Who would have guessed that a film about hot heads who love to drive cars would spawn a franchise? Let alone eight films which are up there with Star Wars and Harry Potter. I'm of course talking about The Fast and the Furious franchise, which has to crank out films 2001. So going into the film, you know what to expect. You expect shiny cars, pretty girls, and fast action. After seeing the film that has not changed but I'm happy with what I got.
The film starts off with Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) on their honeymoon in Cuba as they and are ready to settle down. Then a mysterious woman named Cipher (Charlize Theron) forces Dom to work for her terrorist organization and betray his family. So now it is up to Letty, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), former enemy Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), and the rest of the gang to stop Dom and Cipher.
The best part of the film is the setup. The big mystery of the film is why Dom all of a sudden turned on his friends and if the gang can stop their former leader and Cipher. This leads to some great build up and suspense which comes to a head in the climax.
The performances are also serviceable. Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson reprise their roles as good-hearted guys who you probably do not want to get into a fight with. Charlize Theron is a lot of fun as a conniving and calculating James Bond-type villain. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris serve as the comic relief and have a lot of funny moments. Jason Statham also returns but this time plays a good guy. The best scenes in the movie are when Statham and Dwayne Johnson are arguing with each other. It is like Woody and Buzz Lightyear except with swearing. In fact, I wish we would have gotten more scenes with them.
The film can also be entertainingly over the top. Even though there are some really dark moments, there are a lot of moments that are so over the top that you help but be entertained by them. And in a franchise as silly as The Fast and the Furious, they do not feel out of place. One example is a scene in which Jason Statham is fighting Cipher’s henchmen while carrying a baby. I am not joking.
There are some issues with the film. We are introduced to a new character named Eric Reisner/Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood) who I am guessing is Paul Walker’s replacement. Even though he is not a terrible character, I did find kind of useless and he does not have the likability that Paul Walker brought to Brian O’Conner.
There are also many moments that force you to take a leap in logic. There is a scene in which Vin Diesel asks someone for a favor in 5 minutes while not being seen by Cipher, who is following him through every single security camera. You would think that there is no way possible to do all this in 5 minutes. Not to mention he somehow gets a friend to help him out and I am not sure when he would have the time to contact him or figure out a plan to hide from Cipher.
Like in every Fast and the Furious film you get a car chases that make Monster Jam look like Go Kart racing, hard action, and improbable escapes that would make the Avengers scratch their heads. There is also a message about togetherness and family and togetherness just like in the last Fast and the Furious film. If your someone who wants a film that is dark and realistic, this is not the film for you. But if you want a film that is silly and over the top while being silly at the same time, then this is the film for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment