I was surprised when I heard about this second movie featuring the Fantastic Four was going to be made, because I didn't think the first movie was that much of a hit. In fact, I dollared that one, and remember liking it just enough to give it a passing grade, despite a lot of cheesiness.

This movie, in which the Four are simultaneously dealing with the pressures of a celebrity/action-hero life and the impending end of the world, is a much better production. It rated PG, which means the action isn't very extreme, but the overall mood of the Four's movies isn't quite as serious as other comic adaptations, and so there doesn't seem to be a need for anything too dark or deep. I'm not sure the PG rating would make a difference for kids, since it doesn't seem targeted at them so much. In fact, since the group almost disbands because Sue and Reed want to go live life on a farm and be normal, I'm pretty sure the kids would have no idea of how to identify with those sentiments.

At any rate, the star of the show is, of course, the Silver Surfer. I had a hard time during the previews, because I was wondering why they would name the movie after a villain, but now that I've seen it, everything makes sense. His demeanor, his look, and his "boss" are amazing and make the movie completely worthwhile.

I don't have much else to say, but that I'm surprised it didn't receive more attention. I think some people expect FF to be like all of the other comic book movies, but the fact that it has a lighter tone is what makes it fun to me. I go in knowing that no one's going to be brooding too much, and I'll tell you one thing - no one in this movie went emo on us, and that in itself probably makes this a better movie than Spider-Man 3.

I've caught up to being only 2 weeks behind! Ric and I saw this on the 4th because we had nothing better to do, which reminds me, I really need to plan in advance for holidays more often. It's more fun that way.

I didn't watch Transformers as a child - they were for boys. So, seeing this movie wasn't exactly a top priority for me, but Ric was a fan of the show, and I was promised entertainment, so I went. The story is basically about a loner high school kid who buys a used car that turns out to be a transformer, a giant robot-alien thing named Bumblebee who is on Earth looking for a box called the all-spark with his friends, hoping to find it before their enemies find it and destroy the earth.

The plot involves some pretty horrible scenes, including a painful sequence where all the high school boy has to do is run into his house and grab a pair of glasses while the transformers wait outside. Of course, it's drawn out for a really long time, his parents are annoying, they embarrass him around his girl friend, and the transformers step on his parents' flower beds. Add to that John Turturro in his worst role ever as the most annoying character I've seen in quite some time, who simply needs to ask the boy to talk for a minute to explain what his secret government agency does, but ends up in a lame scene where he's tied to a pole in his boxer shorts. Scenes like these were most likely added for comedic effect, but weren't necessary because the lead role, played by Shia LaBeouf, was funny enough on his own. Not to mention the terrible racial stereotypes going on in other scenes.

But if you can get past all of that, as I did, this is basically a cool-looking battle between a bunch of transformers, with a likable guy and an unattainable girl (for him) thrown in the mix. The special effects are cool, and the entertainment is plenty. I liked it overall, but thought it had the potential to be a much greater film. But it was a product Michael Bay, so what did I expect?