We all got a weak spot: FAST 6

There's really nothing quite like the Fast & Furious franchise. Since this series is not steeped in mythology and rules like the Marvel universe or Star Trek, it has freely and effectively transformed itself from a simple franchise about underground street racing into big event movies with heists, larger-than-life villains and ridiculous action set-pieces. Each movie has become bigger than the last and Fast 6 (or Furious 6, or whatever) is no exception.

I remember back in 2001 when the original movie came out. I saw it on one of the biggest screens in Minnesota. The atmosphere was electric. After the movie, the parking lot cleared out faster than I've ever seen and not because everyone hated it, but rather everyone wanted to go out and drag race! Now I personally understand the dangers of racing movies...getting my one and only speeding ticket on the way to see Gone in 60 Seconds...but this was even more so. Odd then that only a couple years later, not only had I forgotten about this movie, but I had no desire to see 2 Fast 2 Harbors...um, 2 Furious (it's a Minnesota joke). I did end up seeing it with a friend in an almost empty theater. Talk about a total change in atmosphere. It was the last Fast movie i'd see in the theater until 6.

We Rock.

                                           
THE RIMS OF CHANGE...
I caught Tokyo Drift on TV eventually. Though it wasn't great, I remember liking the way director Justin Lin filmed the racing scenes. I felt like this guy had a future. Then in 2009, the ads for Fast & Furious came out. New Model, old parts...er, original parts I guess. With Lin back at the helm I had SOME expectations for this one. Maybe he could bring the magic back. I was wrong. This film was just meh for me. My expectations were at the absolute bottom when Fast Five was announced. To my amazement, however, this film was NOT meh. It was very not meh. Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan (whose been writing these since TD) finally got their crap together for this one. It was a great story with a huge and exciting payoff. The best movies are the ones that take you by surprise. But this can also lead to very high expectations for the next movie from the fans and the studio, which can, in turn, result in a follow-up that is a rushed, crappy studio project with no heart. Can they really make two good movies in a row? Yep.

Old parts is funnier.

WHAT I LIKED:
I love when sequels manage to improve (or at least enhance the relevance of) the movies that came before it.  Fast 6 ties in events mostly from the fourth movie, but also a bit from the others as well. It makes you want to re-watch all of them in fact. The "Furious crew" is just as good as they were in five, but this time they meet someone who is truly their match. The villain in this movie is great. He is a true "big movie" villain who has the ability to defeat our team. And he has one the coolest cars ever.


The action? Well, let me tell you. You may ask: how do you top (from Fast Five) two cars pulling a safe attached to cables through the streets of Rio, smashing everything in its path? How about...people fighting on top of cars....hooked to a cargo plane...that's taking off...while it's exploding. And that's not even the half of it. The action is nuts. But it's a good kind of nuts. To me, the true "wow" moments didn't come from the big effects however, it came from the cool fight scenes. Walker is surprisingly game for his fights, as are the others, but this movie also adds two trained martial artists in Joe Taslim (THE RAID: REDEMPTION) and Gina Carano. Though Carano doesn't get to show off as much as she did in HAYWIRE, she still puts some sweet moves on display. Diesel and The Rock also do a pretty awesome finishing move in the climatic fight.

Yeah....this be crazy.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
This movie has essentially two action climaxes. Though they are both spectacular, sometimes less is more. For a moment, after the first big action sequence, I thought they were going to end on a huge (and awesome) cliffhanger for the next film, but then the movie kept going for another 20 minutes. It was almost too much. They should have just saved it all for the big finale.

The movie moved quickly in general, but certain things slowed it to a halt.  Lingering shots of scantily clad women (as is the standard of the Fast franchise I guess) are pointless.  And the action WAS overkill sometimes.  They could have tightened this up a little more, cut some things here and there, and it wold have been far better.  

Now THIS rocks!

This movie is out-grossing INTO DARKNESS worldwide by a good $200 million at least. The franchise has hit its stride. People weren't leaving the theater wanting to race, they were simply talking about the movie. How it tied in to the other movies and what we can expect in the future. When will the magic end? Not here, I know that much. For not long after the credits started, we do in fact have a set-up for Fast 7. And this brief moment is just as thrilling as an exploding cargo plane with 50 cars attached to it. Don't miss it. Well, don't miss the movie either. Though according to the box office, you already haven't.

-Starbase 133 (Hey, who said we have to stick to just Star Trek talk!)