.jeri.

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.