Fantastic 4-Rise of the Silver Surfer (Blu-ray) (2007)

"...delivers its goods with good humor...  Glenn Kenny, Premiere
"...the sequel is actually better - much better - than the original.  Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
"One of the most enjoyable pictures of the season.  Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Editor's Note The sequel to the 2005 blockbuster FANTASTIC FOUR, RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER finds the Marvel superhero quartet of Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) facing an extraterrestrial threat in the form of the title character (played by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne), an enigmatic being whose presence on Earth could signal the planet's end. Amidst the ensuing action, Reed and Sue attempt to tie the knot, and an old foe (Dr. Doom, portrayed by Julian McMahon) waits in the wings, allowing for plenty of levity and drama. An improvement on the original movie, this FANTASTIC FOUR outing, once again directed by Tim Story, gets much of its verve from the Silver Surfer himself. Played by Jones, an actor best known for his dual roles in PAN'S LABYRINTH, the Surfer is more than just CGI sheen, with subtle movements that seem truly alien and a voice of supreme gravitas, courtesy of Fishburne. Reed and Sue deal with wedding woes, while the fiery Johnny (aka The Human Torch) and a rock-solid Ben (The Thing) provide an extra dose of humor in a power-switching plot, making the film much lighter than other Marvel offerings and ideal summer viewing for the tween set.

	Brian Posehn
	Chris Evans
	Ioan Gruffudd
	Jessica Alba
	Julian McMahon
	Kerry Washington
	Laurence Fishburne
	Michael Chiklis
	Avi Arad - Producer
	Daniel T. Dorrance - Art Director
	Don Payne - Screenplay
	Jack Kirby - Based On Characters Created By
	John Ottman - Original Music By
	Larry Blanford - Cinematographer
	Mark Frost - Screenplay
	Peter S. Elliot, et. al. - Editor
	Sandi Tanaka - Art Director
	Stan Lee - Executive Producer
	Stan Lee - Based On Characters Created By
	Tim Story - Director

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "RISE starts with a bang....SURFER won't leave you (ahem) board." 07/01/2007 p.45

Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "For this second outing the director has evolved the human relationships, conjured one especially nasty death, and brought to the screen an apocalyptic menace in the form of Galactus..." 11/01/2007 p.190

Variety 7 of 10
At a time when tortured superheroes like Spider-Man, Superman and Batman would benefit from some serious psychotherapy, it's almost refreshing to see a comicbook caper as blithe, weightless and cheerfully dumb as "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." Faithfully mining one of the Marvel franchise's more intriguing mythologies, the sequel proves every bit as disposable as its predecessor, with even less character definition and several tons more poundage in the f/x department...Back in the director's chair, Tim Story ensures the pic's stylistic consistency with its predecessor, though the finale -- with its images of the Earth beset by cataclysmic forces -- suffers from visual bloat. F/x work overall is a mixed bag, lacking the polish and seamless integration most auds have come to expect from superhero extravaganzas...Globe-trotting sequel could set a record for most international landmarks damaged in the course of a 1ð-hour action movie, laying waste to the River Thames, the London Eye and the Great Wall of China, for starters. - Justin Chang

Reel.com 8 of 10
A definite improvement over 2005's somnolent Fantastic Four, there is still little chance that anyone will mistake this for a great movie, but Story keeps the action hopping and at least he had the good sense to hire [Doug] Jones. Even completely encased in metal, he still manages to invest his character with the most emotional resonance in the film and he cuts an awesome figure on his color-coordinated surfboard...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. He does not talk much (although when he does, the voice belongs to that actor with the silver tongue Laurence Fishburne, another plus), but he looks fabulous hanging ten in orbit. When the action slows down a bit to give him a little bit of story, he lends some genuine pathos to the movie. As is so often the case with his roles, we never see the real Jones' face and yet he imbues this alien creature with the most humanity of any character in the film. - Pam Grady