Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17161 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-10-08
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Special Edition, DTS Surround Sound
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 88 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Offering a real improvement on its predecessor and successfully introducing one of the world of comics’ most popular characters in the process, Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer easily warrants some attention on DVD to go with its impressive box office take.

Picking up where the surprisingly tepid original left off, Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer finds the Marvel Comics Universe’s first family dealing with the celebrity that their powers have brought them, to the point where even a simple wedding can’t take place without interruption.

The film then takes a little while to re-establish its characters and re-introduce some of the issues that underpin them. But it’s not too long before the Silver Surfer arrives, and things really get into gear. For make no mistake: it’s the Surfer who ignites the film and provides some of the very best moments of Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer. Backed up by some superb special effects work, he’s a far more interesting draw that the returning Julian McMahon as Dr Doom.

While there are, inevitably, various problems that each of the characters in Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer must face, the film never opts to go knee-deep into them. Instead, it chooses a light, breezy tone, that’s suited well to family viewing yet not without some genuine blockbuster moments.

It’s no classic, but Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer is most certainly fun. And it’s equally certain that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this quintet of heroes... --Jon Foster

DVD Description
Marvel's first family of superheroes, The Fantastic Four, meets their greatest challenge yet in Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer as the enigmatic, intergalactic herald, The Silver Surfer comes to Earth to prepare it for its destruction. As he races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy Dr. Doom before all hope is lost.

Synopsis
The sequel to the 2005 blockbuster FANTASTIC FOUR, RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER finds the Marvel superhero quartet of Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) facing an extraterrestrial threat in the form of the title character (played by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne), an enigmatic being whose presence on Earth could signal the planet's end. Amidst the ensuing action, Reed and Sue attempt to tie the knot, and an old foe (Dr. Doom, portrayed by Julian McMahon) waits in the wings, allowing for plenty of levity and drama.
This FANTASTIC FOUR outing, once again directed by Tim Story, gets much of its verve from the Silver Surfer himself. Played by Jones, an actor best known for his dual roles in PAN'S LABYRINTH, the Surfer is more than just CGI sheen, with subtle movements that seem truly alien and a voice of supreme gravitas, courtesy of Fishburne. Reed and Sue deal with wedding woes, while the fiery Johnny (aka The Human Torch) and a rock-solid Ben (The Thing) provide an extra dose of humour in a power-switching plot, making the film much lighter than other Marvel offerings.

Customer Reviews

"Wherever this thing goes, it leaves dead worlds in its wake."
Despite being one of the mainstays of Marvel's superhero pantheon, when the Fantastic Four hit the screens for the first time it was met with unfair critical reviews. The sequel has also unfortunately met the same treatment.
Because the Marvel films to date have been firmly rooted on Earth (see X-men, Spider-Man, Blade and The Punisher), Fantastic Four has always been the science fiction branch of the Marvel Universe.
This is both a blessing and a curse as it allows you to explore much bigger ideas but at the same time puts the film firmly into the sci-fi / fantasy genres.
Fans of the Fantastic Four will probably not enjoy how they have taken the story from the original FF issues 48 - 50 but as a Marvel comics fan for 30 years I found this film to be a good ride.
The developing relationships between the characters is explored and the pre-wedding jitters for both Reed and Sue are amusing to say the least.
However, most people are watching this for two things in particular, the Silver Surfer and Galactus. The Surfer is well realised with Doug (Abe Sapien) Jones providing the body, some great CGI and Laurence (Morpheus) Fishburn providing the voice.
The film starts slow but when the first anomalies occur and the Surfer makes his appearance on Earth the film kicks up a notch. With Victor Von Doom up to his old tricks, the military hampering the FF's efforts to communicate with the Surfer, an unstable power situation for Johnny and the countdown to the end of the world you get a classic FF story updated for modern cinema.
If I had one issue with the film is that it should've been done as a two-parter, dealing with the Surfer in this part and tackling Galactus in the second. The story really needed more time to explore all the characters and do a little more on the Surfer's relationship to Galactus. Although the conclusion and the final showdown between the FF, the Surfer, Doom and Galactus feels a little rushed, it's still an enjoyable romp. The realisation of Galactus is also very well done, especially as it would now seem a little camp to have a giant man standing over the city dressed in a blue and purple suit.
So, if you enjoyed the first movie, give this one a try and if you just enjoy a fun superhero movie then this is definitely worth a look.
Flame on!

For this complete package, a well deserved 5 stars
I had high hopes for this movie and in the main they have been fulfilled.
The Surfer is one of Marvel's great icons and no doubt some will be disappointed by this movie due to their own high expectations.
The single disc would have got 4 stars but this two disc version is well deserving of 5 stars for the package as a whole.
The story worked for me, a modern version of FF 48-50 with Doctor Doom returning to steal the Surfer's board and hence his powers then taking on the FF, unaware that Galactus is getting closer to the Earth. Wisely it was decided the old comic version of Galactus would not work here and he has had a full make-over, although fans do get a good view of the classic headpiece as its shadow reflects against a planet. The devourer himself is only hinted at. Another nice tribute is the appearance of Stan Lee himself in his cameo role as he tries to attend the wedding of Sue and Reed. In the original comic (FF King Size 3) he and the Surfer's creator Jack Kirby are shown trying to enter the wedding unsuccessfully.
Yet again the acting highlights are Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans as the duelling team-mates who do seem to get a kick out of their characters.
Where this package wins for me is the second disc, especially the 39 minute documentary on the phenomenon of the Surfer with contributions from Marvel greats Stan Lee, Jim Starlin, Steve Engelhart and many others that cover the many years that I missed and am now catching up on. There's also the "Making Of.." documentary, which although has now become an obligatory extra still comes up with some interesting details. The hint that Sue is pregnant for one, will Agatha Harkness be around for the next movie if Franklin makes an appearance?
For the next movie, it has to be the Sub-Mariner or, at the very least, please bring on the Skrulls or Annihilus.

Silver Surfer comes to Earth
This movie has a little bit of everything, The action sequences and SFX are above par, there is enough cheese to keep you smiling .What I like about the movie is that characters and the world around them are comfortable with our hero's powers and responsibilities, which helps give the movie a genuine comic book feel. Even as the characters themselves are vulnerable enough to make them human. You get the feeling that the director (Tim Story) and writers (Frost and Payne) wanted to make a superhero movie, and were prepared to sacrifice the self-indulgence that has marred the Spiderman Trilogy and the turgid morality teachings of the X-men series.

The characters aren't without their charm least of all Ioan Gruffudd who leads nicely from the front as Reed Richards, Jessica Alba illuminates the screen with her blend of beauty and strength as Sue Storm. Chiklis and Evans support admirably as The Thing and Human Torch respectively. The smartest touch was the return of Julian McMahon as the malevolent and diabolical Dr Doom who adds the much needed element of treachery to the movie. The Silver Surfer is the films finest work however, radiant with mystique, power and vulnerability. Tim Story does a great job of keeping the Silver Surfer's sense of martyrdom prevalent towards the end.
My only pet peeve is that the film is much too short and the Galactus dilemma. With all of the CGI at their fingertips, and this was the best they could do for Galactus? I think this will be the major sore spot for many fans. One can't help but feel slighted by the producers concept of Galactus. If, as I have heard from the rumor mill, that the makers of the film are planning to unveil Galactus in either the next Fantastic Four or the Silver Surfer spin-off, then I suppose I could partly forgive them. After all, that has been the problem with so many comic book adaptations: too many villains

Either you like the first movie or you like to see Silver surfer in action, you can watch it. After my viewing of this I also started to feel that Stan Lee and Marvel have an obsession with embarrassing club dancing this year (see also Spider-man 3). But it helps that the cast are having a lot more fun this time. They're engagingly relaxed and allowed to deepen the characters and play around with the iconography. Honestly, this is how the first film should have been, and it bodes well for more to come. The world is saved and the next challenge awaits.