Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics comic Fantastic Four. It was directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox. It is the third live-action Fantastic Four film to be filmed, it being the sequel to the first film, a reboot of the B-movie from 1994.
Plot[]
A silver object enters Earth's atmosphere, radiating cosmic energy that creates massive molecular fluctuations and causes deep craters at locations across the Earth. The government approaches Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) to track the movements of the object.
Reed and Susan Storm (Jessica Alba} prepare for their wedding. As the wedding begins, Reed's systems detect the phenomenon approaching New York City. The object destroys the sensors while the Fantastic Four protect the crowd. Johnny Storm (Chris Evans}, pursues the object, finding that it is a humanoid, a "Silver Surfer" (Doug Jones/Laurence Fishburne). He confronts the Surfer, who drags Johnny into the upper atmosphere then drops him back toward Earth. Johnny manages to reactivate his powers and survives the fall, landing in a desert. Later, when Susan tries to check Johnny for illnesses, she touches his forehead and their powers switch—he becomes invisible, and she is set on fire; when they touch again their powers revert. Reed's examination of Johnny reveals that exposure to the Surfer has set Johnny's molecular structure in flux, allowing him to switch powers with his teammates through physical contact.
Tracing the cosmic energy of the Surfer, Reed discovers that a series of planets the Surfer visited previously had all been destroyed eight days after and that he has been creating deep artificial craters around the globe for some unknown purpose. Reed determines that the next crater will appear in London, and the team travels there. They arrive too late to stop the crater, and the Thames drains into it. The Surfer's movements around the globe bring him past Latveria, where the cosmic energy affects Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), freeing him from two years as a metal statue. Doom, able to move again but scarred, traces the Surfer to the Russell Glacier and makes him an offer to join forces. When the Surfer rebuffs him, Doom attacks. The Surfer returns fire, blasting Doom through the ice, though the cosmic energy of the Surfer's blast heals Doom's body instead of killing him.
Doom returns and leverages his experience into a deal with the United States military, who have the Fantastic Four work with Doom reluctantly. Deducing that the Surfer's board is the source of his power, Reed develops a pulse generator that will separate him from it, while Victor works on an unknown remote-like device. In the Black Forest, Susan is confronted by the Surfer, during which he reveals he is merely a servant to the destroyer of worlds and regrets the destruction he causes. The military opens fire on the Surfer, which distracts him and allows the four to fire the pulse, separating the Surfer from his board. The military imprisons the Surfer in Siberia, while they torture him for information. Susan uses her powers to sneak into his cell, where she learns his master is known on his homeworld as Galactus, a cosmic entity which feeds on life-bearing planets to survive, and that the Surfer's board is a homing beacon leading Galactus to Earth.
Doom, pursuing the power in the board, steals it from the compound, using the wrist-pad device he created in secret to gain control of the board and its powers. Doom subdues several soldiers, kills General Hager and escapes to China. The Fantastic Four rescue the Surfer, and pursue Doom in the Fantasticar, confronting him in Shanghai. During the showdown, Susan is impaled in the chest protecting the Surfer from a spear from Doom. With the Surfer powerless, Johnny absorbs the combined powers of the entire team in order to battle the cosmic energy-empowered Doom. Johnny succeeds in breaking Doom's control over the Surfer's board, while Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) uses a nearby crane to knock Doom into the harbor. Galactus has already arrived however, and Susan dies in Reed's arms. The Surfer regains the control of his board, and his power is restored, which he uses to revive Susan and to defend Earth, flying into Galactus with help from Johnny. The conflict results in a massive blast of energy, engulfing Galactus in a cosmic rift, destroying it, and seemingly the Surfer as well. Johnny's second exposure to the Surfer heals him, and he can no longer switch his powers with his teammates.
Shortly after the events in Shanghai, Reed and Susan get married in Japan, only to be interrupted yet again by an alert that Venice is sinking into the sea; to Reed's delight, Sue has the wedding finish quickly before they race off to save the city.
In a mid-credits scene, a shot of the Silver Surfer shows his seemingly lifeless body floating through space, until his eyes open and his board races back towards him.
Cast[]
- Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic
- Jessica Alba as Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards / Invisible Woman
- Chris Evans as Johnny Storm / Human Torch
- Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm / The Thing
- Julian McMahon as Dr. Victor Von Doom
- Kerry Washington as Alicia Masters
- Andre Braugher as General Hager
- Doug Jones/Laurence Fishburne as the Silver Surfer
- Beau Garrett as Captain Raye
- Brian Posehn as Wedding Minister
- Zach Grenier as Mr. Sherman / Rafke
- Vanessa Minnillo as Johnny's Wedding Date
- Stan Lee as Rejected Wedding Guest