Maybe it’s just low expectations talking, but Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is one of the surprise delights of this summer’s spectacle-driven slate of overcooked franchise films. Whereas Spider-Man 3 and Pirates 3 tried to keep viewers interested through so much eye candy, everyone leaves the theater with a sugar high, FF 2 opts for a more streamlined approach that, in some ways, seems much fresher than the desire to out-pixilate previous installments.Not that FF 2 doesn’t have its huge share of great action scenes. In the course of a swift 90-minute running time, this film travels to Cairo, New York, London, the Black Forest, Siberia, the Great Wall of China and Shanghai. Of course, it doesn’t linger long in any locale, but the way the action scenes integrate iconic landmarks lends authenticity, especially the battle between the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer around the gargantuan London Eye ferris wheel. After 2005’s flameout of a predecessor, which lacked even the barest trappings of a plot, and seemed more like a superpower demonstration expo and a chance for Jessica Alba to fall out of her clothes, FF 2 constructs a more coherent story. As Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are about to get married, a herald of planetary destruction, the Silver Surfer rides some cosmic rays to earth, and mayhem ensues. It’s a complicated plot, so the best way to appreciate it is to just go along for the ride and surf through all the pseudo-mythological mumbo jumbo until the fun happens.It’s clear that this is still a comic book movie that kids under the age of 13 will enjoy the most. The drama is kept to a minimum, since the Fantastic Four themselves have made using their superpowers seem so routine and boring. When the Human Torch switches powers with the other characters, you would think he just swapped costumes, not life forces. But with all the superhero flicks today that try to elevate the source material through psychoanalyzing the characters, it’s actually a joy to have a movie that accepts the comic book genre’s down-to-earth, gee-whiz spirit, and doesn’t get lost in any attempts to be taken seriously. While a delightful escape from the bloated, oppressive threequels cluttering the cineplexes that are supposed to be escapist, but really overwhelm, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer provides the entertaining illusion that life’s problems can be solved with a flick of the wrist, and gives some kid-friendly lessons about friendship and loyalty along the way. It’s in no way majestic or soaring like the best superhero movies, but at least it doesn’t suffocate the audience trying to be more than it is. It’s not fantastic, but it’s fun.