Fast & Furious (Movie Review)

"The Pacifier" stars in the brand new movie!!! Wait...

Usually, a solid rule of thumb to follow is this: if a movie trailer doesn’t tell you what the movie is about in some way, shape, or form, the movie will probably suck. Knowing how much I thoroughly enjoyed the first two installments in this movie franchise, it annoyed me to no end that “Fast & Furious” (A.K.A The Fast and The Furious 4) did this. It almost made me not go see the movie.

But it had the old original characters in it…including Vin Diesel…which could be the greatest name ever, just based on the fact that the name “Diesel” just SOUNDS like a tough name. But I digress…

After sitting through this movie the first time, I’ve come to realize that the previews are like that for a reason. It is so much more rewarding expecting somewhat of a rip-off of old ideas (“Rush Hour 3” style) and getting something so much more…

It’s rare when a movie can go back to its hey-days and reignite the reason you loved the movie in the first place, and I have to honestly say that “Fast & Furious” pulls this off with flying colors. The old characters are here as promised, and the character development that’s happened over the last two movies (and the progression of time, of course) was surprisingly more detailed than I would expect from this type of movie. Dom (Diesel) is still a wanted man, and he’s still the hustler others dream to be in the illegal sense, and Brian (Paul Walker) is deeper into the FBI now more than ever. Some of the old locales are back, and a few things happen that instantly remind you of the first movie, such as the Chinese dinner scene, where Dom forgets to say grace. Little flashes and odes to the first movie like this make the movie that much more rewarding to watch.

If it hasn’t been alluded to, I’ll just say it plainly. The plot of the movie is STRONG. Not to ruin it for anybody (because I don’t do spoilers, remember?), but movies are now catering to every emotion in order to pull their viewers in closer, from comedy, to shock, to romance…and even tragedy. I didn’t expect to say that a movie like this pulls all of this off almost effortlessly.

The acting is solid as well, but sometimes I wonder about Paul Walker’s ability to act in heartfelt situations, because during his interactions with his ex-girlfriend/love interest/Dom’s sister, Mia, at times he just goes super-awkward. The acting besides those parts are great, and this movie really did remind me of how good of an actor Vin Diesel could be.

Of course, the movie would be nothing without the races (you would think), and although the races are fewer, now they are a little more extended, with higher stakes than ever before, and because of that the races are much, much more intense to watch. Also, each car scene has a small, subtle subplot, so while you’re watching a race it could be something else going on as well that you suddenly remember that it’s much deeper than what it seems (such as the “Crossing The Border” scene with the new drivers). Because of these small subplots, it gets crazy, quick. That’s just putting it lightly.

The ONLY complaint I have with this movie (besides the inclusion of as much girl-on-girl-on-girl action as allowed in a PG-13 movie) is that the beginning scene had a part where it was almost TOO unbelievable, and that the scene after that just seemed a little cheesy, but even the cheesy scene propelled the movie. Every scene in the movie enhanced the story, and that is RARE to see in movies, especially movies that are supposed to fall in the “street-racing” category.

Bottom line: this movie is a great watch if you love to see car-themed action movies, but it’s even better if you love complete well-rounded movies as well. “Fast and Furious” delivers this in almost every aspect. Just keep in mind that this is a movie intended for guys…but it’s definitely not limited to them. I’m looking forward to adding this to my DVD collection the day it’s released.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

“Fast & Furious”

"OMGeee, how could they NOT put Bow Wow in this?!?" Simple...they didn't want it to flop like his newest album.

The Good: How do you fix the derailment of a franchise that was “Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift”? Here’s the formula: Solid acting + familiar faces + intense races + strong story + excellent presentation + the revenge factor = BOOM. Mistake ERADICATED. That simple. Dare I say, this formula made this movie BETTER than the originals?

The Bad: The intro scene with the flipping tank was just a little bit TOO much. And for a quick second after that scene, the movie slowed down, but it was only to set up what was about to happen next. So it still had a purpose, so it worked out.

The Deja-Vu Feeling: You will recognize a lot of familiar things from the first two movies, such as the Muscle Car, Mia’s house, and a few scenes will directly remind you of the first movie (including the dinner scene in this movie). And…just because you’ve seen something once during the movie doesn’t mean you won’t see it again. Make sure you pay attention at the tunnels…

Final Rating: 4.75 / 5