Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer (spoilers)

[Vigilance]

Also, on the topic of Surfer vs. Galactus, the ending really isn't all that clear (sadly) about what happens. We are led to believe from the Surfer's explanation that simply leaving the planet will draw Galactus away (as the board is the beacon), so it should have been over at that point, but then Reed comments it is too late, and the Surfer ends up doing... something, that seemingly discorporates both he and Galactus. For all we know, he could have just transported himself and his board elsewhere, drawing Galactus with him. The ambiguity was a bit annoying (as was, IMO, the fact that the Fantastic Four, our protagonists of the film, really didn't save the day- which is possibly my chief complaint with the story myself.)

I disagree. If all the Surfer had seen of humanity was the general, his "interrogators" and Doom, what would have happened to Earth? So the FF saved the planet by being decent human beings.

On how surfer saved Earth, Stan Lee has said several times that the surfer is a Christ figure.

He bring sue back from the dead (I think she was dead anyway), and when he blows up, he strikes a crucifix pose just to make it clear to everyone, and then he dies, saving the planet.

And then of course, he will come back.

Seems pretty true to the essence of that character to me.

 

[Vocenoctum]

When it comes to depicting Galactus, I don't think there was a way to please everybody. Either they could go with something cool-looking but not true to the classic comics, or they could go with classic Galactus, and have everyone not familiar with the character laughing their heads off at the guy in the blue-and-purple plastic suit with the part-totem-pole, part-Grand-Poobah hat and the really big feet. Remember how bad The Hulk looked in CGI?

I haven't seen the movie, but for what it's worth, putting a huge suit Galactus on his huge floating barge, I doubt folks would have thought it silly. It's not like he's just some guy floating in space...

 

[Piratecat]

You wouldn't know that from the reactions in this thread. It's kind of like people are DARING anyone who liked it to post a 500 page dissertation on the precise reasons WHY...it's nuts. Now I can't like a movie because some people I never met might think I'm dumb...I'm losing sleep on this...honest.

Just 'cause someone disagrees with you, it doesn't mean that you have to answer them. As someone said upthread, it's totally okay if people disagree about the film -- even if someone is demanding an explanation why, that's not really a mandate to have to explain your preference.

Don't get me wrong, it's cool if you want to... just don't feel you have to.

Either way, if folks start insulting each other (and the "holding the tongue" repartee is included here), expect to be booted from the thread or suspended. Disagreeing shouldn't mean insults.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

I thought that, just like the first FF movie, this one was not very well written from several standpoints and the acting was... shall we say, cartoonish? But it is unarguable that the keepers of this franchise are NOT out to warm the hearts of rabid comic-book geeks by replicating previously published word. NONE of the comic book franchises are. FF:RotSS essentially achieved what it set out to achieve - a forgettable, but entertaining, big-budget summer movie for a wide demographic with little or no previous knowledge of the franchise needed.

Comic books and movies are different media. Books in general are different media than movies. They have differing requirements, audience expectations, and capabilities. They share many traits but are not directly interchangeable in what you do with it, how, and why. Being genuinely faithful to a comic when attempting to ADAPT it to a screenplay (note that word - ADAPTATION) is quite likely to make a film unwatchable.

Yeah, I kinda thought Galactus as an Evil Cloud Monster was a BAD choice of direction. I had flashbacks to Star Trek: The Motion Picture. <shuddder> But as has been noted by others a big purple guy in a Poohbah hat and moon boots would have been even worse. Don't measure these things for what they are not. I.e., "It wasn't anything like the REAL Galactus," or, "Silver Surfer can do this but not that because that's what the comics dictate," and so forth. It's like saying, "I don't like 3rd Edition D&D because it isn't 1st/2nd/Original Edition." Judge them on their own merits.

Now, in this case those merits are really few and barely redeeming, but they ARE there. You just have to start with the understanding that ACCURACY is way down the list of priorities in endeavors like this.

So yes, it is obvious that Jessica Alba is not much of an actress. But it is equally obvious that the role of Sue Storm is not the same caliber as, say, Queen Elizabeth, nor Sophie Zawiskowski (Sophie's Choice), nor even Scarlet O'Hara. This is a comic book superhero. While comics CAN be literature, the vast majority are disposable action/soap opera entertainment. I don't expect great acting (though it might be nice and give movies like this a little bit more respectability) for superhero movies and it's amusing to think there might be people who do expect GREATNESS from bubblegum.

JMHO

 

[Felon]

I haven't seen the movie, but for what it's worth, putting a huge suit Galactus on his huge floating barge, I doubt folks would have thought it silly. It's not like he's just some guy floating in space...

Why wouldn't folks think it silly? To people who aren't familiar with or impressed by his pedigree (say, a jaded moviegoer), then yeah, he is just some big guy floating in space. That's a good way of putting it,actually.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Why wouldn't folks think it silly? To people who aren't familiar with or impressed by his pedigree (say, a jaded moviegoer), then yeah, he is just some big guy floating in space. That's a good way of putting it,actually.

What inherently makes that silly, though? Is it any sillier than a 25 foot tall gorilla? Or a 150 foot tall radioactive dinosaur? Or is it just the particular costume itself?

A planet-eating space giant doesn't seem as if it would be any great absurdity itself in a movie about people with superhuman powers, although I could certainly see the argument for making some alterations to his costume (though I do like the way they pulled off the version in Ultimate Alliance).

 

[Vigilance]

What inherently makes that silly, though? Is it any sillier than a 25 foot tall gorilla? Or a 150 foot tall radioactive dinosaur? Or is it just the particular costume itself?

A planet-eating space giant doesn't seem as if it would be any great absurdity itself in a movie about people with superhuman powers, although I could certainly see the argument for making some alterations to his costume (though I do like the way they pulled off the version in Ultimate Alliance).

Well, they could have made it work for sure. I thought the surfer would be super hard and they made him look all kinds of cool. If you can pull off a naked chrome guy on a surf board, you can pull off any Galactus you want.

Still, I actually liked the direction they took in the movie. IMO, first, dragging dust and debris from the worlds he's destroyed makes sense and is an evocative image. There's literally a cloud of dead worlds around him. Second, I just liked him being mysterious. What folks imagine him looking like is probably more scary than anything they could have come up with.

 

[frankthedm]

The ambiguity was a bit annoying (as was, IMO, the fact that the Fantastic Four, our protagonists of the film, really didn't save the day- which is possibly my chief complaint with the story myself.)

They freed the surfer, got his board back to him and convinced him to act against galactus. That's saving the day just as much as pushing the button on the Villian Destroying Maguffin. It just so happens this plot device is sentient.

That marvel aliance game's galactus looked decent.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Why wouldn't folks think it silly? To people who aren't familiar with or impressed by his pedigree (say, a jaded moviegoer), then yeah, he is just some big guy floating in space. That's a good way of putting it,actually.

Well, for starters, there's a space ship. Not just one guy floating along... in addition, a space suit set of armor would not be unusual. Would the antennae be a little odd? perhaps, but not a big deal really.

We'll leave aside further comic book related stuff, and just deal with the movie folks, lets see whose sillier than "giant space armor guy";
1) Alba is hotness incarnate, yet they make her look alien, for some reason.
2) big orange rock guy
3) Silver blob guy with a surf board.

Sure, those are TOTALLY not silly. Much better than "hey, look at that guy, he's got armor on... and it's purple!".

 

[Dire Bare]

You're proving the point about not paying attention during the movie because it WAS explained which planets Galactus consumes.

Not only do we have the Silver Surfer above the planet call to his master and specifically point out this one planet is ready for him, but we also later have the Surfer explain that Galactus needs the thermal AND life energy of planets.

I think that the giant holes were intentionally a bit mysterious at first. A BIT. Our heroes had no idea what they were for, AT FIRST. But Reed did figure it out and it was explained BEFORE Galactus came to Earth.

I figured out, as an audience member, pretty much right away what the holes were for. It was OBVIOUS. It doesn't take a lot of brain power to watch Galactus eat a planet in the first few minutes by extending cloudy tentacles boring into the planet . . . . and then watch the Surfer create giant holes all over the Earth. I almost immediately thought, "Ewww, those are for Galactus' big cloudy tentacle things!" Then again, I was paying attention and didn't have any preconceived grudges against the film (not a knock on any individual's here, just the FF4:RotSS nerd-bashing in general).