Review – Fast Five

When I first got the invite to the press screening for “Fast Five“, I actually cringed a little.

I saw the original “The Fast and the Furious” back in the day, and felt that the characters and story arcs were sufficiently wrapped up in that film and that there was no need for a sequel…. let alone FOUR SEQUELS.

I had actually all but written the review for the film before the lights in the theater even finished dimming.

And I’m happy to say that my opinion going in was…..

WRONG.

 

Obviously this is no “Gone With the Wind”, but this movie definitely delivered what it promised.  Fast and furious action.

The story picks up with Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on his way to Prison, and then… quick cut, fast car, hot girl later… they’re all in Brazil.

Ultimately Vin, Paul Walker and Jordanna Brewster take on a job that goes wrong and leads them on a path that ultimately requires them to steal $100,000,000 from the baddest man in town.

They put together a rag-tag team of miscreants to help them with the job.  Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris are definitely the heavy hitters there, and if anything, the movie needed a little more of their bantering.  They were hilarious!

The rest of the team honestly didn’t hold much interest, except as filler for the team.  I mean, we weren’t really expecting fully developed characters here, but it would have be nice if they were more fleshed out.

One notable exception was Gal Gadot in a bikini.  We needed more of that!  In fact, her bikini scene should have been like 40 minutes long!!

The one new female character in the film was played by Elsa Pataky.  Oddly enough, she and Gal looked almost identical in the film, and at first I was sure they were the same person!

 

But, she kept her clothes on through the whole movie.

Sadly, Elsa’s character was probably one of the worst parts of the film, as she was introduced as a very shoe-horned in love interest for a romance sub-plot that really just never went anywhere.

And, no beach volleyball scene, or girl-on-girl catfight.

Another new addition to the franchise was “The Rock”, although he can’t go by that name anymore, but no one will ever stop calling him it.  Dwayne Johnson plays a Federal “Tracker” that is sent to Brazil to hunt the team.  And Dway… The Rock is SUPER diesel in this film.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this bulked up before.  He was HUGE, and a great character in the film, and his is the only character that actually “develops” at all.  There’s a hint of him being involved in a sequel, and I really hope he does get further developed in the series in the future.

Now for the important info…

The Cars – Super Fast.  Pretty Furious.  And purring in Portuguese!

The Chases – Super Fast.  Insanely Furious.  Very innovative and full of “OH SNAP!!” moments.

The Fight Scenes – Ultra Fast. Very Furious. And designed to keep you riveted to your seat the whole way through.

As much as I hate to admit it, I now want to go back and catch up on the 3 sequels I missed!

If you’re into the series, you’ll love it. 

If you’re a fan of Vin, The Rock, Tyrese, Ludacris or any of the other main characters, you’ll definitely enjoy it.

If you’re a fan of cars, heists, or action, you may as well check it out. There are much worst ways to spend 2 hours!

A great way to tell is to watch the trailer.  If that interests you, you’ll get that x10 in the film!

 

Tags: Fast and the Furious, Fast Five, Film, Movie Review, The Rock, Vin Diesel