Fast and Furious 6 Review

Fast and Furious 6 Review

Director:Justin Lin

Cast Headliners: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Tyreese Gibson

Original Release Date: May 17, 2013

   There’s a series of six movies with varying quality and vibes. Some have been loved, others hated. The fifth entry was a revolution for the franchise, taking the elements which were praised and refining them while also bringing up new entertainment horizons. No, I am not talking about the Star Wars series though that definitely applies to them. I am talking about the “Fast and the Furious” series, which is a high octane manly series which has gone through a tremendous amount of titles, character, and stylistic tones. The latest entry is Fast and Furious 6, and it certainly stands amongst the best of this manly saga.

            Pretty much the whole crew of those who have survived so far is back, along with their former police enemies turned friend. Brian O’ Connor (Paul Walker), Dom “Vin Diesel” Toretto (<that fellow), Han (Sung Kang), Tej (Ludacris) , Roman(Tyreese Gibson) , Giselle(Gal Gadot), and now Hobbes(Dwayne Rock Johnson and his new recruit Riley(former MMA figter Gina Carano) assemble as the motorcar equivalent of the Avengers.  It must certainly take a major threat to need a team of that size, and the answer is in a sorta “evil version” of their driving squad led by the vile Shaw (Luke Evans).   Dom’s team may be bank robbers and vigilantes, but they are no evil masterminds like Shaw who has huge ambitions in store.  The twists turn when it is discovered that one of Shaw’s people is Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), whose murder was the whole point of the fourth entry in the Fast and Furious. The sub-plot involving her return is a very interesting one, especially rewarding longtime fans who have watched every entry.  However, the interconnected plot is just a topping for the cheese-tastic explosive action this movie has.  Dom seems to agree, as with most of his character Diesel barely says anything the whole time. Luckily, the Hobbes and Roman and Tej characters all have some great joking lines.

            By now, this series has become more Die Hard than Days of Thunder. The majority of the action involves moments“out of vehicles”, and there are some fantastic scenes. Fist-fights, shoot-outs, and even classic car shenanigans wow with their CGI awesomeness at every turn. Some of the stuff is mundane, but when this movie shines it really impresses. The tank scene is as awesome as expected, and even more so the plane takedown scene is mind blowingly cool. It won’t leave you on the edge of the seat as much as Fast Five’s vault-escape sequence, but there is still some firey fun to be had.

            The main appeal of the movies these days, the things they get DANG RIGHT, is their willingness to suspend reality. The technology gets to James Bond levels of wackiness, especially the villain’s specialized armored F1-type vehicles which resemble something you’d find in the bargain bin toy area of Toys R Us.  And of course, there is a crazy jump which might be the most extreme yet. And also of course, there is one random street racing scene because this series can never totally leave that behind.  This is simple, mindless fun right here.  Luckily director Justin Lin knows what people want and delivers it. There are better movies out there, but not many with the amount of CURAYZHEE as this movie. Style over substance is usually a worthy investment when not screwed up. 8.05 out of 10

Author’s Note: Be sure to stay after the credits. Some people may have forgot that Han died in Tokyo Drift/number 3, and they may think that was just retconned out. They also may think the happy ending scene of this means the series is over. BUT, all will be explained when the mid-credits scene starts. I won’t spoil the surprise reveal, but I will say I think 2014’s Fast and Furious 7 will be an epic and possible conclusion