Took my own fantastic four (my 2 boys plus a friend each) to Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer the other day. What a blast!
This movie has received lukewarm and critical reviews from movie critics and comic officiandos.
That’s usually a sign it’ll be good.
And it was. It had everything you look for in a superhero flick, all in balance and in abundance:
- believable special FX (except for the dancefloor scene with Mr Fantastic, which looked like 1980s superimposing). Silver Surfer was … well, believable.
(And dare I say it: awesome!) - plot twists
- genuinely funny banter
- relational tension (every great comic has an element of soap opera)
- action, action and more action.
And the treatment of Galactus (I won’t spoil it with details) left the old comicbook Gigantic Dork look (pictured right) for dead.
Although. The following whispered conversation did take place when he eventually appeared:
Youngest Son: Where’s Galactus?
Me: That’s him.
Youngest Son: …No I want to see the real Galactus.
Me: That’s him. They’ve changed his look.
Youngest Son: (Unimpressed) …Oh. Ok.
Again, what we adults think is cool or nerdy may well look the opposite to kids. Ah, well.
I give this film 4/4!
***
On returning to the house, the 2 oldest boys headed straight to the computer (as they are wont to do) and looked up movie trailers (for the movie they’d just seen!). The following conversation transpired, which underlines the fact that our kids’ sense of world culture is just as fed by Hollywood as our Generation’s is was.
Boy 1: Hey! This trailer says the movie comes out on July 4th. It’s been out for two weeks.
Me: That’s an American trailer, we’re in Australia.
Boy 2: So?
Me: Well, they have a big holiday on July 4th and probably launched the movie then to get the crowds.
Boy 1: What holiday?
Me: It’s called Independence Day.
Boy 2: Oh yeah! I’ve seen that movie! It was cool!!
Way to be culturally aware, fellas. 
9 responses so far ↓
themolk // Jul 9, 2007 at 8:59 am
“Oh yeah! I’ve seen that movie! It was cool!”
As long as it stays like that, then that’ll make it easier, and save you the conversation of WHY Independence Day exists.
Am considering seeing FF:ROTSS… especially after seeing Transformers the other week - OMG! HOW COOL IS THAT FILM!!!
Pete // Jul 9, 2007 at 7:58 pm
“that’ll … save you the conversation of WHY Independence Day exists.” Heh heh! Heaven forbid I should educate my kids!
Then again, we Aussies know more about American history etc than we do our own - (Probably because it’s more interesting) - so maybe I should have taken the opporunity to explain Australia Day and its origins and meanings to them and …
… oh who am I kidding? I’m bored just thinking about it.
And Independence Day was a good movie…
Rick // Jul 9, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Thanks for a great review! I’m tired of the unwarranted criticism being heaped on this film. I’m a long-time FF comic reader and I loved the new movie. It’s great to hear an entire audience laughing and having fun, and also being silenced/in awe of great special effects and a good story. I think the film captured the essence of 40 years of comics in a great way.
Pete // Jul 10, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Exacto-mundo, Rick! I think them critics need clobberin’!
themolk // Jul 11, 2007 at 8:33 am
Well, it is clobberin’ time…
Bad Dad // Jul 13, 2007 at 1:03 am
A dad at work asked me yesterday when I’m seeing The Transformers. My reaction was “On DVD in six months.”
*sigh*
I want to go to the movies — to see a real adventure movie, not Shrek the Third.
Pete // Jul 13, 2007 at 10:23 am
I’m so so sorry, Roland. Shrek 3 pales into insignificance next to a Spielberg epic. Who’s stopping you from seeing Transformers?
Bad Dad // Jul 18, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Who’s stopping me? Hmm. I guess it’s myself. Guilt I suppose. I can’t have fun and stick my wife with watching 4 rambunctious boys. We don’t have babysitters and only ask our parents to watch the kids while we do non-frivilous needs. I’ve come to accept that.
Pete // Jul 18, 2007 at 5:06 pm
That’s a tough one bro. Responsbility and sacrifice certainly come with our roles as Dads and Other Halves.
But without (hopefully) trying to “fix” things for you, “all work and no play…” as it says in The Book of Smarmy Smartass Cliches, Chapter 7, verse 14.
Could you negotiate a trade-off with your wife? (Not that it’s good to start getting transactional in your marriage!)
Well, it’ll keep until the DVD comes out; War of the Worlds did for me. (I finally saw it last week!)
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