Okay, I lied. We haven't seen Surf's Up yet, but we did see...

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

This one was, well, fantastic. Very cool. As is often the case with sequels, we didn't have to spend too much time on the origins for the uninitiated, which sometimes gives rise to a lack of plotting. But the plot of this one delivered. The first movie necessarily focused on the characterization of Ben Grim (The Thing) and how he dealt, or more appropriately didn't deal with his metamorphosis. In the sequel, everyone else gets some development while Ben has settled more or less into his role. We see Reed trying to carve out time and energy for his renewed relationship with Sue, Sue trying to get married despite disaster interrupting every attempt, and Johnny basically trying to overcome being a hot-headed screwup, and all of them dealing with celebrity. I love where Sue is watching E! and they are bashing her fashion sense.

The Surfer (voiced by Lawrence Fishburne) is visually very slick looking. The character is stuffy and reserved, which means they nailed the Surfer; it was amazing how they could get so much range out of a smooth cgi face. Finally, Julian McMahon returns as Victor von Doom, a great reprise of his villainous role. We'll buy this one the day it hits the shelf. ****