Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
"Okay, we're now officially enemies of the United States of America, Victor is out there somewhere with unlimited power, and we've got a giant intergalactic force that's about to destroy our planet in less than 24 hours. Did I miss anything?" - Ben Grimm
release year: 2007
genre: superhero action
viewing setting: home Bluray, 12/7/13
synopsis: The Fantastic Four must deal with a new threat, one that will destroy the Earth if it isn't stopped.
impressions: As with the first movie I thought that they should have found a way for the Thing to be taller and bigger, and they needed to define Doom's powers better. This sequel had the team facing a world-ending threat in Galactus, though they kept him as a weird cloud rather than a gigantic humanoid form. The way he was ultimately dealt with was also not in line with the power levels of the Surfer and Galactus from the original comic books. I also thought that the team let the military push them around too much - in an ideal word, superheroes would not have to answer to jealous, fearful idiots. This movie sees the introduction of the flying car, which was cool. One other observation: in this one, Doctor Doom not only (more or less) murders one of the team, but he also puts his own selfish desires above those of the survival of the entire world. When they catch him, they should execute him, no excuses.
acting: A lot of people reprise their roles from the last one. Ioan Gruffudd is the leader, who's often unable to put aside work and enjoy his personal life. Jessica Alba is very photogenic as his love interest, who has to decide if they can have any semblance of a normal life. Chris Evans is the smartass young punk who needs to learn some responsibility. Michael Chiklis is the rocky orange-skinned brute who's happier than a lot of people give him credit for. Julian McMahon is the treacherous Doctor Doom. Kerry Washington is the blind girlfriend of the Thing, and offers some much-needed insight to the team's members. The Silver Surfer is portrayed physically by Doug Jones, while his voice comes from Laurence Fishburne. Andre Braugher plays a general who's disrespectful and a total jerk (which honestly is pretty much the role Braugher plays in many movies.)
final word: Pretty good, so I'm not sure why it got panned by so many critics.
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