Hanging 10 with the 'Silver Surfer'

With the Reel Fanatic on expedition in South Africa, I've been asked to guest blog about "Silver Surfer" ... oops ... I mean the "Fantastic 4" sequel. First, allow me to admit that I'm nowhere near the movie buff as the Fanatic, my co-worker and cubicle neighbor. I tend to like a lot of movies the critics dislike, and vice versa. The Fanatic, however, has never steered me wrong.

With that said, I must confess that I enjoyed the first "Fantastic 4" movie. It was not great cinema. It lacked the emotional punch delivered by the likes of the "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" flicks. But it entertained me, which was surprising considering it's doubtful there's a single "Fantastic 4" in the box of comics collected as a kid and now stored in my attic.

OK, now to "Fantastic 4:The Rise of the Silver Surfer."

The movie opens with the obliteration of a planet, then with a comet-like being high-tailing it to Earth, where it begins to wreak more havoc. This being, of course, is the Surfer, the absolute coolest villain (or is he a hero?) to hit the big screen since Arnold met his match in "Terminator 2." (In fact, he reminds one an awful lot of Robert Patrick's Terminator model when he went all metallic on somebody.)

The Surfer, voiced in silky-smooth baritone by the great Laurence Fishburne, glides around in shimmering CGI. He dumps snow on Egypt, freezes the water around Japan, and blows up stuff. Lots and lots of stuff. When he crashes the wedding of Mr. Fantastic Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba), Storm's hot-headed brother, Johnny, aka the Human Torch (Chris Evans), flies off to take care of business.

Silver dispatches of Johnny with such ease that it's clear the Surfer dude is a force to be reckoned with. The government pulls out all the stops, even coercing the Four to team up with their old nemesis, Dr. Doom, played with sufficient creepiness by Julian McMahon (of FX's "Nip Tuck").

Of course, the good Doctor has more in mind than saving the world, and there's more to the Surfer than the narrow-minded Army general can see. (There's always one in these movies; this time he's played by Andre Braugher, which was a nice surprise.)

The special effects, for the most part, rock. They still haven't quite mastering Mr. Fantastic's contorting moves, but the fight and flight scenes roll seamslessly.

There's a seriousness to the sequel that wasn't there in the original. But the humor that helped make the first movie watchable remains. Michael Chikilis (FX's "The Shield") returns as Ben Grimm, aka the rock-like Thing, the muscle behind Fantastic 4. He doesn't get enough "clobberin' time!" if you ask me, but he and Evans' personality clashes provide lots of laughs.

But let's not kid ourselves — this is the Silver Surfer's show. Just when things seem to begin to drag a little, he shows up in the nick of time. The harbinger of death may not be there to save the world, but he certainly saves the movie.

The story moves along briskly, which is a nice change of pace in this summer of three-hour sequels. But it shortchanges the subplots and in developing the massive menace that at the end puts the Earth on the brink of destruction.

If the idea was to leave you wanting more, it worked. But only the Surfer comes along for the ride.
— Rodney Manley