FAST AND FURIOUS (C+)
It is funny to say that I saw a midnight showing of the newest installment of the Fast and Furious series, I kind of felt stupid. This is no where near a Batman, Watchmen, or LOTR; so what was I doing at a midnight showing? In review tradition, Jordana Brewster, looks heavenly with bangs.
I was shocked to see a midnight showing at Carmike 20 full, because I didn't think this movie caught that much buzz. But the previous fan base came out to support the newest F&F, and the theater of people were not disappointed. The trailers for this new movie advertise: new model, original parts.
If the part about "new model" was referring to the layout for the film, it would be a lie. This is the same model for the first 3 F&F movies: lots of women and sexual images, expensive and fast cars, and 60% of the time unrealistic driving/fighting/action scenes.
The first F&F was something that had never been seen in film before; the world of underground street racing. The second one sucked, A LOT! Tyrese and Paul Walker define terrible acting in 2 Fast 2 Furious. I bet if you put a counter on that movie for the word "bro" it would be more than the minutes Paul Walker looks retarded in movies. (That is quite a bit people!)
The third F&F was definitely on par with the first, but had similar woes with Paul Walker-like acting from Lucas Black and Sung Kang. But acting is never at the center of any of these film makers minds'. I try to not let it bother me so I can enjoy these films.
Anyway, back to the new Fast and Furious. It is kind of a combination of many of the good components from the predecessors (minus acting obviously). The script was actually decently written; nothing extraordinary, but well done. I laughed quite a bit throughout. The story was interesting enough to keep people who dissect films like myself following along the entire film. The ending could have been written better in my opinion, but it was satisfying.
The sad thing about this film is that it could have benefited from more screen time for the characters' stories and development, and less time watching all this car racing. I know the title of the movie, and I get the necessity to have all the cars doing the impossible all the time. But a little balance between action and story telling could have made this film a lot better; and head and shoulders above the rest of the series.
The acting was decent most of the times, and bad at others. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker have their shining acting moments in the film, but I saw a lot of bad ones too. Jordana Brewster was probably the best, and Michelle Roriguez was good in her small role in the film. The supporting cast was complimentary, but nothing special.
Overall, the newest F&F exactly what you would expect out of this film. Lots of eye candy for guys, girls, and gear heads. The cars are truly breathtaking, and so are the women. This is a film that fans of the series will love, and will propel F&F to number one at the box office this weekend.
*
