Fantastic Four: The Rise of The Silver Surfer
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) is a lighthearted yet uneven superhero sequel starring Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richards / Mr Fantastic), Jessica Alba (Sue Storm / Invisible Woman), Chris Evans (Johnny Storm / Human Torch), Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm / The Thing) and Doug Jones with Laurence Fishburne (voice) as the Silver Surfer. The film attempts to raise the stakes from the first outing by introducing a cosmic threat, but still struggles to hit the heights of more polished Marvel projects.
The first part of the film sets up the impending marriage of Reed and Sue, which is interrupted by the arrival of the Silver Surfer, a mysterious herald who signals the destruction of worlds. The middle portion of the movie shifts between comedic character moments, such as Johnny testing his unstable powers, and more serious attempts at tension with the government’s involvement and the looming Galactus threat.
Overall, the film has its charms, especially in the team’s chemistry and the intriguing design of the Silver Surfer. However, the pacing remains uneven, the tone swings awkwardly between goofy and dramatic, and the final confrontation with Galactus feels underwhelming. While not a terrible entry, it’s still more of a curiosity for comic book fans than a truly memorable superhero film.