When it comes to the first Fantastic Four, I didn't hate it or anything but in more ways than one it could have been better as well. This sequel is an improvement in quite a few ways, but hampered by some of the flaws of the first film.

The story had a great idea, had great potential and started off very well indeed. But in the middle I think it slackened in the pace and the story became less interesting and rather repetitive as a result. Also the film does have some cheesy and cringe-worthy dialogue especially in the one-liners, Reed and Doom unfortunately getting the worst of the lot.

However, as I've said, there are several improvements. First and foremost, Silver Surfer. Silver Surfer alone is a more interesting character than any of the characters in the first movie, with a great design and performed just as impressively by the talented Laurence Fishburne. The special effects are incredible and greater in scope than the first, and the scenery is beautifully realised and perfectly captured by the crisp photography. Doom while having some bad lines is more intriguing here and developed and incorporated much better, and Julian McMahon's performance is deliciously evil and camp. Tim Story's direction is much more assured this time round too, John Ottman's score fits better here as well and the overall is shorter and better rounded off with a more exciting and less long-winded climax. The acting in general has also improved, while they are still the weak links in the cast Ioan Gruffodd and Jessica Alba's chemistry feels more natural and both feel more relaxed in their roles too. Michael Chiklis acquits himself even better, and Chris Evans provides the film's most amusing moments.

All in all, imperfect but improved sequel. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I loathed the first FANTASTIC FOUR movie with a passion, so when I saw that this sequel was on TV I wasn't really considering watching it. In the event, nothing else was on, so I decided to give it a try. It was everything I expected, and nothing more.

The best thing you can say about this film is that it's slightly better than the first. I find 'origin' stories long-winded and often boring, but that's not the case here. The film straight away gets on with the (slim) plot, so there's not a lot of time for boredom. However, there is a lot of silliness, mostly involving some excruciating CGI effects used to animate Ioan Gruffudd's stretchy arms and legs.

Amid this kid's stuff, there's a very, very thin plot about the titular character, who flies around the world, causing disaster and making craters in the ground. After a couple of lacklustre set-pieces at the London Eye and Black Forest, there's an unsurprising twist, a briefly seen and rather ludicrous super-baddie (the size of a planet) and the unwelcome return of ultra-stiff actor Julian McMahon as the ludicrously named villain, Victor Von Doom.

Gruffudd has the decency to look mildly embarrassed at all this, and Jessica Alba's acting is absolutely diabolical. Chris Evans is, once again, irritating, and only Michael Chiklis seems to be having fun as the guy made out of rock. The silver surfer is well animated (you can see that's where the money went),voiced by Laurence Fishburne and occasionally acted by the skinny guy in a suit Doug Jones (HELLBOY),but otherwise there's little of interest here for adults in what is definitely a kid's film.

Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd),Invisible Woman/Sue Storm (Jessica Alba),Human Torch/Johnny Storm (Chris Evans),and The Thing/Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) make up the Fantastic 4. This time they are much more like a bickering family. Reed and Sue are getting married, but superhero stuff keep getting in the way. They introduce the mysterious character of the Silver Surfer, and Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon) is back causing problems.

The best part of this movie is the family dynamics. They feel like a real family having family problems. They have much more chemistry this time around. The most fascinating must be the Silver Surfer. He's definitely the character with the most promise. But he's neither the good guy nor the bad guy. The moral ambiguity really muddies the waters. It's fascinating. The most disappointing must be Galactus. For a planet destroyer, the ending seems too tame. The final confrontation just wasn't special enough.