The Fantastic Four are back at it and this time they must try to stop the Silver Surfer before learning the Surfer’s board is a homing beacon that is actually luring Galactus to Earth to destroy the planet. That’s right, the villain is a big cloud that is going to wipe out Earth but it doesn’t do a very good job of explaining the logistics. In short, this is a bad superhero movie.

While the movie itself isn’t to my liking, there are some fun interactions along the way. We get to see a happy-go-lucky Chris Evans as Johnny Storm. While he’s too talented to be stuck in a film like this, it’s good to see him smiling and fun-loving some of the time as opposed to the almost always serious Steve Rogers. Yes, he’s a better Captain America, but he’s also the best part of this foursome. Also, the Silver Surfer’s cosmic energy causing Johnny Storm to switch powers with whoever he touches led to some really good interactions between the cast. It leads to some fun movements in an otherwise bad movie.

Outside of those bright spots, this one just drags me down. Laurence Fishburne is too good of an actor for this movie. I like him as the Silver Surfer, but I feel like both he and Galactus are reduced to very little in this version. I don’t mind Ioan Gruffold or Jessica Alba as actors, but I also don’t buy their romantic chemistry. It, honestly, feels like Alba has a better romantic chemistry with Chris Evans than with Gruffold. That creates a really weird vibe given Alba and Evans are playing brother and sister.

This movie is the lesser of the two “Fantastic Four” movies we got in the 2000s, but is far better than the failed reboot attempt made in the 2010s. It has potential, but falls flat. It’s overall disappointing. Hopefully, the Fantastic Four can be incorporated into the MCU with a good film, but until then, if you want to see a good “Fantastic Four” film, watch “The Incredibles.”

Ranking: 1.5 stars out of 5

What did you think of “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

View all posts