Greats of Yester-year: Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer

Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer was released with thunderously low expectations. Despite a large box-office haul for the original, the treatment of the material (considering it was this same summer that Christopher Nolan gave us his reboot of Batman) had earned the movie an intensely negative reaction.

For a far superior film about a mostly-functional super hero family, viewers had to look no farther than Pixar's 'The Incredibles.'

So given the low-expectations for the 'Fantastic' sequel, it was incredibly refreshing to see a teaser that not only looked to improve vastly upon the original, but in its breathless two-minute run time gave viewers an amazing new character from the comics who promised to be a terrific foil for the super-family.

The teaser for 'Silver Surfer' does so many things right, it's amazing more films don't follow suit. First, it keeps dialogue to a minimum, staying almost entirely visual, and only allowing in one quick exchange.

Second, it wisely plays an abbreviated version of one whole sequence from the early part of the film, rather than a montage of images or a truncated version of the whole picture.

Finally, it gives the audience some of the best shots of the whole film in its precious two minutes, including the money shot of the Surfer revealing himself as he emerges from the solid wall of a building he has just thrown through, and a stunning shot of him letting one of our heroes fall back to earth from low orbit after having carried him there on his flying board.

But perhaps most impressively? It actually manages to make you gasp. A short story that you have less than two minutes invested in, and it actually makes you jump.

When a mysterious blue comet falls from the sky and starts guiding itself as only a living being on a silver surf board could, Johnny Storm, the mouth of the Fantastic Four, sheds his new tuxedo and bursts into flame, chasing the blue comet (as he can, of course, fly too).

Johnny, who the trailer establishes is very fast and powerful himself, chases the surfer through Manhattan and into the Lincoln Tunnel, where the silver being seems to melt right through whatever solid object heads his way.

Where the trailer grabs you by the throat is when Johnny almost manages to catch the surfer, but is surprised when the shiny being whips around like a hawk and stops him dead (grabbing him by the throat -- thank you) and dragging a helpless hero into the lower atmosphere before letting him drop into a free-fall that will surely kill him, although (SPOILER!) it doesn't.

This display of power and viciousness come as something of a surprise in the otherwise light 'Fantastic' series and serves to get the audience's attention. I can recall seeing this preview with a full crowd before a movie in late '06 and hearing people remark at the sight of the surfer dropping Johnny to earth from space.

It keeps with a smart few trailers that wisely know they need only show one good scene to hook their audience and get them to the theater, and it makes sure that you know -- this sequel means business.

Until next time!