Thanks, Queen9ers for the links. GG

San Francisco Chronicle REVIEW It's 4 superheroes versus one surfer with killer moves Mick LaSalle, Chronicle Movie Critic Thursday, June 14, 2007 Something has happened to Jessica Alba in the past two years. It would be too much to say that she has learned how to act, but she has definitely stopped doing that thing she did throughout the previous "Fantastic Four" movie. You know, that thing in which she'd speak a line and then look around nervously to see if she'd fooled anybody? Alba doesn't do that anymore. She's just fine now -- and so is the new "Fantastic Four" movie. To say that "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is better than the original isn't enough. The last one was awful, one of the worst movies of its year, while the new one is a pleasure, one of the most enjoyable pictures of the season. The last "Fantastic Four" was 106 minutes of water torture. The new one, instead of expanding in length, clocks in at a streamlined 92 minutes, but nothing about it seems truncated or small-scale. The stakes and the scope are tremendous, and yet the movie doesn't wallow in either. Director Tim Story and writers Don Payne and Mark Frost are at all times telling the story, moving the action forward. They do so from the first seconds: Something that looks like a meteor is flying all over the world, confounding weather patterns. In Japan, the sea turns to ice, and snow falls over the pyramids in Egypt. Electricity goes out all over Los Angeles, and everywhere this energy ball goes, it creates craters. It's strange enough that people start thinking this might be the end of the world. Come to think of it, that's not a bad guess. Meanwhile, everything is cozy with the Fantastic Four. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), the elastic man and group intellectual, is about to marry Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), who can make herself invisible at will. (This means he must always be faithful -- think about it.) Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), who is made of rock and looks like tree bark, is still going steady with the lovely non-superhero Alicia (Kerry Washington). And Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), whose gimmick is to fly around while on fire, is living the life of an eligible New York bachelor. They are urban dwellers, like all superheroes, and so when Reed and Sue opt for an outdoor wedding, they hold it on a rooftop. Or maybe they do this out of plot convenience: Before the rings are exchanged, the meteor flies by -- only, on closer look, it's not a meteor. It's a silver man on a silver surfboard, who looks like an Oscar statuette in motion. He has access to a seemingly unstoppable supply of energy, and he's sowing destruction everywhere. The Silver Surfer is played in body by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne, and both do beautiful, sensitive work -- it's the performance to take from the movie. Yet much of the Silver Surfer's movements and actions had to have been computer generated, too. The interesting thing here is that the line between what's real and what's manufactured is almost never noticeable -- certainly, it's barely thought of. The illusion is complete. It's complete in all the key moments, as well, from the battle in London, which endangers the Millennium Wheel, to the outer-space scenes, in which a creeping darkness threatens to cover the earth. About the only visual lapse in the picture is the blond wig that the dark-haired Alba wears to play Sue. It's even worse than the wig Kate Bosworth wore as Lois Lane in "Superman Returns" -- worse in that it might really be Alba's hair. Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) shows up, too mean to die, oozing menace and mendacity, but, fortunately, the movie doesn't slow down for him. There are oblique attempts at making the film topical: For example, the Army brings in a torturer to interrogate an alien, because the alien has no "human" rights. But the truth is, "Rise of the Silver Surfer" doesn't aspire to much. It just happens to have the three things it needs -- velocity, artistry and a pretty good story.

Thanks for the pics and the vids ladies!!!!!!

June 23, 2007 Web Tools: ‘Silver Surfer’ is a fantastic sequel Photos Johnny Storm (Chris Edwards, left) and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) form an unlikely bond after Johnny discovers he can swap powers with other members of the Fantastic Four. By Cynthia Hager Poca High School The la-*test*-('") summer sequel to hit theaters is “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.” Faced with the task of saving the world from extinction, the superhero gang is back and better than before. The movie starts in space with a big black cloud taking over another planet. Coming out of the cloud is the Silver Surfer, who is then shown flying over other planets, leaving destruction in his path. In the process, the Silver Surfer awakens Victor von Doom (Julian McMahon) who has been trapped in a casket for two years — put there by the Fantastic Four after starting trouble in the Big Apple in 2005’s “Fantastic Four.” - advertisement - While this is all taking place, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm/the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba) are attempting to get married, but their popularity and jobs keep getting in the way. During Reed’s bachelor party — thrown by Johnny Storm/the Human Torch (Chris Evans) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Michael Chiklis) — a general meets with the group to try to convince them to help the military with the Silver Surfer. Reed refuses his proposal, saying he has more important things to think about. Later we learn that he just said that to make Sue happy, and he’s secretly agreed to help the general. Things get worse at Sue and Reed’s wedding when the Silver Surfer decides to crash the ceremony — literally. The pair ends up not getting married, because they have to save their guests. Johnny goes after the Silver Surfer thinking that he will be an easy catch but finds out that the Silver Surfer is extremely powerful. He ends up being dragged into the upper atmosphere where his DNA gets rearranged, allowing him to temporarily switch powers with the other three if he touches them. This leads to a bond between Johnny and Ben. Ben continues to touch Johnny so that he can revert to his human form and Johnny can get a taste of what he makes fun of Ben for. Meanwhile, the army is unsatisfied with the group’s efforts and brings in Dr. Doom to help since he has had contact with the Silver Surfer. But Doom has other plans. Wherever the Silver Surfer goes, that planet is destroyed, and the only way to stop him is to detach him from his surfboard, which holds all his power. Doom, of course, wants the power and the board. Once the Silver Surfer is caught, Doom puts his plan into motion. This leads to a showdown between him and the Fantastic Four. The group also releases the Silver Surfer, hoping that maybe he can help them save the world. Of course, everyone knows that you can’t have a superhero movie without awesome action scenes, and this one has plenty. One scene, involving the London Eye Ferris wheel, is extremely noteworthy. It shows the Fantastic Four saving people from falling out of the popular attraction. Another cool part is when Johnny has all four powers. It is really fun to watch him combine them to try to stop Dr. Doom. - advertisement - Even with all these cool action sequences, the movie is only PG, so it’s good for all ages. It’s a very clean, family oriented movie, and there’s no unnecessary cussing. In addition to the action, this movie has better character development than the first one. Johnny and Ben were my favorite characters this time because of their funny banter and the bond between them. Their friendship is quite unusual and unpredictable, but is seems to work out in more ways than one. I would definitely say that with “Silver Surfer,” the filmmakers surpassed the first film. With all the action scenes, the laugh-out-loud dialogue and the thrill of not knowing whether the Fantastic Four would stay together, the movie exceeded my expectations. Right now it ranks second on my list of summer movies, behind “Pirates of the Caribbean 3.” And if you’re a fan like me, there’s more good news — the final scene hints at a possible third movie. After seeing this one, I am definitely psyched for that! http://sundaygazettemail.com/section/News/FlipSide/2007062230 http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=4594

Thanks for another review, Annee. GG

Thanks anne!!!! great review!!! I didn`t knew that Chris Evans had change his name to "Chris Edwards" hahahaha

I just don't get critics. They hated this movie, yet they liked Oceans 13. This was much more fun and exciting. I guess they want every film to be foreign, have a deep message or big stars that can do no wrong. At least the general public seems to like this movie and that is what matters. Loretta

I've got the impression, too, that there are critics who consistently slant pure entertainment movies, unless they features stars and directors who can do no wrong. Anyway, what matters in the end is whether the general public likes a movie.

Sometimes I think critics do it to garner attention or to say "see I told you so" if it fails at the box office. While I didn't hate Ocean's 13, it just blended together with 11 and 12 for me. Two months from now I probably couldn't tell you what happened in which movie, but at this point in time I don't think most critics will point that out about a George Clooney / Brad Pitt project because it is not likely to do poorly at the box office. FF4-2 was significantly different from FF4-1 in story. I also thought it was just lighthearted and entertaining. It had a fairly simple plot, but that also means it had no major plot holes. The villians were easily identifiable which could be a fault if not for the complexity of the Silver Surfer's motivations. Some of the humor might have been considered a bit juevenile at times, but the jokes weren't tasteless. The actors performances were consistent to their characters. So, overall I thought while it wasn't a masterpiece, it was worth the cost of my ticket. Of course, Ioan made it worth the cost of a second ticket. :wink: GG

I think the key is to see the movie for what it is - a family orientated fantasy drama (I guess I'm never going to get my wish and see Reed and Sue getting on down.....) and to go to the cinema with the right attitude. It's not great drama, but it never pretended to be. It's like all those cartoons you saw on TV as a kid - exciting at the time, but forgettable. If you go along with the right attitude, you'll enjoy it, seems to me.

Here is a review from "At The Movies" in Australia from a week ago (or so). By Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton (respected and good movie reviewers). Rating is out of 5 stars. Can be found at: http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1949905.htm Fantastic 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer Review by David Stratton Reed Richards, alias Mr. Fantastic, is all set to marry Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman. They are two members of the Fantastic Four - the others are Sue's brother, Johnny, The Human Torch, and Ben Grimm, The Thing - but their wedding is interrupted by mysterious global disturbances heralding the return of Dr. Doom and the arrival of the Silver Surfer. The Four set out to save the world. Fantastic Four, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961, became the most popular of the Marvel Comics superhero series, but this second film in the franchise, like its predecessor two years ago, seems aimed exclusively at pre-teens; adults need hardly apply. The computerised special effects are as spectacular as ever, but the characters are pretty uninteresting - and they're not acted with much enthusiasm either, though JULIAN McMAHON has his moments as nasty Dr. Doom. As for the plot, the best thing to say about it is that it's rudimentary. There's a neat little in-joke involving Stan Lee himself, but otherwise this is a bit like watching a Saturday matinee kidpic - although with state-of-the art trickery and an enormous budget. Further comments DAVID: Margaret? MARGARET: It is pretty silly, isn't it? Just looking at those clips reminded me. DAVID: And the dialogue. MARGARET: But, you know, that's what I felt sorry for these actors, because I thought, gosh, these are very uninspiring performances for me. And then I thought, but anybody having to deal with that dialogue... DAVID: Yes. MARGARET: And I ended up feeling sorry for them and I think they did the best they could with the material they were given. DAVID: I think they probably did, yes. MARGARET: So I actually thought that I would get inside the head of an 11-year-old to star rate this one. DAVID: Oh, how did you manage that? MARGARET: With a great deal of effort. DAVID: Yeah. MARGARET: And I'm going to give it three stars. DAVID: Gosh! Well, speaking as a grownup, I'll give it two. ==================================== Whilst at shopping last week, I was faced with seeing advertising banners for the F4. Large Mr Fantastic! (and Sue Storm) In days gone by I would have squeee'd so loudly, but as I walked past them I just shook my head and thought "oh, Ioan".