"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Stu]

Rise.

Johnny: "How do you fight something that can eat planets?"
Reed: "Leave that to me."​

Release Date: June 15th, 2007
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Tim Story
Screenwriter: Don Payne and Mark Frost
Starring: Michael Chiklis, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, Julian McMahon, Doug Jones, Kerry Washington, Lawrence Fishbourne
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: PG
Official Website: www.riseofthesilversurfer.com

Plot Summary: The enigmatic, intergalactic herald, The Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As the Silver Surfer races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope is lost.

Comments?

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[krazymed]

The first 20 minutes were fairly funny. The rest was a joke onto itself. The parts where Alba tries to act actually made me cringe, like the talk with Alicia, the talk with Torch, the talk with Doom. Speaking of Doom, he was even more of a wuss here than in the first movie, bringing very little to the table. Making Torch the Super Skrull was out of left field as well. Richards fighting the government, wasn't that done in the last three X-Men movies?


I wanted to like it, but there were too many "Huh?" moments and not nearly enough "Cool" moments. Thumbs down.

 

[rggkjg1]

ok, its the moment of truth. is galactus a cloud? and/or does the end of the movie leave some kind of DIRECT hint/teaser that the real galactus WILL be in the next film? please stay durring the credits people!!

 

[Wolf Boy2]

No real Galactus??!?!??!?!?

Suddenly I want to see this movie less and less.

 

[Anthony C.]

The first 20 minutes were fairly funny. The rest was a joke onto itself. The parts where Alba tries to act actually made me cringe, like the talk with Alicia, the talk with Torch, the talk with Doom. Speaking of Doom, he was even more of a wuss here than in the first movie, bringing very little to the table. Making Torch the Super Skrull was out of left field as well. Richards fighting the government, wasn't that done in the last three X-Men movies?


I wanted to like it, but there were too many "Huh?" moments and not nearly enough "Cool" moments. Thumbs down.

You know what? I've long tried to defend Jessica Alba ever since the Dark Angel days, but that was because I thought she was one of the hottest women I've ever seen. However, seeing how bad the reviews are, I think it is impossible to defend her anymore. I knew since "Idle Hands" that her range was limited, but I just hoped that she would improve. I just have to face the sad facts, she is no Halle Berry (that being beautiful and can act if motivated). Damn shame .

Oh yeah here is the review by critc and Fantastic 4 fan James Berardinelli. He totally rips the movie apart:

http://www.reelviews.net/movies/f/fantastic_four2.html

 

[J'onn J'onzz]

ok, its the moment of truth. is galactus a cloud? and/or does the end of the movie leave some kind of DIRECT hint/teaser that the real galactus WILL be in the next film? please stay durring the credits people!!

I just got back from the movie. I liked it. But I also liked Fantastic Four 1, unlike pretty much everyone else.

Yes, Galactus is a cloud. I'm saying that the chances that a humanoid Galactus will be in Fantastic Four 3 are about .00000000001%. Cloud Galactus wasn't really even in the movie that much. He was in the last five minutes or so. The rest of the movie was just Doctor Doom and Silver Surfer fighting leading up to it. Speaking of the Surfer, I thought the movie portrayed him pretty well. The CGI they used to animate him was cool. And, of course, we got a Stan Lee cameo at Reed and Sue's wedding.

Overall, the movie was good. Plus, the last scene leaves possibility for more Silver Surfer in the future, which is also good.

 

[Hero Supreme]

From my blog:

Silver's No Gold, But It Still Has a Bit of a Shine


The Silver Surfer himself was incredible. Even the Morpheus voice wasn't too bad as the guy wasn't very talky. The movie had a number of funny scenes mostly involving the Thing and "John" Storm. It seemed that the teammates each got their scenes in the spotlight. Galactus AKA V'yger was hardly in the movie, and had absolutely no semblance of non-cloud form. Still, his stormyness wasn't too big an issue, and I think the epic F4 story was pretty well adapted. Back also was Dr. von Doom. Of all the problems with the first film, Doom was the main one that didn't get addressed. He was still pretty lame and wussy, though his final fight was cool. The Fantasticar was ok, but also the source of some pretty blatant product placement for Dodge. "Hemi?" "Of Course." Overall, if you hated Fantastic Four, this one is pretty much a cooler version of the same formula, but still has ample portions of corniness. But if you liked parts of the first one, this one has even more to like. As I have said before, the secret to the elusive sequel that is better than the original is setting the bar nice and low. So, in short, I liked it. Its a good solid second tier superhero film sort of on par with the original Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles or Daredevil.

One last note, at a mere 89 minutes, surely a lot was cut. I am interested to see what makes it onto the inevitable Fantastic Four 2 extended DVD. And the Silver Surfer solo film should be great!

 

[ShadowGUN]

Well just came back from movie and I love it. The humor was great and the character interaction was great too. They felt like a real family Stan Lee cameo (" I telling you I am Stan Lee") was way better than his SM3 cameo. The only problems I saw with the movie was Alba acting was bit wooden and the movie was bit too short. For those wondering about Galactus he not really a cloud. During the final fight you could see his true form is that of a energy beign( his head has the shape of his comic book counterpart). It has it faults but I enjoy the movie better than Spider Man 3. I give the movie a 9/10.

One thing I wonder thought why was this movie rated PG? There several scenes that look PG-13 like when Dr Doom kill the "quaterback" with the power of the Silver Surfer.

 

[Hades]

ok, its the moment of truth. is galactus a cloud? and/or does the end of the movie leave some kind of DIRECT hint/teaser that the real galactus WILL be in the next film? please stay durring the credits people!!

Seriously, do not pay attention to people. If you recall in the comics, Galactus piloted A SHIP. The SHIP is what is in the form of a cloud, NOT Galactus. You don't actually see Galactus, but you do see his head's shadow when Surfer fires at him, and the shape looks exactly like it does in the comics.

With that said, the movie was very good, better than the first, but like hte first, it leaves a lot to be desired. The biggest problem is this movie is way too freaking short. I only paid $8 for this, and I think I got gyped because teh running time was not worth the $8. I am sick of this. If I'm going to pay $8+ for a movie, the movie has no right to be under 2 hours!!!!

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

I'd be far more concerned with the quality of the storytelling than the length. Some directors have virtually nothing to say in 90 minutes, while others, like David Lean or Akira Kurosawa, can make four hours fly right by. Ridiculous overlength sank the last two Pirates installments. A perfectly adequate story can be told in 90-100 minutes, or even 70-80 (Budd Boetticher), whereas a story barely fit for an hour and a half (armageddon, the Pirates movies, The Mummy films, Van Helsing) can drag endlessly at 2+hours. I think that it all comes down the discretion of the filmmakers; some know their limitations, others get Pirates syndrome.

 

[Kolbar]

I just got back from seeing it and I thought it was great. I did have some problems, but I liked it a little bit better than the first (which I really liked).

Obviously the biggest problem was the Galactus cloud. Apparently, a gigantic humanoid with a big red headpiece that eats planets with the Elemental Converter isn't realistic enough for this movie, but a silver guy on a surfboard, a guy that controls electricity (Dr. Doom in the movie), and the rest of the FF are realistic enough.

I really liked Doc Doom a lot better in this movie for some reason and his plans to steal the surfboard (hey, just like the last 90s FF episode) and glad they got rid of his metal skin, so he had to wear the armor suit.

The Silver Surfer was very well done and looked really good. The voice was a little weird, but I'm glad they gave his backstory.

And the best part: the Stan Lee cameo at the wedding. If I recall correctly, that's right out of the Reed and Sue wedding issue where Stan and Jack Kirby try to get into the wedding but aren't on the guest list.

Anyway, I think I still liked Spider-Man 3 better, but this was pretty good.

4.5/5

 

[JustJack]

Pickers can't be choser's, and what we got made me happy enough. This flick is a good example of sleeping in the bed you made yourself. The first flick was hard to swallow for fan's and average movie goers in general. This time around, they made the effort to fix what they did wrong, but not act like the first flick was a complete waste. On one hand I applaude them, on the other....bah...

Overall, the Fantastic Four are so much like the comic-book Fantastic Four, the haters can just shut up and piss their pants for all I care. Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben were nearly pitch perfect this time around, so much so I nearly leaked out a tear. When Reed stands up to the general with his "I'm the smartest guy in the room" speach, I turned to my girlfriend, pointed, then whispered "THAT's the Reed Richards I've been reading about since I could first hold a damn comic!" The fact that we actually saw Reed DO something with his power was almost enough for me.
Silver Surfer was also kick ass...no need to say any more there.

Doom...they did better with Doom this time around. Doom has been poorly designed in these movies from the beginning. He has no european accent, Latveria's a sidenote, and he's more playboy than scarred menace with a score to settle. I'll never be satisfied with Doom until I hear him scream "RICHARDS!!!" and proceed to wail on the good Mr. Fantastic in an all-out stretchy, zappy, sciencey battle of the super-minds. Anyway, for this movie we get the continued adventures of a playboy doomy guy who's only there to be the antagonist. Motive's are lost, the evil is weak, and all he's there for is for a flashy finalle. Maybe in 10 or so years when we get a F4 reboot, Doom won't suck.

Overall, I was satisfied with this movie. The F4 were handled perfectly this time around, the Surfer looked nice, the story wasn't half bad, and it actually felt like a real life gosh darn Fantastic 4 MOVIE, unlike the first one.

And a little note to the haters...this flick really isn't about Galactus. I have no issue's with having not seen Galactus, and neither should any of you. We do get a Galactus sillouette, so he exist's -only in a giant galactic cloud that sucks life. But, the story's not about Galactus...it's more about the Fantastic 4 truly becoming The Fantastic Four. Think of this little saga with The Silver Surfer as the catylist that forces them to mature into a true team of heroes. If Galactus floated his purple ass down to earth, it would've distracted from everything leading up to the climactic ending. We'll worry about seeing Galactus when they make the Silver Surfer movie....

 

[Terminatah]

Not a great movie, but much better than the first. Lots of fun.

-Terminatah

 

[launchpad25]

Pickers can't be choser's, and what we got made me happy enough. This flick is a good example of sleeping in the bed you made yourself. The first flick was hard to swallow for fan's and average movie goers in general. This time around, they made the effort to fix what they did wrong, but not act like the first flick was a complete waste. On one hand I applaude them, on the other....bah...

Overall, the Fantastic Four are so much like the comic-book Fantastic Four, the haters can just shut up and piss their pants for all I care. Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben were nearly pitch perfect this time around, so much so I nearly leaked out a tear. When Reed stands up to the general with his "I'm the smartest guy in the room" speach, I turned to my girlfriend, pointed, then whispered "THAT's the Reed Richards I've been reading about since I could first hold a damn comic!" The fact that we actually saw Reed DO something with his power was almost enough for me.
Silver Surfer was also kick ass...no need to say any more there.

Doom...they did better with Doom this time around. Doom has been poorly designed in these movies from the beginning. He has no european accent, Latveria's a sidenote, and he's more playboy than scarred menace with a score to settle. I'll never be satisfied with Doom until I hear him scream "RICHARDS!!!" and proceed to wail on the good Mr. Fantastic in an all-out stretchy, zappy, sciencey battle of the super-minds. Anyway, for this movie we get the continued adventures of a playboy doomy guy who's only there to be the antagonist. Motive's are lost, the evil is weak, and all he's there for is for a flashy finalle. Maybe in 10 or so years when we get a F4 reboot, Doom won't suck.

Overall, I was satisfied with this movie. The F4 were handled perfectly this time around, the Surfer looked nice, the story wasn't half bad, and it actually felt like a real life gosh darn Fantastic 4 MOVIE, unlike the first one.

And a little note to the haters...this flick really isn't about Galactus. I have no issue's with having not seen Galactus, and neither should any of you. We do get a Galactus sillouette, so he exist's -only in a giant galactic cloud that sucks life. But, the story's not about Galactus...it's more about the Fantastic 4 truly becoming The Fantastic Four. Think of this little saga with The Silver Surfer as the catylist that forces them to mature into a true team of heroes. If Galactus floated his purple ass down to earth, it would've distracted from everything leading up to the climactic ending. We'll worry about seeing Galactus when they make the Silver Surfer movie....

I agree. As much as my inner fanboy wanted to see Galactus in all of his comicbook glory, he presents was still felt as a 'force of nature'. The rest of the movie was very enjoyable, and had some of the epic feel that you'd expect from The Fantastic Four, with some creative homor sprinkled in for good measure. Gruffudd, Alba, Evans, and Chiklis played their parts well, and While Doom was still a bit lacking, his costume looked cooler this time. The Surfer himself looks utterly amazing, and Larence Fishburn's voice fits him quite well. My only nitpick was Giuliana DePandi's appearance, but i'll let that slide since it fits with the wedding fiasco, and as always, Stan Lee give us another fun cameo.

 

[Silly McGooses]

$22.75 million on opening day.

 

[S.C.B]

Lots of fun. Not a character study, not an emotional rollercoaster, just good entertainment. Silver Surfer was a highlight, as was Johnny's subplot, well acted by Chris Evans. It was an aspect of the movie that hadn't been spoilt for me by the trailers.

And Galactus being a cloud? Didn't really bother me. Although I did see a hint of the classic helmet during the Surfer's final showdown with the planet gobbler.

All in all, I'm totally on board (sorry) for the sequel and the spin-off.

 

[Cortez2301]

I thought that the movie was alot better than I expected.The humour and the action were great.The plot was fairly well and I thought that the Silver Surfer was introduced in a respectful manner to the marvel movies.To be honest I wish Vin Diesel voiced himm instead of Laurence Fishbourne (Even though Laurence did a pretty good job) since his voice fits him almost perfectly (Plus Vin is a big fan of the surfer).Even though we didn't get to see Galactus (Unless you count,what looked like an image of his face in those red burning clouds before the Silver Surfer "ended" their lives) I thought it was extremely cool.Did Doom die or something? I don't know what happened after Johnny took care of him.I also loved it when Ben kept saying "Oh Crap!".I laughed so hard.Overall,I gave it 3.5 stars out of 5.

 

[Zam]

Geeze, now The Dark Knight is our last hope for a good superhero movie...

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

Geeze, now The Dark Knight is our last hope for a good superhero movie...

Man of Steel. Have faith in Singer; he crafted X2, one of the best superhero movies ever. Other than that, most franchises seem to have run their course.

 

[Zam]

Man of Steel. Have faith in Singer; he crafted X2, one of the best superhero movies ever. Other than that, most franchises seem to have run their course.

Yeah, sure! Let´s see Superkid in action again! *shudders*