Alba: We've Raised The Bar With "Four"

Jessica Alba Says "Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer" Is Better Than First Movie

(CBS)  After almost two years away from the big screen, Jessica Alba returns in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" as Sue Storm who is trying to plan her wedding to fellow super hero Reed Richards.

She said she took two years off to get her "head together" about the projects she wanted to work on and now she has six movies coming out in the next year.

"I got to do a comedy, a horror movie, a few independents and 'Fantastic Four.' So it's been a really fun year," she told Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen.

In this second "Fantastic Four" movie, the Four have become celebrities and are more comfortable with their powers. The story picks up two years after the end of the first movie, and the Fantastic Four are getting so used to the powers that they use them in everyday life, not just to save the world. Alba said she thinks the sequel exceeds the first "Fantastic Four" movie which came out in 2005.

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Photos: Jessica Alba

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"We all worked really hard in our character development, the story," she said. "The story's a good, fun story. Basically we're planning the wedding of the century and it gets crashed by the Silver Surfer. There's a lot more action. The special effects is incredible."

Sue Storm is now in better control of her ability to become invisible and doesn't disappear by accident the way she used to in the first movie. Alba says Storm is better able to harness her powers because she is finally secure about her relationship with Reed Richards, played by Ioan Gruffudd.

Only Ben Grimm, played by Michael Chiklis, always remains in superhero form. Grimm is "The Thing," and is always a hideously deformed monster with incredible strength. At one point, when fellow Fantastic Four member Johnny Storm encounters the evil villain, the Silver Surfer, all the superheroes switch powers. Sue Storm goes on fire, as Johnny usually does.

"I go on fire by accident. He goes invisible," Alba said. "We both freak out. And Chiklis switches powers and he starts throwing the fireballs and gets his human self back. And Ioan Gruffudd becomes The Thing."

Sue Storm is lucky, Alba said; she has the best powers.

"It's good to be able to protect people with the force fields," she said. "It's really hard. I just — you know, it takes a lot of practice."

Alba isn't sure if there will be a third installment of "The Fantastic Four," but she hopes so.

"This is a great family movie," she said. "There's a lot more action. A lot move more special effects. We really raised the bar on this one."