"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is a sequel to a mixed bag. "Fantastic Four" had the witty humor and climactic actions scenes, but was riddled with storytelling issues and a runtime unbefitting of a summer action flick. Thankfully the team behind the movie learned from their mistakes and shaved fourteen minutes off the runtime. The sequel has a story just as shallow and pointless as the first, but doesn't present itself as anything more than what it is. In that way it is far superior in comparison.
If you have yet to see "Fantastic Four" there is no need to hesitate in seeing this movie. The only things you need to know you probably gathered from the trailers. There are five people starring, they're in a freak accident, they somehow survive, they gained random super powers as a result, four decided to be good, one decided to be evil, the four thought they killed the one, audience knows that he will likely be coming back. If you found that sentence a bit uncomfortable and jarring, you have now completely experienced the acting and storyline of the first and are ready for the sequel.
As suggested in the title the popular "Silver Surfer" of the Marvel universe appears, voiced by Laurence Fishburne of "The Matrix" trilogy and modeled after Doug Jones. If this movie is lacking anything, it's lacking in its title character. By first glance alone one could argue that the "Silver Surfer" looks like an interesting character, so it's hard to see why he is tossed aside and only given a few lines of dialogue and a short amount of spotlight. However a script for a standalone "Silver Surfer" movie is allegedly in the works and it is very likely that he will reappear in the next "Fantastic Four" outing.
Another change this time around is the MPAA rating going from a PG-13 to a PG for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo. Director Tim Story claims that the rating was just a coincidence and nothing was altered or cut to achieve it, however he sees the film as multi-generational and would like nobody to be excluded from seeing it. While it may not be a family film by nature, everyone in the family should have a good time if they aren't expecting too much. The new "Fantastic Four" is a passable summer action flick and well worth your hour and a half. For those interested, an extended edition of "Fantastic Four" has just hit the selves on DVD.
