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The main problem with Fantastic Four (2005) was that director Tim Story seemed out of his depth. Helming a $100,000,000 budget about Marvel's beloved superheroes with a dire script was never going to be straightforward for a novice director, and the resultant film is inevitably dull. The scriptwriters certainly didn't do Story any favours by making the main foursome seem more bland than their comic incarnations, and as a result, money is seemingly thrown at the screen in a very haphazard way - enough decent effects shots are included to produce a bankable trailer but not a coherent feature-length unit.
Consequently, Fox's similar sequel has not been on many filmgoers' "must see" list for 2007. We are treated to the same product placement (Dodge, RayBan), old cinematic clichés (interruption of impending opening wedding ceremony and the classic we-have-to-work-together-to-save-the-world adage), and dodgy casting (Julian McMahon's Victor Von Doom is still a character without any definition and he is about as bloodcurdling as Ronald McDonald). The four protagonists are all improvements on their first outings but none really sizzle apart from Chiklis' The Thing and Evans' Human Torch. These two certainly act as the much needed comic relief but the material is written with an inept edge, in much need of a polish from an experienced script doctor. For example, Evans is cheekily funny throughout but the only laugh-out-loud instance of note comes in the final scene after some Japanese-themed nuptials. Also, Ioan Gruffudd tries his hardest to carry the film with what is supposedly the central character, but the Welshman and his elastic alter-ego mix about as well as a blowtorch with butter. Alba is simply collecting a paycheque here and it really is a mission in itself to take her at all seriously in her geeky scientist role. When she concentrates to create force fields, invisibility and the like, one cannot help but let out a small whimper of a giggle - FHM's Sexiest Woman in the World certainly doesn't share the same passion/talent as Famke Janssen's Jean Grey or Halle Berry's Storm in the X-Men franchise. The miscast of all miscasts however is Laurence Fishburne's voice for the Silver Surfer. If you thought Topher Grace's dulcet tones emanating from Venom in Spider-Man 3 (2007) was surreal, wait until you hear Morpheus as the supervillain/hero - one would think the experienced Georgian would have had enough of poor science-fiction sequels!
The plot involves cosmic energy, a troubled soul who destroys every planet he visits, Doctor Doom emerging from his paralyzed state and wreaking more havoc, and the unavoidable end of the world, blah... This is standard confusion created by writers who understand that studios only want basic fodder to shower on the masses - they know nobody will comprehend this crap. Luckily, it looks respectable enough with the London set-piece shining in particular, and the popcorn elements (simple story and bitchy yet snappy dialogue) rescue Story's effort to entertain for a throwaway 91 minutes. Many will not bother with a repeat viewing however as it fails to fully cater for geeks (Galactus fails to be awe-inspiring) or the casual blockbuster watcher.
The summary
A bubblegum flick in all its glory - trouble-free and suitable for all the family. Rise of the Silver Surfer may be an accurate adaptation from the source material but it is ultimately an over-simplified rehash attempting to introduce more foolhardy consumers to its indistinct target audience.
