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entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
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A Mighty Heart
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by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
Grade C Rated PG 105 min.
It’s no big surprise that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer managed to snag the top spot at the box office its opening weekend. Despite being mauled by critics, the first film in the franchise was a box office smash, earning over $300 million worldwide. Devotees of the series stormed theaters last weekend to see the second installment, which earned the sequel more than $57 million. That’s $1 million more than its predecessor made its opening weekend, but is the new film any good?
The film picks up two years after the last one left off. The Fantastic Four, a group of astronauts stuck with superpowers after traveling through clouds of cosmic energy, continue to struggle with their newfound fame. Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) and the lovely Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba) are planning their wedding, which has been called off twice before due to one world catastrophe after another. As the countdown to what the press calls the wedding of the century begins, a strange silver object enters Earth’s atmosphere and causes massive molecular fluctuations all around the globe. The couple tries to ignore the phenomenon, but when the silver object flies overhead during their wedding ceremony, causing a helicopter to crash and threatening the lives of their guests, the Fantastic Four have no choice but to try and stop the UFO. After an exciting chase, Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Chris Evans) comes face-to-face with the object and discovers it’s a silver alien flying on a strange surfboard. With the help of the four superheroes, the government captures the Silver Surfer (body by Doug Jones, voiced by Laurence Fishburne) and soon discovers that the alien works for a far bigger threat, a planet-eating entity known as Galactus who will soon suck all the life out of the Earth. Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing (Michael Chiklis) must join forces with the Silver Surfer and find a way to stop Galactus before the world comes to an end.
Like most superhero films, there’s nothing deep about the Fantastic Four. In fact, the franchise is by far the shallowest of the genre. Like the cartoon series, these films are over-the-top, cheesy and, at times, downright goofy. But, while they’re not as fantastic as the title suggests, they are kind of fun. The special effects are top notch, particularly the CGI effects used to create the Silver Surfer. The addition of this inventive and beloved character is no doubt what brought many to the theater this weekend, and they were most likely satisfied with the portrayal. Despite lapses in the acting department, with all fingers pointed at the female member of the super squad, the characters remain lovingly flawed, their quirks adding necessary comic relief to the plight faced throughout the film. With a more toned down script, this second installment is more kid-friendly, giving families a tame evening of popcorn fare to look forward to.
By and large, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer isn’t the greatest movie ever. It wouldn’t even make it to the top ten of the superhero genre, but it is an entertaining piece of celluloid that will please existing fans, amuse the youngest moviegoers and catch the attention of those who crave cool special effects. The story lacks in nearly every department, but if you’re going to see a movie about astronauts with superpowers, you’re not really expecting a future Oscar contender, right?
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
