Who ya gonna call when you learn an eerie force from outer space plans to devour Planet Earth? The Fantastic Four, of course! Surely, with their combined super powers, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Human Torch and The Thing should be able to stop the imminent destruction of our world. However, in Rise of the Silver Surfer, these superheroes face their most powerful enemy, and, unfortunately, it’s quite a chore watching them deal with this devastating intergalactic challenge -- except for those wonderful close-ups of Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic, that is.       

Okay, I admit being biased concerning Gruffudd, who just happens to be the most photogenic young actor appearing in movies today. Please stop groaning, all you Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Hartnett fans out there. Granted, Jake and Josh look mighty good too -- but Ioan is in a class by himself. The camera seems to love him almost as much as it does Johnny Depp. He’s also a terrific actor. If you haven’t seen his riveting performance in Amazing Grace or his brilliant work in TV’s Horatio Hornblower mini-series, shame on you.

Anyway, back to Rise of the Silver Surfer. As in the first Fantastic Four film, Gruffudd plays Reed Richards, who’s called Mr. Fantastic because of his scientific acumen and physical elasticity. “It’s always very exciting to revisit a character because you’ve had a chance to play him in the past,” Gruffudd said. “I’ve evolved a little bit over the past two years and grown older, so Reed has evolved and has much more confidence and is much more in control. He’s much more of a leader this time. He’s happy in his position as being leader of the Fantastic Four.”

In Rise of the Silver Surfer, elaborate wedding plans are underway for Reed and Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba). Naturally, Johnny Storm/The Human Torch (Chris Evans) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Michael Chiklis) are scheduled to be in attendance. However, it’s hard to concentrate on any kind of plans when strange things begin happening all over the world, such as huge craters appearing in various lands, snow falling in the desert, and oceans freezing over.

Because of Reed’s immense scientific talent, he’s asked to help the government find out what’s causing such unnatural events. And, guess what? A beautiful silver creature (voiced unconvincingly by the usually great Laurence Fishburne) on a matching cosmic-powered board seems to be the culprit. He’s traveling through space as the herald of Galactus, the destroyer of planets. And he shows up uninvited at Reed and Sue’s wedding. Naturally, chaos ensues. Talk about an annoying wedding crasher!

Johnny, Sue’s brother (aka The Human Torch) heads out after the shiny silver guy. Although unsuccessful, he ends up with weird powers of his own. Touching Johnny causes Fantastic Four members to transfer their special abilities to each other.  Needless to say, they become very confused, which I think is supposed to amuse viewers. Sadly, no chuckles were heard at the screening I attended.     

Will Reed and Sue ever get married? Who finally communicates with the Silver Surfer? Why has he accepted such a horrible mission? How did arch-villain Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) escape his fate from the last movie, and why is he involved in this one? Heady issues, I know. Too bad learning the answers isn’t as much fun as asking the questions.

Rise of the Silver Surfer disappointed me. Despite the cheesy special effects in the first Fantastic Four movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This sequel features better special effects, especially that incredible-looking title character, but the story comes across like a Saturday morning kiddie cartoon. Still, I feel guilty complaining so much about a movie that showcases the fantastic Ioan Gruffudd in all his glory (he actually dances in one scene!). I can't help believing any movie with Gruffudd in it is worth seeing -- even this one.     

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