My quick rating - 8.0/10. When I saw the first Fast and Furious, I very much enjoyed it for what it was. Racing action. That was it, no plot was needed, although they put a cop in, blah blah. Well, the evolution of the Fast and Furious universe has changed dramatically. If you haven't seen the previous 5, it's ok, you will only miss out on some inside jokes, and character traits. The change it took was going from street racing to pro street racers performing high-end heists (this occurred in the fifth installment) and now in 6, we have the culmination of all the characters that have appeared in the 5 others back for one last (?) big job. So, the crew is re-assembled by Dwayne Johnson (you may know him as The Rock), this time not for cash, but to stop a terrorist attack. This includes (not limited to) O'Connor (Paul Walker) and Toretto(Vin Diesel) who are the main players ever since the first one, O'Connor the ex-FBI agent now rogue, Toretto, the street criminal turned hero. Ok, can't sum up the whole backstory so now the "family" has been reunited to stop the bad guy from stealing the final piece to creating a weapon capable of disabling the entire military infrastructure (they don't delve far into what/how exactly, just knocking out all communications). The mastermind behind this, Shaw (played very well by Luke Evans), is a step ahead of everyone else criminal. Well, ultimately, Toretto wants nothing to do with it but there is a catch, a photo of Letty (thought to be dead Michelle Rodriguez) who was Toretto's love and part of the family. So with this information, they decide with two goals in mind, save Letty and stop the attack, to take on this mission. One problem that occurs is Letty is now working for Shaw due to her memory loss after her attack as shown in flashbacks. Ok, enough blabbering about the plot, which there is more of it, and I dare you not to act surprised when several plot twists are revealed. Let's talk about action which there is plenty of. Keep in mind, that checking things like physics and reality at the door is a must for these types of movies. The director (Justin Lin) does a superb job in the choreography of the racing/car chase scenes which must be seen to be believed. Even though these scenes are impossible to fathom being possible, Lin films these scenes so precisely with every bit of attention to detail possible, edited together perfectly to inspire jaw-dropping moments that may lead to disbelief and even clapping when you see them. No, really, it looks that good. Lin doesn't just stop there, he also utilizes his expertise in other action sequences including gun fights and also a very well-filmed hand-to-hand fight. It plays out as a "how to" manual for making an action flick, especially a summer blockbuster (Domestic Total as of May. 27, 2013:$117,036,995 + $197,000,000 foreign). But a movie being strictly eye candy wouldn't be enough. A major step up that is present is the incredible on-screen chemistry of the "family." Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris play off one another so well, giving us some of the biggest laughs and one-liners of the movie. All the characters are played so well, that you will be surprised at how you actually are drawn into the depth they provide in between explosions. Not what you would expect to be another major selling point of this type of movie. The evolution of this franchise now has taken the old die-hard fans of straight-up racing from the earlier movies and brought in a whole new group of fans by introducing more action elements and complex (for action) stories that are not just fluff. At the end of the 2 hours, I believe you will leave this movie experience extremely satisfied with all aspects of this film, and also due to a major cliffhanger (don't stand up the second the credits start, trust me) that will leave you anxiously awaiting Fast and Furious 7, which I believe will be the final one (do not hold me to that unless I am right). Do yourself a favor and see this one in the theater. IMDB 7.0. OK, I can't stop there without saying one thing that Heather and I could not hold back laughing about, no spoiler but the "check reality" thing is so in focus in one scene it is really stupid, luckily it is surrounded by tons of action, but the runway a plane takes off from has to be somewhere around 500-700 miles long to accommodate the scene. That is all I will say, you will know what we mean when you see it. Thanks for going to the movie with me, Heather. Those who read this (including you) know I 99% of the time watch movies at home, so it was a nice change of pace. "Ride or Die"
Comments