DVD Release Date:  October 2, 2007
Theatrical Release Date:  June 15, 2007
Rating: PG (for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo)
Genre:  Action/Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Adventure
Run Time:  92 min.
Director:  Tim Story
Actors:  Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Andre Braugher, Laurence Fishburne

You may recall that in Fantastic 4, an experimental space voyage went awry, and four people were zapped by cosmic rays and caught in a mysterious hyper-electrical dimension. After the accident, the handsome Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), inventor and group leader, found that he suddenly had the ability to stretch his body.

His former girlfriend, genetic researcher, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), gained the ability to turn invisible and create force fields. The skeptical pilot, Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), became a powerful rock-like creature, and Sue’s cocky brother, Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) found he could set himself on fire at will.  Together, they teamed up to thwart the insidious plans of the evil Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) and save the world.

Now, in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, it is years later, and the world is once again at risk.  This time, scientists have found that there are an increasing number of anomalies in nature—including the icing up of a sea in Japan and the sphinx in Egypt.  Something—or someone—is creating large holes in the earth and sea, and the earth’s energy seems to be under the control of some outside force.  So, the U.S. military, under the leadership of General Hager (Andre Braugher), approaches the Fantastic Four team to get some help in solving the mystery.

The problem is that Reed and Sue are trying to get married, and every time they try there is a major interruption of epic proportions.  True to pattern, just as they’re taking their vows in a posh New York outdoor venue, Reed gets the word that the radiation levels in his area are at explosive levels, and it hits him that something is about to hit the city.  Sure enough, something instantly careens into the area, hitting the paparazzi helicopter that’s photographing the wedding and causing the whole superhero team to have to spring into action to save the day.

Johnny Storm follows the non-human mysterious streak that caused the problem and finds out that it’s a lightning-speed cosmic air surfer called “The Silver Surfer” (Laurence Fishburne).  He loses a battle with the foe in the sky and has to regroup with his team to find out where the guy gets his power.