November 24, 2007

Fantastic Four debuted in 2005 as another Marvel comic book based franchise. However, the transition received only a lukewarm response when compared to other book-to-movie transformations like Spiderman, X-men and Superman. Now two years down the line, 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (4: RSS for short) has been released and it doesn’t do much to improve the mediocrity that now mars the series.

In 4: RSS, Invisible Girl/Sue (Jessica Alba) and Mr Fantastic/Reed Richards (Joan Gruffudd) are about to get married and expecting to restore some normality in their otherwise super hero lives. They have to deal with the constant intrusion of media into their lives; much to the delight of the Human Torch (Chris Evans). All their plans are thwarted when a mysterious entity, the intergalactic Silver Surfer, emerges. When the Fantastic Four realise that the Silver Surfer poses a threat to global security and his appearance heralds impending doom for the planet, they band together to fight him. Suspicion parasitises their relationships as their old nemesis Dr Doom (Julian McMahon) also enters the picture, offering them assistance in fighting the Silver Surfer. Does he have ulterior motives up his sleeve or has he really rectified his ways?

While the movie does feature excellent special effects, it sags down under the weight of poor acting and cheesy dialogue. It might be a good popcorn entertainer but that's all it is! Recommended for fans of the comic book series.