Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer isn't great, but it's short, said Grady Hendrix in The New York Sun. Clocking in at about 95 minutes, the sequel to 2005's successful Fantastic Four may be mind-numbing, but unlike Spiderman 3 or the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, it's not butt-numbing. As the leader of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), and his fiancé, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), plan their nuptials, the Silver Surfer arrives from deep space. He clashes with our heroes, leading to 'œglobal high jinks, which range from predictable to moderately interesting, but which never quite tip the needle over into exciting.' The computer-generated Surfer is way cool, so 'œit's frustrating that the character keeps vanishing for chasms of screen time,' said Lisa Rose in the Newark, N.J., Star-Ledger. Voiced by Lawrence Fishburne, the Silver Surfer has one of the best back stories in comic-book history, but we don't get an in-depth account. That's because this Fantastic Four movie isn't for comic-book fans but for kids. Operating on an 8-year-old's wavelength, the film is hopelessly naïve compared to the Batman movies or Superman Returns. And that's refreshing, said Christopher Kelly in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. This film contributes 'œsomething unusual to the summer blockbuster sweepstakes: an utter lack of pretension.' Here's a comic-book movie that aspires to be popcorn entertainment and hits its mark.
Rating: PG
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