Customer Reviews

Fantastic Four Collection (Fantastic Four/ Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Short resumed Director Tim Story has done an excellent job with the film adaptation of the Marvel super-hero gang The Fantastic 4. He brought on a terrific cast, used some great special effects and made a couple of movies that the whole family can enjoy together.

The criticism for the Fantastic 4 series seems to center around two similar objections. 1) Fans of the comic books are dissatisfied with the less intense film adaptations. And 2) The series is too light and family oriented. Indeed, those are valid objections if you've come looking for Marvel adaptations like The Blade Trilogy, Daredevil or The Punisher. Even the Spider-Man and the X-Men trilogies far exceed Fantastic 4 in adult-oriented content.

The Fantastic 4 series holds up quite well as a family franchise. The stories are very well put together. There are funny moments and there's great action. The acting cast is good and they take their roles seriously. Sure, the movies get campy at times. But, c'mon...it's a 1960s comic book adaptation. But the modern twists and especially the modern special effects make these films thoroughly entertaining for young and old.

Fun movies, and the sequel is even better than the original.

I decided to get this 2-movie set version for the value and convenience. The original Fantastic Four movie disc offers the movie in Widescreen with a couple of featurettes. The Silver Surfer movie disc shows the movie in Full Screen format on side A and Widescreen on side B with commentary available. While I didn't expect all the bells and whistles on the second film that was offered in the other released editions, it would have been nice to have one featurette included.
I enjoyed both movies as entertaining diversions. The special effects are quite good. The characters continue the first film's fun banter in the second film. However, don't expect great depth into the characters.

Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer are two great films, I love the second one and the first one has some funny moments. Defintely one to get if you love the comic book. Great holiday gift purchase. Enjoy!

I really liked this movie, you have to go into this movie not expecting a classic & you will be very pleased, the effects were great, I was not happy with the Galactis cloud, like everyone else, but the rest was very good.

Very pleased with the quality of this dvd. Used products are generally not in very good condition. Will continue to buy from this seller in the future.

I really hoped this movie would resemble the X-Men Trilogy (X-Men/ X2 - X-Men United/ X-Men - The Last Stand), which I thought was a model of how to transform a comic book into a movie.

Unfortunately, Fantastic Four falls a bit flat. That casting is part of the problem. I thought Chris Evans was funny as Johnny "Torch." However, Jessica Alba as a scientist? I'm sorry, that's just casting so against type that it doesn't work. There's also no plot or emotional depth. The film tries to add some morality with Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), but it just seems superficial (an the silly orange costume doesn't help).

The real problem is Julian McMahon as Victor Van Doom. I've always said a good movie needs a compelling villain. Van Doom's just a horrible, superficial villain. His only motive appears to be the lust for more power - so boring and cliche. He also has some of the corniest lines in the movie. For example, during the middle of the climatic fight scene, when zapping Jessica Alba with lightning, he says "Susan, you're fired!" That really breaks the mood and tension of the scene.

It's probably worth watching Fantastic Four once if you like action movies, but this isn't a keeper.

Overall, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is better than its predecessor. The acting, effects, and plot are all a step up. The movie also has more memorable and emotionally poignant scenes (such as when Ben and Johnny sit in a bar discussing how they would spend their last minutes, Ben scaring the bear away...).

I'm still not crazy as Julian McMahon as Van Doom - and he still says corny lines in the middle of battles - but he's not so central to this movie. On the other hand, the Silver Surfer makes for a much better villain - mysterious, cool, and powerful. I like the end - a bit of The Day the Earth Stood Still (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition).

I still don't think it's quite as good as the X-Men Trilogy, but Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is at least not quite as careless an effort.

Just a note for concerned audiences: there are a few sexual innuendoes in the movies. They'll fly right over the head of most kids, but might be worth mentioning.

The first one is better than the second, but as a pair (I watched them one after the other) it was a great story. The characters are well drawn in the first movie, but in the second it's all about the wedding. Character development is not continued.

Excellent stories from the fantastic four, very nice special efects, colorful scenes, very remarkable. The Marvel comics again make a goal.

This was a fun adventure for kids and adults alike. I will enjoy these movies many times in the future

I was real happy with the purchase. I bought it for a great price and received it rather quickly. I'll be sure to get all my stuff from Amazon.