At The Movies: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Over recent decades graphic novels have developed their own niche within the world of film. Some of them offer a serious tone with a touch of witty humor such as the "X-Men" series and the franchise reboot "Batman Begins," while others like "Spider-Man 2" offer a balanced mix. We've seen those that try to be serious and flop big time like "Hulk" and "Daredevil" and others that embrace the idea of just being a good popcorn movie. The territory can be risky for those who try to be nothing more than fun, as exemplified by "Batman and Robin."

"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.

At The Movies: Ocean's Thirteen

"Ocean's Thirteen" is the third in the remake franchise of the classic Rat Pack film from 1960. Nearly the entire cast returns, with the exception of female leads Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Their absence is directly addressed in the film by Danny Ocean (George Clooney) as he yells "It's not their fight!" Unlike its predecessors, this heist film isn't about financial gain. Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould), close friend of Ocean, makes the mistake of doing business with the Willy Bank (Al Pacino). Bank's vicious ego is played up well by Al Pacino and is exactly what this franchise needs. Bank expectedly double crosses Reuben, breaking the sacred pact between those who have shaken Sinatra's hand. Ocean and his crew decide to sabotage Bank and his new Casino on it's opening night to help out Rueben, now recovering from a heart attack.

We are told some of the plans details, left with questions, watch the mystery unfold, and as usual are given the last piece of the puzzle at the last possible second. This formula worked well for in the first two, completely surprising the majority of the audience each time. With director Steven Soderbergh's latest attempt the formula feels a bit dry, the mysteries a bit less potent, and the missing piece a lot less unexpected. You will likely find yourself saying "that's just not possible" to some of the things Ocean's crew pull off, but enjoying it enough to suspend disbelief and ignore the plot holes.

The Ocean's franchise is known for offering ironically clean and ethical films. This third outing does a great job of placing thieves in a heroic situation, to the point where they even right the wrongs they commit to another. The smooth pace, snappy dialog, and enjoyable subplots are all improved upon, but the biggest problem is that we don't get to see enough of the characters we like so much. Where there was more character development in the first two films, this film is about the characters we know doing what we know them for.

Part of what makes up for the lack of character development is the execution of the heist and how well it unfolds over a period of two hours. Telling a story this complex could easily get messy, even more so when you have ensemble cast staring some of the most respected actors of our time that people want to see. You're never left thinking a scene is redundant, taking too long, or causing you to wonder impatiently about another character. But you are left wanting more screentime for François Toulour (Vincent Cassel) and the hilarious duo Virgil (Casey Affleck) and Turk Malloy (Scott Caan). Further complimenting the smooth storytelling is the excellent score by David Holmes. Once again he provides music just as cool as the movie and characters on screen.

There is only one major problem with the concept for "Ocean's Thirteen," it's not really necessary. Watching this movie is like listening to a b-side track from one of your favorite bands. It's fun, it's catchy, but in the end it was cut from the album for a reason: it wasn't needed. However, out of all the sequels we've seen this summer this is likely the best of them all and should not be overlooked. Thankfully, unlike the "Spider-Man" and "Shrek" franchises, sequels are not currently planned and the franchise appears to be retiring. "Ocean's Thirteen" is without a doubt an acceptable and enjoyable end to the franchise, and worth the two hours of your time.


Originally published in The Hammonton News