Roger Ebert concluded his review of the first Fantastic Four movie with “the really good super-hero movies like Superman, Spider-Man 2 and Batman Begins, leave Fantastic Four so far behind that the movie should almost be ashamed to show itself in some of the same theaters.” I think this comment could also be said about the film's dreadful sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

The superhero quartet known as the Fantastic Four includes Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) and fiancée Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba), Sue’s brother Johnny/The Human Torch (Chris Evans), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Michael Chiklis). Reed and Sue are looking forward to getting married after several unsuccessful attempts to become hitched. Each time they try to tie the knot, they've had to stop mid-ceremony in order to defeat various villains bent on wreaking havoc on Earth.

Sue yearns to live her life free from constant danger and scrutiny from the tabloid press. However, before she and Reed can make Ben and Chris aware of their desire to leave the Fantastic Four, New York City finds itself in complete darkness because of a severe power failure which has led to the shutdown of major airports across the eastern part of the United States.

Meanwhile, giant craters keep sprouting up around the world. The Earth’s climate is also suddenly and drastically changing. Deserts have become frozen landscapes. The U.S. military decide global warming isn't a factor here because their satellites have taken several blurred images of what they believe is a comet responsible for all the damage and climate issues. But what the military incorrectly labeled a comet poses a far deadlier threat to the world. The Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne) has orbited the Earth on his giant surfboard and touched down to create these craters. The Surfer, who takes his orders from a cosmic entity named Galactus, is required to lead him to planets he can devour. In return, Galactus promises not to destroy the Silver Surfer’s home planet. Will the  Fantastic Four be able to use their collective powers to defeat the Silver Surfer?

Unfortunately, the script for this sequel lacks creativity. And all four leads, whose characters come across as one dimensional, appear uncomfortable with their stiff and unnatural dialogue. Except for a few scenes where Sue struggles with wanting to be normal rather than a superhero, the writers never probe beneath the surface to explore their characters’ sacrifices, flaws, and inner turmoil. Furthermore, we never learn much about the Silver Surfer's planet and what transpired with Galactus before he actually touched down on Earth. It’s too bad director Tim Story’s heavy-handed direction focused entirely on special effects rather than plot. 

(Released by 20th Century Fox and rated "PG" for sequences of action violence, some mild language and innuendo.)