Surf's Up

I was looking forward all week to watching Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. I had passed up the chance to watch it on the plane, because I wanted the full experience. Did it deliver? Of course!

I'm an old-time comics geek, so I love the Marvel movies, but maybe not the same ones as most people. I don't like the Spiderman movies (didn't like the comics), and found Ang Lee's Hulk to be wrong-headed. Me and the world agree on the X-Men, a great franchise owing a lot to Hugh Jackman. But I guess I'm the only one who likes Daredevil and loved Elektra. So, your mileage may vary.

First, Fantastic Four was always a favorite series (60s-70s Lee/Kirby era). They had a down-to-earth human style combined with some really cosmic stuff. The movies catch this just right, I think. It even gets the visual design right - I swear Kirby laid out some of the frames in these films.

Ioan Griffud makes a great Mr. Fantastic, worried, unworldly, a nerd. Chris Evans' Johnny Storm is obnoxious, but just enough. Michael Chiklis is the perfect Ben Grimm - although the Thing mask design has an older look, and I prefer the later, classic Thing (more expressive eyebrows, I think). Kerry Washington takes the small role of Alicia and makes her the firm center of the Thing's crazy world.

Now, on the minus side, Jessica Alba just is not Sue Storm. Sue Storm is shy and mousy, hence the disappearing act. She is constantly worried and guilty. She is not HAWT. Jessica Alba is very beautiful and a fine actress. She gets Sue, I think, and you can see her trying to put across the shy worrier, but she is just too glamorous. Then the script breaks her character by having her brag about her bachelorette party. That is not Sue Storm, I think.

Julian MacMahon's Dr. Doom is a little weak as well, but I think this is mostly due to the role. Also, I would have given him a Darth Vader voice effect. Too much, you think?

But all of this is inconsequential when the Silver Surfer appears. When he comes on screen, I said "Cool," just before Johnny Storm did. There is no other word for it. Just "Cool."

You notice I've put in nothing about the plot, mainly because I assume you already know it, partly to avoid "spoilers." I'll through in a spoiler now - I was disappointed that there was no "Behold Galactus!" moment. Seems the director, Tim Story, thought he looked too much like a giant robot, and he won't do giant robots. Oh well, maybe in the sequel.

I'm joking. The Fantastic Four movies have gotten such bad reviews that I assume this is the end of the line. Too bad, because there just aren't that many movies I look forward to as much as these.

To recap:

• He's silver
• He surfs
• In space!

'Nuff said