Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Alright, I realize by now everyone has lost interest in this silly sequel, but thought I'd add my take before I completely forgot. The second film, as directed by Tim Story (the ultra-qualified comic book franchise filmmaker, who previous tackled the action-packed Barbershop) is yet another clunky, clumsy, not even really unintentionally silly movie. This adventure starts with Susan Storm (Jessica Alba, as vacant as ever) and Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffodd) planning their media circus wedding and battling the titular Silver Surfer, then spawns into other tandems, neither of which rational or interesting. I will agree the effects of the Silver Surfer are pretty impressive, yeah crafty technicians and the chase between him and Johnny Storm (the mildly amusing Chris Evans) is pretty cool, but since that chase sequence was pretty much played in entirety and at nauseaum in the preview, it can only be so exciting. And the arc of the Silver Surfer is lame-- won't spoil for anybody who want be a fan-- but eh. But, this film and the whole franchise reeks of half assed effort, lazily constructing a movie out of a bare-boned idea that's not even that good. GRADE: C-