This review was written for the theatrical release of "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.Maybe it has something to do with seriously diminished expectations, but "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is an improvement of sorts over the lifeless 2005 edition.
There's actually a semblance of a story this time around and the special effects no longer look like they came out of a cable network's 1990 budget.
Sure, the dialogue can still get pretty clunky, nobody bothered to give the four lead characters any personality and hard-hitting action sequences clearly aren't director Tim Story's strong suit, but none of that seemed to matter to the family-heavy crowds that made the original a $155 million hit.
And, with a running time hovering around the 90-minute mark, it's definitely not bloated, which is more (or is that less?) than you can say about some of this summer's overstuffed blockbusters.
While the Silver Surfer component will likely get a rise out of offended fanboys, the PG-rated picture should once again lure sizable audiences, critics be damned.
Combining story elements from several Marvel Comics issues, "FF2" begins with the upcoming marriage between Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), which is being hailed by the swarming media as The Wedding of the Century.
But their nuptials are disrupted by a series of earth-shattering events that signal the end of the world as we know it.
So much for trying to live a normal life, as Reed and Sue, along with Johnny (Chris Evans) and Ben Michael Chiklis), are required to embrace their super-egos, namely stretchy Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and rock-solid The Thing.
This time around, they not only have to deal with a neatly recovered Dr. Doom aka Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), but also The Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne, predigitally embodied by Doug Jones), a gleaming but troubled intergalactic soul who scours the galaxies for fresh celestial bodies to consume.
Norrin Radd, as he's known back on the home planet, rides one rad surfboard, but he's really just the messenger, acting at the behest of his planet-hungry master, Galactus.
The problem is, as voiced by Fishburne, the ultra-Zen Silver Surfer ends up sounding a lot like that guy on that old '70s novelty song, "Desiderata", the one with the soothing spoken voice, intoning, "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here."
Needless to say, unintentional titters ensue.
On the plus side, incoming writers Don Payne, a writer on "The Simpsons" and Mark Frost ("Twin Peaks"), have managed to inject some welcome satire into the sequel, especially in the beginning with those jabs at the celebrity-smitten media and product endorsements.
But they haven't bothered to give the Fantastic Four much to work with beyond their basic rubbery/invisible/fiery/rocky attributes. In their civilian clothes, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are all cursed with the same trait--something more along the lines of wooden.
And although director Story once again lets the special effects do the bulk of the action-related heavy-lifting, it's nice to see racially relevant casting with the involvement of Fishburne, Andre Braugher and Kerry Washington, even if the latter two also have to work with underwritten characters.
Behind-the-scenes, the special effects people have kicked things up several notches with the introduction of the sleek Silver Surfer and The Fantasticar, the foursome's flying vehicle that debuted in 1962's "Fantastic Four No. 3", where it was dubbed "the flying bathtub."
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox presents in association with Constantin Film and Marvel Studios a 1492 Pictures/Bernd Eichinger production.
Credits: Director: Tim Story
Writers: Don Payne and Mark Frost
Story: John Turman and Mark Frost
Producers: Bernd Eichinger, Avid Arad, Ralph Winter
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Kevin Feige, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan
Director of photography: Larry Blandford
Production designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Music: John Ottman
Co-producer: Ross Fanger
Costume designer: Mary Vogt
Editors: William Hoy, Peter S. Elliot
Cast:
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic: Ioan Gruffudd
Sue Storm/Invisible Woman: Jessica Alba
Johnny Storm/Human Torch: Chris Evans
Ben Grimm/The Thing: Michael Chiklis
Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom: Julian McMahon
Alicia Masters: Kerry Washington
General Hager: Andre Braugher
Voice of the Silver Surfer: Laurence Fishburne
Running time -- 92 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
There's actually a semblance of a story this time around and the special effects no longer look like they came out of a cable network's 1990 budget.
Sure, the dialogue can still get pretty clunky, nobody bothered to give the four lead characters any personality and hard-hitting action sequences clearly aren't director Tim Story's strong suit, but none of that seemed to matter to the family-heavy crowds that made the original a $155 million hit.
And, with a running time hovering around the 90-minute mark, it's definitely not bloated, which is more (or is that less?) than you can say about some of this summer's overstuffed blockbusters.
While the Silver Surfer component will likely get a rise out of offended fanboys, the PG-rated picture should once again lure sizable audiences, critics be damned.
Combining story elements from several Marvel Comics issues, "FF2" begins with the upcoming marriage between Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), which is being hailed by the swarming media as The Wedding of the Century.
But their nuptials are disrupted by a series of earth-shattering events that signal the end of the world as we know it.
So much for trying to live a normal life, as Reed and Sue, along with Johnny (Chris Evans) and Ben Michael Chiklis), are required to embrace their super-egos, namely stretchy Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and rock-solid The Thing.
This time around, they not only have to deal with a neatly recovered Dr. Doom aka Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), but also The Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne, predigitally embodied by Doug Jones), a gleaming but troubled intergalactic soul who scours the galaxies for fresh celestial bodies to consume.
Norrin Radd, as he's known back on the home planet, rides one rad surfboard, but he's really just the messenger, acting at the behest of his planet-hungry master, Galactus.
The problem is, as voiced by Fishburne, the ultra-Zen Silver Surfer ends up sounding a lot like that guy on that old '70s novelty song, "Desiderata", the one with the soothing spoken voice, intoning, "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here."
Needless to say, unintentional titters ensue.
On the plus side, incoming writers Don Payne, a writer on "The Simpsons" and Mark Frost ("Twin Peaks"), have managed to inject some welcome satire into the sequel, especially in the beginning with those jabs at the celebrity-smitten media and product endorsements.
But they haven't bothered to give the Fantastic Four much to work with beyond their basic rubbery/invisible/fiery/rocky attributes. In their civilian clothes, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are all cursed with the same trait--something more along the lines of wooden.
And although director Story once again lets the special effects do the bulk of the action-related heavy-lifting, it's nice to see racially relevant casting with the involvement of Fishburne, Andre Braugher and Kerry Washington, even if the latter two also have to work with underwritten characters.
Behind-the-scenes, the special effects people have kicked things up several notches with the introduction of the sleek Silver Surfer and The Fantasticar, the foursome's flying vehicle that debuted in 1962's "Fantastic Four No. 3", where it was dubbed "the flying bathtub."
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox presents in association with Constantin Film and Marvel Studios a 1492 Pictures/Bernd Eichinger production.
Credits: Director: Tim Story
Writers: Don Payne and Mark Frost
Story: John Turman and Mark Frost
Producers: Bernd Eichinger, Avid Arad, Ralph Winter
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Kevin Feige, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan
Director of photography: Larry Blandford
Production designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Music: John Ottman
Co-producer: Ross Fanger
Costume designer: Mary Vogt
Editors: William Hoy, Peter S. Elliot
Cast:
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic: Ioan Gruffudd
Sue Storm/Invisible Woman: Jessica Alba
Johnny Storm/Human Torch: Chris Evans
Ben Grimm/The Thing: Michael Chiklis
Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom: Julian McMahon
Alicia Masters: Kerry Washington
General Hager: Andre Braugher
Voice of the Silver Surfer: Laurence Fishburne
Running time -- 92 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Maybe it has something to do with seriously diminished expectations, but Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is an improvement of sorts over the lifeless 2005 edition.
There's actually a semblance of a story this time around and the special effects no longer look like they came out of a cable network's 1990 budget.
Sure, the dialogue can still get pretty clunky, nobody bothered to give the four lead characters any personality and hard-hitting action sequences clearly aren't director Tim Story's strong suit, but none of that seemed to matter to the family-heavy crowds that made the original a $155 million hit.
And, with a running time hovering around the 90-minute mark, it's definitely not bloated, which is more (or is that less?) than you can say about some of this summer's overstuffed blockbusters.
While the Silver Surfer component will likely get a rise out of offended fanboys, the PG-rated picture should once again lure sizable audiences, critics be damned.
Combining story elements from several Marvel Comics issues, "FF2" begins with the upcoming marriage between Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), which is being hailed by the swarming media as The Wedding of the Century.
But their nuptials are disrupted by a series of earth-shattering events that signal the end of the world as we know it.
So much for trying to live a normal life, as Reed and Sue, along with Johnny (Chris Evans) and Ben Michael Chiklis), are required to embrace their super-egos, namely stretchy Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and rock-solid The Thing.
This time around, they not only have to deal with a neatly recovered Dr. Doom aka Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), but also The Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne, predigitally embodied by Doug Jones), a gleaming but troubled intergalactic soul who scours the galaxies for fresh celestial bodies to consume.
Norrin Radd, as he's known back on the home planet, rides one rad surfboard, but he's really just the messenger, acting at the behest of his planet-hungry master, Galactus.
The problem is, as voiced by Fishburne, the ultra-Zen Silver Surfer ends up sounding a lot like that guy on that old '70s novelty song, Desiderata, the one with the soothing spoken voice, intoning, "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here."
Needless to say, unintentional titters ensue.
On the plus side, incoming writers Don Payne, a writer on The Simpsons and Mark Frost (Twin Peaks), have managed to inject some welcome satire into the sequel, especially in the beginning with those jabs at the celebrity-smitten media and product endorsements.
But they haven't bothered to give the Fantastic Four much to work with beyond their basic rubbery/invisible/fiery/rocky attributes. In their civilian clothes, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are all cursed with the same trait--something more along the lines of wooden.
And although director Story once again lets the special effects do the bulk of the action-related heavy-lifting, it's nice to see racially relevant casting with the involvement of Fishburne, Andre Braugher and Kerry Washington, even if the latter two also have to work with underwritten characters.
Behind-the-scenes, the special effects people have kicked things up several notches with the introduction of the sleek Silver Surfer and The Fantasticar, the foursome's flying vehicle that debuted in 1962's Fantastic Four No. 3, where it was dubbed "the flying bathtub."
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox presents in association with Constantin Film and Marvel Studios a 1492 Pictures/Bernd Eichinger production.
Credits: Director: Tim Story
Writers: Don Payne and Mark Frost
Story: John Turman and Mark Frost
Producers: Bernd Eichinger, Avid Arad, Ralph Winter
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Kevin Feige, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan
Director of photography: Larry Blandford
Production designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Music: John Ottman
Co-producer: Ross Fanger
Costume designer: Mary Vogt
Editors: William Hoy, Peter S. Elliot
Cast:
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic: Ioan Gruffudd
Sue Storm/Invisible Woman: Jessica Alba
Johnny Storm/Human Torch: Chris Evans
Ben Grimm/The Thing: Michael Chiklis
Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom: Julian McMahon
Alicia Masters: Kerry Washington
General Hager: Andre Braugher
Voice of the Silver Surfer: Laurence Fishburne
Running time -- 92 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
There's actually a semblance of a story this time around and the special effects no longer look like they came out of a cable network's 1990 budget.
Sure, the dialogue can still get pretty clunky, nobody bothered to give the four lead characters any personality and hard-hitting action sequences clearly aren't director Tim Story's strong suit, but none of that seemed to matter to the family-heavy crowds that made the original a $155 million hit.
And, with a running time hovering around the 90-minute mark, it's definitely not bloated, which is more (or is that less?) than you can say about some of this summer's overstuffed blockbusters.
While the Silver Surfer component will likely get a rise out of offended fanboys, the PG-rated picture should once again lure sizable audiences, critics be damned.
Combining story elements from several Marvel Comics issues, "FF2" begins with the upcoming marriage between Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), which is being hailed by the swarming media as The Wedding of the Century.
But their nuptials are disrupted by a series of earth-shattering events that signal the end of the world as we know it.
So much for trying to live a normal life, as Reed and Sue, along with Johnny (Chris Evans) and Ben Michael Chiklis), are required to embrace their super-egos, namely stretchy Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and rock-solid The Thing.
This time around, they not only have to deal with a neatly recovered Dr. Doom aka Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), but also The Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne, predigitally embodied by Doug Jones), a gleaming but troubled intergalactic soul who scours the galaxies for fresh celestial bodies to consume.
Norrin Radd, as he's known back on the home planet, rides one rad surfboard, but he's really just the messenger, acting at the behest of his planet-hungry master, Galactus.
The problem is, as voiced by Fishburne, the ultra-Zen Silver Surfer ends up sounding a lot like that guy on that old '70s novelty song, Desiderata, the one with the soothing spoken voice, intoning, "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here."
Needless to say, unintentional titters ensue.
On the plus side, incoming writers Don Payne, a writer on The Simpsons and Mark Frost (Twin Peaks), have managed to inject some welcome satire into the sequel, especially in the beginning with those jabs at the celebrity-smitten media and product endorsements.
But they haven't bothered to give the Fantastic Four much to work with beyond their basic rubbery/invisible/fiery/rocky attributes. In their civilian clothes, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are all cursed with the same trait--something more along the lines of wooden.
And although director Story once again lets the special effects do the bulk of the action-related heavy-lifting, it's nice to see racially relevant casting with the involvement of Fishburne, Andre Braugher and Kerry Washington, even if the latter two also have to work with underwritten characters.
Behind-the-scenes, the special effects people have kicked things up several notches with the introduction of the sleek Silver Surfer and The Fantasticar, the foursome's flying vehicle that debuted in 1962's Fantastic Four No. 3, where it was dubbed "the flying bathtub."
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox presents in association with Constantin Film and Marvel Studios a 1492 Pictures/Bernd Eichinger production.
Credits: Director: Tim Story
Writers: Don Payne and Mark Frost
Story: John Turman and Mark Frost
Producers: Bernd Eichinger, Avid Arad, Ralph Winter
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Kevin Feige, Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan
Director of photography: Larry Blandford
Production designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Music: John Ottman
Co-producer: Ross Fanger
Costume designer: Mary Vogt
Editors: William Hoy, Peter S. Elliot
Cast:
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic: Ioan Gruffudd
Sue Storm/Invisible Woman: Jessica Alba
Johnny Storm/Human Torch: Chris Evans
Ben Grimm/The Thing: Michael Chiklis
Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom: Julian McMahon
Alicia Masters: Kerry Washington
General Hager: Andre Braugher
Voice of the Silver Surfer: Laurence Fishburne
Running time -- 92 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 6/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Playing a mother whose 3-year-old son vanishes and remains missing for nine years, portraying possibly the worst type of prolonged anguish inflicted on human beings, Michelle Pfeiffer dives into one of her best roles and pulls the viewer into the stormy waters of director Ulu Grosbard's involving adaptation of Jacquelyn Mitchard's darker 1996 novel.
While its boxoffice take will be ducky at best, a tsunami of tears will flow from the target audience of women and mature couples. "Deep End" should more than tread water internationally and has a successful voyage ahead in ancillary seas. Teenage girls may also show more than passing curiosity when word gets around about Emmy winner Jonathan Jackson's career-making performance as the eldest son who flounders in a dysfunctional riptide in the wake of family tragedy.
Destined to be remembered next awards season, Pfeiffer's performance is heartfelt and unmanipulative. Grosbard's unobtrusive yet carefully calibrated direction, accompanied by Elmer Bernstein's fluty orchestral score, showcases the actors and employs few of the standard tension-building techniques or storytelling shortcuts, though the black clouds hanging over the characters tend to block out most scenes of normal, relaxed interaction.
With her three children, photographer Beth (Pfeiffer) motors from Madison, Wis., to Chicago for her 15th high school reunion. In a jammed hotel lobby, middle child Ben Michael McElroy) disappears without a trace. Friends help Beth look for him, and a reassuring police detective (Whoopi Goldberg) shows up with a small army. But the hours tick off, and there's no news. Unable to maintain her composure, Beth bursts into hysterics. Husband Pat (Treat Williams), arriving in an agitated state, tries to take charge -- but still no Ben.
Oldest son Vincent (Cory Buck) and Pat are the unintended victims of Beth's severe depression that results from Ben's unknown fate. Beth almost brings the family down by neglecting her baby daughter, never getting out of bed and giving up her career.
The story takes a nine-year leap, with too-quickly matured Vincent (Jackson) evolved into a high schooler with a sullen, seen-it-all attitude, though the family appears to be back to normal.
One day a young boy named Sam (Ryan Merriman) mows the family's lawn, and Beth starts to believe in miracles. Goldberg's character swings into action again when it's proven that the boy is indeed Ben and a possible kidnap victim. At this point, the details of the disappearance and the plot in general flirt with the unbelievable, but the focus settles on Sam's dilemma -- should he go to his real family or remain with the adopted Father John Kapelos) who has loved and nurtured him most of his life.
At first, Vincent is a jerk because he's never known the love and attention lavished on Sam -- who moves back home and shows up his Big Brother in basketball for starters. But the bonding of the brothers is presented as the only hope to reconstructing a family long-ago torn asunder. The tough truth is Kapelos' character is such a decent bloke -- as shocked and devastated as the others by the turn of events -- that Sam's return is not necessarily permanent.
Keeping pace with Pfeiffer and Jackson, Merriman (HBO's "Lansky") is superb as the sad but precocious Sam. In one giddy scene, he leads a party group in the dance from "Zorba the Greek", but he also shines brightly in intensely emotional exchanges with his co-stars. Williams is solid as the father and husband caught in a nightmare that finally ends with a tidy, optimistic finale.
THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN
Columbia Pictures
Mandalay Entertainment presents
A Via Rosa production
Director: Ulu Grosbard
Screenwriter: Stephen Schiff
Based on the book by: Jacquelyn Mitchard
Producers: Kate Guinzberg, Steve Nicolaides
Executive producer: Frank Capra III
Director of photography: Stephen Goldblatt
Production designer: Dan Davis
Editor: John Bloom
Costume designer: Susie DeSanto
Music: Elmer Bernstein
Casting: Lora Kennedy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Beth: Michelle Pfeiffer
Pat: Treat Williams
Vincent: Jonathan Jackson
Sam/Ben: Ryan Merriman
Young Vincent: Cory Buck
George: John Kapelos
Candy: Whoopi Goldberg
Young Ben: Michael McElroy
Running time -- 108 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
While its boxoffice take will be ducky at best, a tsunami of tears will flow from the target audience of women and mature couples. "Deep End" should more than tread water internationally and has a successful voyage ahead in ancillary seas. Teenage girls may also show more than passing curiosity when word gets around about Emmy winner Jonathan Jackson's career-making performance as the eldest son who flounders in a dysfunctional riptide in the wake of family tragedy.
Destined to be remembered next awards season, Pfeiffer's performance is heartfelt and unmanipulative. Grosbard's unobtrusive yet carefully calibrated direction, accompanied by Elmer Bernstein's fluty orchestral score, showcases the actors and employs few of the standard tension-building techniques or storytelling shortcuts, though the black clouds hanging over the characters tend to block out most scenes of normal, relaxed interaction.
With her three children, photographer Beth (Pfeiffer) motors from Madison, Wis., to Chicago for her 15th high school reunion. In a jammed hotel lobby, middle child Ben Michael McElroy) disappears without a trace. Friends help Beth look for him, and a reassuring police detective (Whoopi Goldberg) shows up with a small army. But the hours tick off, and there's no news. Unable to maintain her composure, Beth bursts into hysterics. Husband Pat (Treat Williams), arriving in an agitated state, tries to take charge -- but still no Ben.
Oldest son Vincent (Cory Buck) and Pat are the unintended victims of Beth's severe depression that results from Ben's unknown fate. Beth almost brings the family down by neglecting her baby daughter, never getting out of bed and giving up her career.
The story takes a nine-year leap, with too-quickly matured Vincent (Jackson) evolved into a high schooler with a sullen, seen-it-all attitude, though the family appears to be back to normal.
One day a young boy named Sam (Ryan Merriman) mows the family's lawn, and Beth starts to believe in miracles. Goldberg's character swings into action again when it's proven that the boy is indeed Ben and a possible kidnap victim. At this point, the details of the disappearance and the plot in general flirt with the unbelievable, but the focus settles on Sam's dilemma -- should he go to his real family or remain with the adopted Father John Kapelos) who has loved and nurtured him most of his life.
At first, Vincent is a jerk because he's never known the love and attention lavished on Sam -- who moves back home and shows up his Big Brother in basketball for starters. But the bonding of the brothers is presented as the only hope to reconstructing a family long-ago torn asunder. The tough truth is Kapelos' character is such a decent bloke -- as shocked and devastated as the others by the turn of events -- that Sam's return is not necessarily permanent.
Keeping pace with Pfeiffer and Jackson, Merriman (HBO's "Lansky") is superb as the sad but precocious Sam. In one giddy scene, he leads a party group in the dance from "Zorba the Greek", but he also shines brightly in intensely emotional exchanges with his co-stars. Williams is solid as the father and husband caught in a nightmare that finally ends with a tidy, optimistic finale.
THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN
Columbia Pictures
Mandalay Entertainment presents
A Via Rosa production
Director: Ulu Grosbard
Screenwriter: Stephen Schiff
Based on the book by: Jacquelyn Mitchard
Producers: Kate Guinzberg, Steve Nicolaides
Executive producer: Frank Capra III
Director of photography: Stephen Goldblatt
Production designer: Dan Davis
Editor: John Bloom
Costume designer: Susie DeSanto
Music: Elmer Bernstein
Casting: Lora Kennedy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Beth: Michelle Pfeiffer
Pat: Treat Williams
Vincent: Jonathan Jackson
Sam/Ben: Ryan Merriman
Young Vincent: Cory Buck
George: John Kapelos
Candy: Whoopi Goldberg
Young Ben: Michael McElroy
Running time -- 108 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.