Aaaaanyway, a bit of background here - following the commercial (if not critical) success of the first Fantastic Four film in 2005, a sequel was quickly commissioned with all of the five main protagonists (Ioan Gruffadd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon) returning and Laurence Fishburne (sort of) joining the cast as the voice of the Silver Surfer. Warners stated in the run-up to the film that they'd realised that a couple of the characters hadn't exactly been handled brilliantly in the first film and they were planning to right this for the follow-up. Did they succeed? Well, that's what we're here to find out...
The film starts with Reed Richards and Susan Storm planning for their wedding - apparently this is the fifth time they've attempted to get married but due to how famous the Fantastic Four have become, it's always been difficult to sort out the logistics without causing a media circus. Meanwhile, we see the Silver Surfer flying through the universe with planets exploding in his wake and eventually arriving at earth where he causes the sea in Japan to turn to rock, a blackout in Los Angeles and snowstorms at the pyramids!
These events obviously cause some concern for the US military and General Hager (a pre-Brooklyn Nine Nine Andre Braugher) contacts Richards at his stag do asking him to create a radar to track the Surfer's movements. Richards initially declines as he's busy preparing for his wedding but after Sue has left he agrees to help Hager out on the sly.
On the day of the wedding, Reed has managed to assemble the radar without Sue noticing (though Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm are both in on the project) and makes it to the church on time. However, just after he leaves FFHQ, the Surfer enters the earth's atmosphere and his radio waves knock the satellite out. Flying over Latveria, his sonic waves also release Dr Doom from the metal sacrophagus he was imprisoned in at the end of the first Fantastic Four film.
The Surfer shows up in New York causing a power blackout which leads to a helicopter crashing down on the Richards-Storm wedding with the Four having to combine to prevent any fatalities (also watch out for a Stan Lee cameo here!). Johnny turns into the Human Torch and takes off after the Surfer in a cool high-speed aerial chase sequence. However, the Surfer drags him up into the atmosphere and lets him drop down to earth with Johnny only managing to activate his Flame On power just before he crashes into a Bedouin tent!
Upon returning to their HQ, the Four realise that Johnny's exposure to the radiation now means that he swaps powers with any of the other FF members that he touches when he and Sue are having a talk only for her to burst into flames and him to go invisible! This is particularly satisfying for Ben who can't resist turning Johnny into the Thing and himself into the Human Torch in quite a funny sequence.
Reed does some research and learns about the background of the Silver Surfer and how his appearance is generally a bad sign for any planet with plans on continuing to exist. The team track the Surfer to London where he creates a giant crater in the middle of the Thames which nearly causes the London Eye to topple over until the Four intervene although Johnny inadvertently comes into contact with Reed causing them to swap powers just as he's using his elastic limbs to stabilise the wheel. Reed uses his Torch ability to solder the Eye back together and the day is saved.
Dr Doom, meanwhile, has tracked the Surfer to the North Pole and attempts to bargain with him only for the Surfer to explain that he is the herald of Earth's destruction before blasting Doom through the ice. However, the power of the blast removes all the metal from Doom's skin and turns him back into a human again.
Doom approaches Hager with this new information and the general brokers a deal between Victor and the very reluctant Fantastic Four with them all working together to stop the Surfer who Doom and Richards have deduced is powerless if he becomes separated from his board.
The team set up a trap for the Surfer in the Black Forest but when he arrives he talks to Sue rather than attacking her and explains that he is the herald of the planet's destruction and not actually the one who's going to destroy it. However, she doesn't get the chance to speak to him any further as the Four's trap takes effect and the Surfer is captured.
The Surfer is taken to a US military base in Siberia where he's tortured for information. With the Four basically being sat in a room elsewhere in the complex with nothing to do, Sue uses her invisibility to sneak out of the room and go and question the Surfer further. He explains that his master is Galactus, the destroyer of worlds and that his board is a beacon which brings Galactus to the planet. He is bound to serve him as if he doesn't, the Surfer's home planet will be destroyed. Also, apparently he saved Sue earlier because she reminds him of his long lost love back on his home planet (Silver Sue? Sorry, couldn't resist that pun).
Sue returns to brief the other members of the Fantastic Four but when they go to retrieve the board they find out that Victor has, as everyone feared, double crossed them by incinerating Hager and the guards with a laser and making off with the board. Rescuing the Surfer on their way out, Reed summons his newest invention the Fantasticar (a four-person flying car which looks a lot cooler than its name suggests) and the team take off for Shanghai where Victor is headed.
The team attempt to stop Victor but the board has given him even more power than he had previously and Sue ends up having a spear thrown through her by Doom while trying to protect the Surfer leaving her severely wounded. Reed and Johnny realise that the only way for the team to defeat Doom is for Johnny to absorb the powers of all four members of the team and after an epic battle he manages to defeat Doom with Ben administering the coup de grace by sending him flying into the middle of the harbour using a crane.
However, the team are too late and Sue dies in Reed's arms just as Galactus arrives to destroy the Earth. With Doom's defeat, the Surfer is able to regain control of his board and after resurrecting Sue and telling Reed to treasure the time he spends with her, he flies off into the heart of the Galactus cloud (another really cool visual sequence) with Johnny giving him a boost as the Human Torch. The result is a huge burst of cosmic energy which appears to kill both Galactus and the Surfer.
Back on Earth, Sue recovers and Johnny realises that he's returned to normal with no ability-switching problems when he touches another member of the team anymore. Sue and Reed are finally married in a low-key ceremony in Japan only for the Four to get an alert that Venice is sinking into the Adriatic and them having to finish the ceremony quickly so they can go and attend to it. In a mid-credit scene, we see the Surfer's eyes snap open as his body's floating through space.
I'll admit I can see why some people really don't like this film as it's definitely squarely aimed at the younger end of the Marvel fans' market but y'know what? It really isn't all that bad. Yes, it takes a few liberties with the comics (Galactus as a giant cloud?) and the acting is just as uneven as the first film (Jessica Alba and Julian McMahon are slightly better this time out but again, it feels like the Dr Doom character isn't quite being played right in the script) but with a fun backstory, some cool high-speed aerial chases and a much more even script this time around, Rise of the Silver Surfer just about takes the mantle of being the best Fantastic Four film to date.
Unfortunately it would also be the point where this version of the Fantastic Four franchise ended. Formative plans were made for a third film but it just never got off the ground and by 2009, Chris Evans had moved on to the more successful Captain America relaunch. The series would be briefly resurrected in 2015 but unfortunately it would be as a much weaker film than the two we've reviewed recently. Like its predecessor though, this isn't anywhere near as bad as some people would have you believe and certainly should make a fun hour and a half viewing for any rugrat Marvel fans (and their parents) out there.
FINAL RATING: ④④④④④④ (6/10)
CURRENT MARVEL FILM TABLE
1. Spiderman 2 (2004) (9/10)
2. Spiderman (2002) (9/10)
3. X-Men 2 (2002) (8/10)
4. Men In Black (1997) (8/10)
5. X-Men (2000) (8/10)
6. Blade 2 (2001) (7/10)
7. Blade (1998) (7/10)
8. The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988) (6/10)
9. Spiderman 3 (2007) (6/10)
10. Fantastic Four - Rise Of The Silver Surfer (6/10)
11. The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk (1989) (6/10)
12. The Punisher (2004) (6/10)
13. Conan The Barbarian (1982) (6/10)
14. Elektra (2005) (6/10)
15. Conan The Destroyer (1984) (6/10)
16. X-Men: Last Stand (2006) (6/10)
17. Blade Trinity (2004) (6/10)
18. Men In Black 2 (2000) (6/10)
19. The Incredible Hulk (1977) (5/10)
20. The Fantastic Four (2005) (5/10)
21. Doctor Mordrid (1992) (5/10)
22. The Punisher (1989) (5/10)
23. Doctor Strange (1978) (5/10)
24. Nick Fury: Agent Of SHIELD (1998) (4/10)
25. The Fantastic Four (1994) (4/10)
26. Hulk (2003) (4/10)
27. Red Sonja (1985) (4/10)
28. Captain America 2: Death Too Soon (1979) (4/10)
29. Spiderman (1977) (4/10)
30. Ghost Rider (2007) (3/10)
31. Bride of the Incredible Hulk (1978) (3/10)
32. The Death Of The Incredible Hulk (1990) (3/10)
33. Man-Thing (2005) (3/10)
34. Return of the Incredible Hulk (1978) (3/10)
35. Spiderman: The Dragon's Challenge (1979) (3/10)
36. Howard The Duck (1986) (2/10)
37. Captain America (1990) (2/10)
38. Captain America (1979) (2/10)
39. Generation X (1996) (2/10)
40. Spiderman Strikes Back (1978) (2/10)
41. Daredevil (2003) (2/10)
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