4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Tim Story

Writers (WGA):

Don Payne (screenplay) and
Mark Frost (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 June 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Rise

Plot:

The Fantastic Four learn that they aren't the only super-powered beings in the universe when they square off against the powerful Silver Surfer and the planet-eating Galactus.

Plot Keywords:

Fantastic Four | Silver Surfer | Silver | Space | Mask

Awards:

2 wins & 13 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 14	3:00 PM	HBO
Sun. July 19	8:45 AM	HBO
Wed. July 22	6:15 PM	HBO

Cast

Ioan Gruffudd	...	Mr. Fantastic / Reed Richards
Jessica Alba	...	Invisible Woman / Susan Storm
Chris Evans	...	Human Torch / Johnny Storm
Michael Chiklis	...	The Thing / Ben Grimm
Julian McMahon	...	Dr. Doom / Victor Von Doom
Kerry Washington	...	Alicia Masters
Andre Braugher	...	General Hager
Laurence Fishburne	...	The Silver Surfer (voice)
Doug Jones	...	The Silver Surfer
Beau Garrett	...	Captain Frankie Raye
Brian Posehn	...	Wedding Minister
Zach Grenier	...	Mr. Sherman / Rafke
Dawn Chubai	...	Anchorwoman
Chris Gailus	...	Anchorman
Kevin McNulty	...	Baxter Building Doorman

Also Known As:

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Germany) (USA) (promotional title)
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (UK) (DVD title)
Fantastic Four 2 (USA) (working title)
Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer (USA) (working title)
Fantastic Four: The Next Chapter (USA) (working title)
Les 4 Fantastiques et le Surfer d'Argent (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:PG | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-11 | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:6 | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Norway:7 | Malaysia:U | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Denmark:11 | South Korea:12 | Germany:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | USA:PG (certificate #43383) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Brazil:10 | Sweden:7 | France:U | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Iceland:10 | Iceland:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Black Forest, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox

Trivia:

When The Torch falls into the sand in the Middle East and rolls over to his back, in close up shots you can see the "4" logo in the sand next to his head.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Susan Storm has blue eyes, and Jessica Alba wears blue colored contacts for the role. However, in the beginning of the film, the newspaper pictures and television shows showing her picture, she is clearly not wearing the blue contacts and her natural brown eye color is visible.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Anchorwoman: Last night the F.A.A. was forced to ground all aircraft, leaving thousands stranded, when electronic failures and mysterious power outages crippled the western United States. But the big story today, the much anticipated wedding of fantastic couple Reed Richards and Susan Storm will take place this Saturday.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Allemaal film: Verander de wereld (#1.4)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Pachelbel Canon in D

A grossly underrated Fantastic experience!!!!

Off late, especially with the relatively recent success of The Dark Knight, the general perception of audiences seems to be that the darker and more 'realistic' the tone of a superhero film, the more success it attains. While this is certainly true if you consider the two Nolan-directed Batman films, the first two X-men films, Burton's 1989 Batman film and a few others I could name; the truth is that it is not merely the dark tone that makes the film successful but the little things like plot construction, storytelling, characterization etc. which are oft overlooked these days. Another factor to be taken into account is whether a dark tone suits the character. Batman and the X-men may be dark because that tone suits the world they inhabit and the kind of stories that can be told with their characters. But try making Superman dark, and you'll find the result is not all that endearing. Which is why, I've never really understood the criticism directed towards the Fantastic Four films in general, and this one in particular for their 'campiness' and 'unrealism'. After all the Fantastic Four have always been campy and fun, because they were created in an era where comics were supposed to be campy and fun. After all, you cant expect a franchise which revolves around a family of celebrity superheroes constantly bickering with one another to be exactly dark and serious can you. And as far as the unrealism bit is concerned, the Fantastic Four have always been fantasy characters: they have always been about breaking the barriers and exploring new worlds of science and mysticism. They were never meant to be all that realistic in the first place. Which is why I think this film, while certainly not one the epic scale of TDK, is definitely one of the better superhero movies of all time. The campiness and the humour is present, though not over the top. The plot is simple, yet effective. The special effects are outstanding. And even amidst all the humour and fantasy, we have a few 'down to earth' character moments which remind us that our heroes are, after all, ordinary people with their own likes, dislikes, fears and anxieties. Reed Richards(Ion Gruduff) is torn between his dedication to science and to protecting the world. Sue Storm(Jessica Alba) is concerned about the effect of the team's very public superhero lifestyle will have on her future with Reed. Chris Evans does a great job as the Ben Grimm, interacting well with other characters and generally doing a good job as the resident strongman of the team. But as with the first film, it is Michael Chilkins who steals the show with his portrayal of Johnny Storm. The character is developed much further from being the shallow showman and exhibitionist of the previous film. While those external trappings are still present, even emphasized in the sequel, Johnny is portrayed as being a lot deeper. We empathize with him over his 'alienation' from the team due to his abnormal 'power problems', understand his frustration when he learns that Reed and Sue secretly plan to end their superheroic careers, and his feeling of guilt when he realizes he is continuously letting down his friends due to his hot-headedness. Johnny greatly grows as a character in this installment, though of course, it is Reed and Sue who remain the 'real' protagonists. The film does have a few flaws though. One of them is the Silver Surfer. Not so much the portrayal of the character (Doug Jones and Laurence Fishburn do a great job on that and the effects are spectacular), but I often thought that the Silver Surfer's background could have been expanded upon, given that he is the title character and the perceived 'villain' for much of the film. His origins and his connection to Galactus could have been brought out more clearly. Also, as in the previous film, the climax, though excellently filmed, could have been more elaborate. We have Johnny Storm acquiring the powers of all his teammates and fighting Doctor Doom but the main antagonist, Galactus, appears for all of three minutes as a giant cloud and the whole 'end of the world' thing is over before you know it. If the Silver Surfer is not the villain, then Galactus is, but the Fantastic Four don't even face him, which does not lend too much credibility to him being the primary antagonist. So is Dr. Doom the real villain then. It seems likely, but then again, Doom does spend most of the film working with the Fantastic Four to capture the Silver Surfer. Basically, we have a good plot, good dialogue, characterization etc. but no clear focus on the antagonist. Otherwise, this film is truly a fantastic experience!