Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (PG, 2007)

In the sequel FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER, wedding plans fall apart for Sue "Invisible Woman" Storm (Jessica Alba) and Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) when the Fantastic Four (who are rounded out by Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch) are called in to help investigate a series of mysterious craters and blasts of radiation occurring throughout the world. Turns out those inexplicable incidents are the work of the Silver Surfer (body acting by Doug Jones, voice by Laurence Fishburne), who's prepping Earth for the cosmic, planet-eating Galactus to devour. As nemeses go, the Silver Surfer pales compared to Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon). After the Silver Surfer's arrival brings him back to life, he wants nothing more than to swipe the powerful board for his own selfish purposes. So the Fantastic Four has a clear mission: Stop Von Doom and convince the Surfer to defy Galactus.

Let's get this out of the way: Yes, the sequel is much better than the original, which was universally panned. That doesn't mean that FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER reaches Spider-Man or Superman Returns heights -- but it also doesn't take itself as seriously. At 92 minutes, it's a short, easy-to-follow adventure that will amuse older kids without scaring younger ones.

There's no internal monologue, no introspective brooding a la Peter Parker or Kal-El. The foursome work together, live together, and do what's best for the common good -- well, except for Johnny, who sometimes lets his hubris get in the way. They also have fun doing what they do: Johnny even suggests that they attach sponsors' logos to their skin-tight uniforms, like racecar drivers. It's funny, and in today's celeb-obsessed society, quite believable that superheroes -- especially ones who look like Alba, Evans, and Gruffudd -- would get corporate endorsements, hounded by the paparazzi, and followed by the tabloids.

As a film series, the improved Fantastic Four looks poised for another outing. That might annoy hardcore fanboys, but it's just fine for families who don't mind their superhero mythology a little lighter and less intense.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Tim Story
Cast: Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release: June 15, 2007
DVD release: October 2, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo.