Review: Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis
Direction: Tim Story

The superheroes are back and what a homecoming! In a post 9/11 world, when all our superheroes — Batman, Superman, Spiderman — are becoming philosophical, introspective and moody about their magical powers, the Fantastic Four are still fun-loving and untroubled by existential woes.

Thank God for that! To be or not to be: no Hamletian dilemmas for this foursome that knows it has to save the world from the inimical Dr Doom with its special powers of stretchy limbs (Reed), electrical force fields (Storm), human torch infernos (Johnny) or just sheer power (Ben). And no cerebral debates on good versus evil or the evil within in this high octane drama, laced with state-of-the-art special effects. Enough to give the kid in you chills, thrills and marvels.

This time, the threat is doubled. On the one hand, there is old foe, Dr Doom (Julian McMahon) who is desperate to unleash his reign of evil; and on the other hand, there is the bigger enemy, Galactus, an intergalactic force that wants to gobble up the planets. Weird changes in weather patterns and radioactive fields around the earth cause a flutter, the world over. They even manage to disrupt the wedding of the century between super scientist Mr Fantastic (Gruffudd) and the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba).

When the world begins to fall apart, the couple have no option but to postpone their wedding and get down to the business of saving the world. Their only hope: the silver surfer who has actually been sent to destroy it. They must bring out the man in him and appeal to his humaneness. Do we see a tear on his cold, steely cheeks?

Grab your popcorn, round up your neighbourhood kids and gatecrash for your share of gape-and-gawk gizmology.