Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans

Intent is so important. The law recognises it, and so should the film community. The problem with ''Transformers'' (well, one of the problems) was its fuzzy, ill-defined tone. One minute it was a serious war movie, the next it was a cutesy sci-fi piece with babyish robots, here and there it even turned into a teen sex comedy. While ''Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer'' is aimed at a similar demographic and undoubtedly has its weaknesses, it does not descend into ''Transformers''-like mediocrity because it has a clear vision. Director Tim Story and the screenwriters put their tongues in their cheeks from the outset and only remove them when it’s appropriate. ''FF:ROTSS'' is supposed to be a camp popcorn movie – it didn’t turn out that way thanks to a shoddy script or incompetent direction.

After dispensing with Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon) in the first film, the Fantastic Four have become celebrities and are not ashamed to cash in on their fame (a nice contemporary twist). Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) are trying to plan their wedding, but are forever interrupted by one emergency or another. They manage to get as far as the altar, when the mother of all catastrophies hits: a powerful interstellar being known as The Silver Surfer (Laurence Fishburne) is disrupting weather patterns and changing the consistency of matter itself, and worse, is a herald for a monstrous, planet-devouring force known as Galactus. Oh, and the Surfer’s ability to alter matter brings another problem back to life…

While its dialogue is often too glib by half and some of its jokes are puerile, ''FF: ROTSS'' has enough going for it to work as light entertainment. There is the strong characterisation inherent in the source material (did Stan Lee ever create a weak character?) and the actors juggle serious and camp moments with aplomb. In general, the special effects are of a high standard too – Reed’s stretching leaves a lot to be desired, but the Human Torch/Silver Surfer chase sequence and the parching of the Thames are sights to behold.

In brief, ''FF:ROTSS'' does what it does well enough for its shortcomings to be forgivable. No one is ever going to put it on the same level as ''Spider-Man 2'' or ''X-Men 2'', but it did not really deserve the scorching it got from many critics on its theatrical release.

Extras-wise, there is 'Family Bonds: The Making of FF: ROTSS'' - Split into pre-production and production, this is an exhaustive behind-the-scenes documentary. ‘Exhaustive’ should be a good thing, but it lacks structure or an over-arching angle; it’s like watching an extended home movie. While it provides a good sense of what went into making FF: ROTSS, it will struggle to hold your attention.

Also, 'Sentinel of the Spaceways: The Comic Book Origins of the Silver Surfer''. If you own any other Marvel adaptations you’ll know just what to expect from this fabulous 40-minute documentary. It charts the Silver Surfer’s 1965 origins as a bad guy in the Fantastic Four comic, up to his resurgent popularity in the ’90s and how he looks today. Stan Lee, plus various writers and artists, speak at length.

There are two audio commentaries. The first - Director Tim Story serves up a candid commentary, offering explanations for many creative choices, including Reed Richards’ miraculously stretching clothes; Commentary 2 -This one from Marvel head honcho Avi Arad plus assorted writers, editors and producers is not a patch on Story’s effort. There is additional information to be gleaned if you’re committed enough to sit through it.

There's also Extended and Deleted Scenes. While they’re not bad viewing on their own (the additional wedding gags featuring The Thing and The Torch are good for a chuckle), these are best watched with Tim Story’s insightful commentary.

Some Pre-vis Scenes are also there. These are just basic animations plotting out extra scenes and conceptualising certain sequences. Again with optional commentary from Story.

''Fantasticar: State of the Art Shows'' how the Fantastic Four’s badly dated vehicles were updated and designed for the film. Does get quite technical in parts.

And last but not least, 'The Four Elements'' - an analysis of the FF characters and how their disparate personalities kept the comic book fresh, helped flesh out its themes and contributed to its longevity. Fantastic stuff, if you’ll pardon the lame pun.

A DVD set as attractive as Jessica Alba in tight lycra. Almost.

Rating :
Reviewer : Kris Ashton