So what is Fast and Furious? It's not a remake, or a reboot, and although it would appear to be a sequel it really is ultimately a recap to the very first film...or the second I forget. It has been so long since I've seen the original two films which this one is a direct follow up to. I kind of wish I had watched the first two before seeing this because it may have helped with the overall characters and plot. They do still try to link together not just the first two films but all the movies which I give them kudos for because I actually thoroughly enjoyed Tokyo Drift. So here comes Fast and Furious, barely changing the title from the first one but bringing back the original cast that defined the series. The thing that caught me the most about this film is it is not about car racing anymore. Really the film is about drug trafficking and despite a huge car/truck stunt in the first scene Fast and Furious lacks much of anything fast at all. All the other installments of the series have focused on the cars and the sexy sleek speed of everything but Fast and Furious tries to turn that around by giving it a different edge.
Vin Diesel thrives in a Fast and Furious movie like this one or it's predecessors. It even brings out a little bit of actor in him. This is part of the reason I think he has trouble staying afloat in other films because he is Dominic Toretto. They really try to give him some depth in this installment which works okay but you really just want to see him race. I'm not sure he can do much else outside these movies. Paul Walker...remember when he was the IT boy? He returns to his role as tainted Federal Agent Brian O'Connor. Diesel and Walker still have oddly good chemistry together and they work better together as a crime fighting team then racing adversaries. Walker is not much different than he is ever been and just kind of looks pretty and does the bare minimum to stay afloat. Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez return to their roles in the film very briefly, enough to say they were there but give very little extra to the plot or their characters other than a little bit of sexual tension between Brewster and Walker who are like the power couple of the series. The villain of the film is played by John Ortiz and does a very solid job. If only the heroes of the film had the same depth this movie could have been as good as it's previous installments.
Some people feel that the entire Fast and The Furious franchise is simply about cars and hot stars and if that is the only thing that holds this together and makes you want to see it than I suppose you won't be remotely disappointed in this one. The hot faces and cars are still there but without the same level of the street racing that the earlier one focused on. The only issue with this film is that they don't work on the existing characters at all. It's like they take the exact same characters from the first movie and port them into this movie with no continuation of them or growth to them. Diesel and Walker just feel very empty and you keep waiting for more of them. Fortunately the action and the work of director Justin Lin who has previously proved with mainstream films like Tokyo Drift and Annapolis that he can tell a great story without a lot of fluff or frills. There is nothing wrong with Fast and Furious except that it feels rushed and slapped together. It is very impressive that they were able to bring back everyone from the original film for the most part. Fans of the series will likely still be impressed. 7/10
Vin Diesel thrives in a Fast and Furious movie like this one or it's predecessors. It even brings out a little bit of actor in him. This is part of the reason I think he has trouble staying afloat in other films because he is Dominic Toretto. They really try to give him some depth in this installment which works okay but you really just want to see him race. I'm not sure he can do much else outside these movies. Paul Walker...remember when he was the IT boy? He returns to his role as tainted Federal Agent Brian O'Connor. Diesel and Walker still have oddly good chemistry together and they work better together as a crime fighting team then racing adversaries. Walker is not much different than he is ever been and just kind of looks pretty and does the bare minimum to stay afloat. Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez return to their roles in the film very briefly, enough to say they were there but give very little extra to the plot or their characters other than a little bit of sexual tension between Brewster and Walker who are like the power couple of the series. The villain of the film is played by John Ortiz and does a very solid job. If only the heroes of the film had the same depth this movie could have been as good as it's previous installments.
Some people feel that the entire Fast and The Furious franchise is simply about cars and hot stars and if that is the only thing that holds this together and makes you want to see it than I suppose you won't be remotely disappointed in this one. The hot faces and cars are still there but without the same level of the street racing that the earlier one focused on. The only issue with this film is that they don't work on the existing characters at all. It's like they take the exact same characters from the first movie and port them into this movie with no continuation of them or growth to them. Diesel and Walker just feel very empty and you keep waiting for more of them. Fortunately the action and the work of director Justin Lin who has previously proved with mainstream films like Tokyo Drift and Annapolis that he can tell a great story without a lot of fluff or frills. There is nothing wrong with Fast and Furious except that it feels rushed and slapped together. It is very impressive that they were able to bring back everyone from the original film for the most part. Fans of the series will likely still be impressed. 7/10