171 - Surfing

 So, the next of the super-hero movies is Fantastic Four; Rise of the Silver Surfer. 

This is a movie that isn't that popular, and I just don't get why. Its clearly learnt lessons from the first film, and manages to get pretty much everything right. 

What we have here is a movie that absolutely captures the flavour if its source material, and is just a damn fine fine and fun movie. It's a movie that doesn't have an ounce of flab in it at all; it gets in there, tells its story, and gets out...

And the threat here is a much greater one than the last movie; we're talking end of the world stuff here. I guess that's where we get to the one big flaw; the depiction of Galactus. He should be this huge giant of a figure towering over everyone. Instead he's a dust cloud. 

Now, I know this is apparently how Galactus is depicted in the Ultmate range of comics... still a bit naff, though. Couldn't they have had proper Galactus in the middle of the cloud, manipulating it, controlling it? That would have been more satisfying. 

But, really, that's the only proper negative thing about the film as otherwise it's a damn fine movie. The core cast playing the four are absolutely spot on, and there is real chemistry between them. The script is witty, and has some great gags; I love the power swapping sequences. They're handled really well. 

And we do get a proper threat to defeat in this movie; even though in the end it's the Surfer who saves the day, rather than the Four. But that doesn't really matter, as the movie is as much his as it is theirs. 

It really is a shame they weren't able to make more movies in this series, as there were plans for at least one more with this cast. I'd have liked to have seen what they would have come up with... could Franklin have made his debut? That would have been good...