Fantastic Four 2 Reviews - SPOILERS MAY BE FOUND
10 June 2007 FANTASTIC FOUR 2: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER Fantasy Cert: PG Bacon IF you were offered the choice, readers, what super-power would you go for? What about total invisibility, so no one knows you're there? (Although you can get that just by becoming a Lib Dem MP.) The power to make Big Brother con-*test*-('")ants explode just by looking at them? (Don't all rush at once, it's just hypothetical.) Me, I want the power to enjoy bad films. Really predictable and unoriginal romcoms? Love 'em! Stupid, plodding, cliched horrors? More! Anything with Sienna Miller and Orlando Bloom? Bring it on! Although even a superpower like that might prove no defence when it comes to 2005's boring, slow and badly-made Fantastic Four. But don't take my word for it. See what top film critic Richard Bacon said at the time: "It commits the three worst crimes a superhero movie can - it takes too long to get going, it's badly made and it's dull. So utterly dull." So I was full of apprehension before going to see FF2. But compared to the first one, it's a masterpiece. Mind you, compared to the first one, even your dad's holiday movies are a masterpiece. Advertisement The Fantastic Four get special powers when radiation hits their spaceship (don't try this with your microwave). Scientist Reed Richards (Wales's underused Ioan Gruffudd) is Mr. Fantastic, an elastic band with a PhD. His fiance Sue Storm (Jessica Alba, who's not the best choice for this to happen to) can turn invisible. Her brother Johnny (Chris Evans - no, not that one) can turn into a fireball, and their pal Ben (Michael Chiklis) is the Thing, a strong man made of rocks. Good God, that costume looks like it was made from scratch 20 minutes before the cameras started rolling. It's atrocious. Thankfully, along comes the villain - the Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne), a nude fella made of stainless steel on a surfboard. Sounds rubbish, but he's almost invulnerable, he's pre paring Earth for destruction, he's got all the good CGI effects, and every scene he's in is entertaining. One thing they've got right in FF2 is there's action right from the start. But you see loads of smaller flaws you'd not noticed in the first. The characters are dull, the actors aren't comfortable, it's pitched at hyperactive kids. Lots of the lines are corny... but even with all this, it's still much, much better than the first. So I'll end with a fantastic four-word summing-up: This. Film. Is. OK. http://www.people.co.uk/showbiz/baconatthemovies/tm_headline=fantastic-four-2--rise-of-the-silver-surfer&method=full&objectid=19274420&siteid=93463-name_page.html

Thanks for the find, annee. Although this is a negative review on FF2, it gave me some good chuckles at their terminology. The Fantastic Four get special powers when radiation hits their spaceship (don't try this with your microwave). Mr. Fantastic, an elastic band with a PhD Ah, the imagery. :happy I suppose sometimes negative reviews are more creative and interesting through their language use! (not that I read reviews that often, so correct me if I'm wrong!)

A few things made me laugh it's certainly not out me off from seeing it.

Thanks to sjc. I just came from a UK screening at Leicester square and Memflix couldn't be further from the truth. First, I seriously doubt Memflix actually saw the film -there is not ONE thing in his "review" that is not in the trailers, or the novel. He just wants to be the first to dump on the film. I asked this guy from Fox about other screenings and he said this was the first screening ANYWHERE, so I know Memflix is lying and trying to seem like he’s got the goods. To prove I actually saw the film, I will give up some spoilers – first, they show us shots of the real Galactus in this film. Not a cosmic storm, but the horned badass we all wanted to see. You see him several times, including when the Surfer goes into him at the end of the film and you see the helmet full on. Another spoiler, at the very end of the film (in the middle of the credits) there is a shot that promises a stand-alone SS movie. The Surfer has momentarily beaten Galactus and the last shot of the movie shows him hovering around earth. Want another one? Johnny steps up and becomes a real hero at the end of this one. He puts aside his ego and takes on ALL the FF's powers and beats the **** out of Doom. Another one? Doom comes back from Latveria and teams with the FF to defeat the Surfer. Julian McMahon is excellent - he really becomes Doom in this one. After the FF and Doom capture the Surfer, the Surfer tells Sue about his past and about how she reminds him of his love on Zenn-La and how he serves as the herald in order to spare his world. The plot is straight from the origins of the Surfer – he has come to earth to prepare it for Galactus but the FF’s humanity re-awakens that last part of Norrin Radd within him. BOTTOM LINE: IT'S ALL IN THERE. This film is COOL AS BALLS. This film is such a BIG step up from the first film. The action kicks ass and the FF step up to save the world. There are 5 BIG sequences, including one where they save our beloved London Eye from toppling into the Thames. That got a big reaction from this crowd. It's got the Fantasticar doing some great stuff, including a sweet bit where it splits into pieces to avoid Super-Doom (who has taken the power cosmic). It's got a HOT Jessica Alba. Chiklis IS Ben Grimm. Memflix is just a hater. Go see the film. I had a great time, so will you. http://www.canmag.com/nw/7970-rise-silver-surfer-mixed-reviews Next weekend promises to be a lot of fun. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer joins the summer sequel parade and the trailers look like it might actually be just as entertaining as the first. For those of you comic snobs out there who hated that the first Fantastic Four for not taking your characters completely seriously: get a grip. It's a franchise that is finally daring to enjoy itself instead of turning into a self-important soap opera. Nancy Drew will also step out and promises to be a solid summer adventure for the younger set. While Nancy Drew will be wonderful and no doubt sleuth her way into second place, look for the Fantastic Four to charge all the way to the top. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Weekend-Box-Office-Ocean-s-13-5400.html

AHHHHH the bitter film critics!!!!! I`m still seeing it thoug.

Thanks ricki. A little disappointed for Ioan's sake that the viewer doesn't think the stretchy CGI looks good. Guess I'll reserve opinion until I see it. GG

I just found this review on my Yahoo server. It isn't the most flattering BUT just remember a review is only one persons opinion. Don't understand why these reviewers look at a movie with a negative attitude that end up being a commercial success. Its fun for the whole family and goodness knows there aren't a ton of those types of movies out there. Film Review: `Fantastic Four' still bore By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer The filmmakers behind all these comic-book adaptations always insist they won't come back for more unless the sequels can top the originals. The "Fantastic Four" gang has managed to outdo itself the second time around — and still make a bad movie. "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" exceeds the first movie mainly by the less-is-more approach. It offers fewer random displays of superpowers that characterized its predecessor, keeping the action brisk and the running time 15 minutes shorter. That makes it less of a fantastic bore than 2005's "Fantastic Four," which became a commercial hit despite cheesy action and effects and dysfunctional infighting among its quartet of superheroes. The first flick suffered from a miserly story, pitting the four astronauts-turned-mutated-heroes against one another in a sort of silly sibling rivalry, then tossing in an aimless megalomaniac whose only goal was destroying the good guys. This time out, the heroes have their act together, if not their acting — the performances are still as stiff, thin and brittle as the paper their Marvel Comics source material was printed on. There's a little more at stake in "Silver Surfer" — the destruction of Earth — though even that impending doom sometimes takes a back seat to the goofy interpersonal crises of the Fantastic Four. Our heroes all return with the powers they gained in the first film: Brainiac leader of the pack Reed Richards ( Ioan Gruffudd), whose elasticity allows him to bend and stretch into any shape he wants; Sue Storm ( Jessica Alba), who can make herself invisible and project force fields; her brother, Johnny Storm ( Chris Evans), able to fly and burst into flames; and Ben Grimm ( Michael Chiklis), a super-strong rocklike hulk. Also back is director Tim Story, who has learned a thing or four about action since last time — "Silver Surfer" shows definite improvement over the choppy fight sequences in the first movie. Their superhero cover blown in part one, the Fantastic Four are caught in a tabloid-TV spectacle as Reed and Sue's wedding approaches. The arrival of an interstellar harbinger of doom, the Silver Surfer, interrupts the nuptials and forces the Fantastic Four into reluctant alliance with their archenemy, Victor Von Doom ( Julian McMahon), who has metallic and electromagnetic powers and in some conveniently unexplained manner has returned from apparent destruction in the previous flick. The Surfer rides into town on a silvery surfboard, blasting craters around the planet, freezing entire seas and otherwise making a nuisance of himself. We gradually learn he's not the big cheese, though; surfer boy is just the advance man, leading a hungry entity known as Galactus to planets it can devour. To its credit, "Silver Surfer" flows by quickly, if brainlessly. The dialogue from screenwriters Don Payne and Mark Frost is so shallow it provokes unintended laughs ("Your encounter with the Surfer has affected your molecules," Reed informs Johnny, proving that not all eggheads have a way with big words). Amid all the vapid dialogue and visual fireworks, the performances seem like afterthoughts, particularly those of Gruffudd and Alba, who could use a snap of the fingers by fiery Johnny to light a spark of personality within them. The cast also includes Kerry Washington, returning as Ben's sweet, blind girlfriend; and Andre Braugher, stuck in a bad Patton act as an Army general who enlists the help of the Fantastic Four. The Silver Surfer looks like the shape-shifting cyborg of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" in his smooth, shiny transition modes. Though Story and his crew were aiming to emulate the character's appearance in the comics, there's not much room for expressiveness in a featureless creature that resembles a shopping-mall mannequin. Droopy vocals for the Surfer by Laurence Fishburne don't help, either. He's got energy enough to punch massive holes across the globe, but the Surfer sounds as though he can barely keep awake. Doug Jones, a mime who portrayed both the forest faun and the creepy Pale Man in last year's "Pan's Labyrinth," performed body movements that were used as the basis for the computer-generated Surfer, which was crafted by Peter Jackson's Weta Digital effects outfit. Like the first movie, the sequel closes with an image that could be a nugget for another installment. If the really bad first chapter can pack in enough fans to warrant a sequel, there's no reason why the merely bad second one cannot do the same. "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," a 20th Century Fox release, is rated PG for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo. Running time: 92 minutes. One and a half stars out of four. ___

Some reviews can be found here. http://theedge.bostonherald.com/movieReviews/view.bg?articleid=1006273 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/319660_four14q.html http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/06/13/entertainment/movies/10_06_016_13_07.txt

Inspite of all the critics. I´m still very excited about this film!!!!

HEEEE!!! the person who wrote this as no idea of who "Ion" is hahahahahahaha

Saw this video with interviews of FF2 cast. Of course, Jessica got more of the video time. EXTRA TV REDCARPET INTERVIEW VIDEO (Not rated) 14-Jun-07 10:03 am EXTRA TV REDCARPET INTERVIEW VIDEO http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2007/06/behind_the_scenes_at_fantastic.html http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2007/06/behind_the_scenes_at_fantastic.html

FF 2 cast at London Premiere http://www.film.com/photos/16/15086380

Saw the movie last night and thought it was great. The chemistry between the four was much stronger in this film, and yes, Ioan was amazing! Did anyone catch the part when Reed walks in when Sue is watching TV and the announcer states "coming up The Invisible Woman's fashion flaws". Sue then gets all depressed and Reed comforts her........... Interesting parallel