie-type jokes and lots of techno-babble. The film-makers have tried to exploit Jessica Alba's role here, emphasising on her assets but this only serves to make her look like a hooker. Watch out for creator Stan Lee who has his customary cameo at Reed and Sue's wedding.

THE LOWDOWN: There is nothing fantastic here, just another attempt that reeks of mediocrity and exploitation.