20th Century Studios / The Walt Disney Company
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
Starring Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic), Jessica Alba (Susan Storm / The Invisible Woman), Chris Evans (Johnny Storm / The Himan Torch), Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm / The Thing), Julian McMahon (Victor Von Doom / Doctor Doom), and Laurence Fishburne as the Voice of The Silver Surfer with a special appearance by Stan Lee
Directed by Tim Story
Produced by Avi Arad, Bernd Eichinger, and Ralph Winters with Kevin Fiege
Written by Don Payne and Mark Frost
Music By John Ottman
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Run Time: 1 hour and 32 minutes
World Premier: June 15, 2007
Opening Weekend Box Office: $58 million
Worldwide Box Office: $301 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 38%
20th Century Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Fun Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Facts
20th Century Fox acquired the film and licensing rights to Marvel’s First Family in the mid-1990’s, along with other Marvel characters such as Daredevil and The X-Men. Marvel sold these rights in an effort to stay afloat as they filed for bankruptcy. The upstart Marvel Studios, under the direction of Avi Arad arranged a seven-picture deal with Fox that would see Fox finance and distribute their Marvel films with Marvel Studios assisting in a production role that would give them a say in the script-writing process, the hiring of directors, and in casting. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer was the seventh film released as part of that initial deal following X-Men (2000), Daredevil (2003), X2: X-Men United (2003), Elektra (2005), Fantastic Four (2005), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
On September 6, 2005, Marvel Enterprises became Marvel Entertainment; a reflection of the company’s new initiative to finance its own motion pictures through Marvel Studios. Fantastic Four was produced and released prior to this massive shift in direction for Marvel Studios, while Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer came after.
In 2015, Fox produced a third Fantastic Four film with any involvement from Marvel Studios whatsoever, titled Fant4stic starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell. Directed by (and later disowned by) Josh Trank the film was a mess, with the filmmakers dramatically clashing with executives. The movie was a major box office bomb and was saddled with an embarrassing 9% Approval Rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
On December 17, 2017, the Walt Disney Company announced that an agreement had been reached with 20th Century Fox that would see Disney acquire Fox’s television and film divisions, among other things. Disney had acquired Marvel Entertainment at the end of 2009, and Marvel Studios with it. The lucrative Fox deal therefore landed the film rights to Marvel’s First Family under the Disney / Marvel Studios umbrella. Fox shareholders unanimously approved the transaction on July 27, 2018, and the deal was finalized on March 20, 2019.
2022’s Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Marvel Studios cast actor John Krasinski as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic seventeen-years removed from this film. This marked the first appearance of a member of The Fantastic Four within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though this version resided from the 838-Universe where he was a member of the esteemed Illuminati as opposed to being featured in the MCU 616-Universe (the Sacred Timeline as it were). Still, the film provided viewers a unique opportunity to see Mister Fantastic share the screen with popular Marvel characters such as Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Professor X (Patrick Stewart), and The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).
The yet-to-be-officially titled Marvel Studios film Deadpool 3 is rumored to introduce several Multiversal Variants from past films produced with 20th Century Fox, which leaves the door open for any or all members of this Fantastic Four film to reprise their roles and share the screen with other MCU characters.
The yet-to-be-officially titled Marvel Studios film Deadpool 3 is rumored to introduce several Multiversal Variants from past films produced by 20th Century Fox, which leaves the door open for any or all members of the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer film to reprise their roles and share the screen with other MCU characters.
20th Century Studios / The Walt Disney Company
My Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Review
If you read my review of 2005’s Fantastic Four, you know how near and dear to my heart that Marvel’s First Family is as well as my appreciation for that film. This was the sequel, and it had the task of adapting the beloved Coming of Galactus comic book story (by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), which introduced The Silver Surfer and Galactus. From the start, let me say that this film botched that story pretty badly in the same ways that Fox twice botched The Dark Phoenix Saga in their X-Men films. Anyone that calls themselves a fan of The Fantastic Four has to admit that turning The World Eater Galactus into a giant cloud was a major misfire, though I also agree with the notion that in 2007, most moviegoers probably weren’t ready for a giant purple man that eats planets either. So, all of that hovers over this movie like … well, like a dark cloud!
The next thing I have to bring up is Doctor Doom. The second go around wasn’t any better than the first. Aside from his look, the Doctor Doom in this film had very little in common with the amazing comic book character. He was petty and one dimensional and not all that interesting or threatening until he hijacked the Surfer’s board. Julian McMahon just didn’t make a good Doom and that works against this film as well as its predecessor.
And yes, Susan Storm’s hair was ridiculous.
With all of that said and out of the way, there are things to appreciate about this movie. The wedding scene is pretty great, and I love that the F4 are presented here as celebrity superheroes, which is what they are in the comics. Also, The Silver Surfer looked pretty good for the time with the reflective silver they used in creating him and the film is interesting whenever he is on the screen. The voice worked and his service of Galactus was true to the comics and well told. I loved his initial confrontation with Johnny and the way he emerged as the hero of the story. The Surfer is a wonderful comic book character for those who don’t know, and it was neat to see him brought to life in a live action film.
I also liked the power exchange stuff with Johnny. Chris Evans was the standout of the main team throughout this movie, stealing every scene that he was in. Michael Chiklis was solid as Ben Grimm as well, and their chemistry from the first film remained here.
Most of the military stuff didn’t work for me. It just felt generic and over the top in the wrong kinds of ways. I did like Beau Garrett as an early take on the Frankie Page character and would have liked to see her relationship with Johnny evolve in a third film. No third film ever materialized from Fox, however. Ultimately, I liked the 2005 film more than this one, but really, I’m just looking forward to seeing what Kevin Fiege and the Marvel Studios team do with all of these wonderful characters. A Fantastic Four film that is both critically and financially successful is long overdue.
20th Century Studios / The Walt Disney Company
Highlights of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer:
Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm / The Thing
Chris Evans as Johnny Storm / The Human Torch
Chemistry Between Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis
The Silver Surfer
Reed and Sue’s Wedding
Fantastic Power Exchanges
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