Where do we begin with 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer? Shall we start with the obvious by stating that even though Jessica Alba is hot, her Sue Storm was lacking. Shall we start with a suggestion that the actors have “face time” written into their contracts so that they are able to go without masks or costumes in the film. Shall we discuss the coming of Galactus, the killer cloud. I think we will be discussing all of those points. So true believer; the Fantastic Four has become a joke and all of comicdom laughs not with them, but at them.
One of the first things that made this film dull was the story-line itself. I was excited to see the Silver Surfer, but I expected that the plot would either be straight form the comic or original. It was neither. As you moved through the story, parts of comics were thrown in with some original content. At one point you have Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) being given the ability to absorb and switch powers, which leads to the ultimate absorption of all of the FF’s powers. Even though it is interesting, I could not help but be reminded of the Super Skrull. In this instance it was as if the writers read the Super Skrull story-line and said, “Hey that’s neat let’s put it in but we need to keep the Super Skrull out of the plot.” With a weak story you really cannot expect great acting.
My expectations were fulfilled. The acting is ridiculous at times. The Silver Surfer looks great, but so did the Terminator in T2. I was really bothered by the look of the Surfer and the voice of Laurence Fishburne. I kept having Matrix flashbacks and was fully expecting the Surfer to say, “Welcome to the desert of the real.” Even though I like Jessica Alba, she looked freaky at times. The blonde hair and deep blue eyes are just not Alba to me. The best acting was turned in by Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom. It was surprising considering how lame he was in the first film. I did get excited when they had the Doom reboot moments. I finally thought we were getting the bad-ass Doom we deserved. It was slightly short lived but he did stay true to the evil Doom comic fans have come to love.
Speaking of the actors, why do we see the faces of Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) and The Thing (Michael Chiklis)? I have no need to see The Thing as anything but The Thing. Doom should have the mask on all the time except perhaps when he needs to ogle Alba better. I really wonder if both of these actors have a clause in their contracts to allow them face time out of character within the film. I can understand that need, but some of the best characters should stand as characters, not as actors playing a character.
On to Galactus. I did hear rumors about the let down of Galactus, but I thought I would give them a chance since seeing the Galactus from the comics may have been just as bad. At first, I was impressed with the atmospheric space effects allowing for the fingers of Galactus to appear around the world. I began thinking that perhaps everyone was wrong. That was until they raided Twister’s special effects and gave us a tornado rather than an all-powerful being of planet destruction. I was half expecting Johnny Storm to throw out a “Look cows!” line. Not too mention that the hour and a half build-up led to a five minute moment of, “Oh, why didn’t I think of that” by the Surfer to end the film.
Beyond much of the negative criticism, I do have to say that the humor was spot on and corny. I always thought the FF comics were great for one-liners and kiddie fights between Johhny Stom and The Thing. This film did have me laughing at their antics. So, kudos for the corny humor that will never carry a movie by itself.
Anyways, my review may have been better if this would have been a renter. The first film was better than I was led to believe, but after paying way too much; the second was not worth it. I would rather pay a few dollars and just watch Jessica Alba, which I do every time I watch Dark Angel. She may not be the best actress. but there are always moments I cherish in any film with her in it. Just so everyone knows what I am talking about, here is Jessica Alba in glasses. I think I was giddy. I was surprised that the filmmakers gave her this same scene in both films. I guess they wanted everyone to believe she was not just hot but also smart. Um, sure. Mind you, if Jessica Alba is reading this I do think you are smart…and hot.
To wrap this up, rent it and do not expect too much. The Silver Surfer is a good addition and so is a scene with Alba in Japanese garb, but give me Doom. Give me the corny jokes and cheesy lines, but do not give me lame plots and really bad-ass clouds.
