Fast and Furious 6 Movie Review

Fast and Furious 6

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I also saw Fast and Furious 6 this weekend. Let me say up front that I didn't think this film was quite as good as the last, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. :D The latest installment of the adventures of the gang that crashes sweet cars was about what you'd expect: fast-paced, fun, and full of adrenaline. I read an article in EW Magazine about how this is the most unlikely of franchises. Why? Because it's completely unapologetic about what it is. And it doesn't pretend to be anything but a superficial action film about muscle cars and the dare devils that drive them. Yet, everybody loves these films! (Don't worry: I include myself in that group.) But why do we love them? Probably lots of reasons, but mostly I think it's just refreshing to have something unpretentious and unapologetic about what it is. It's for fun; nothing more!

We open with Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker)and their crew in different parts of the world, living the high life after getting away with a crap-load of money at the end of Fast Five. Federal Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) seeks them out to help him catch another crew that's wreaking havoc that he hopes they can help catch. A crew that may or may not house a former member of their own crew previously thought dead. (Michelle Rodriguez) To be completely honest, I thought the set-up at the beginning of this film was a bit hokey. (Not that I expected all kinds of depth and realism. Who am I kidding, right? But still!) I didn't mind the whole FBI asking them for help thing. It's not uncommon to call in experts to consult on such things, no matter which side of the law they're on, but in reality, they would have been just that: consultants. In this, they're treated almost like cops themselves. As in: go get 'em, guys! And as I said, I never expected extreme realism, but I would have liked it if it were at least addressed.

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After the initial set-up, though, things get good fast. Lots of fast cars, lots of cool chases. I actually really liked the way they handled the Dom/Leddy story. My sisters didn't particularly like it. They hoped she was still undercover and protecting the old team. Sorry for the slight spoiler, but that's not the explanation they go with. I won't say what it is, but I actually thought it was kind of original. Risky, but they pulled it off. 

There was plenty of comedy (especially using the camaraderie of the crew playing off and razing one another). Memorable line: "" I really hope not all guys need to be shot at to take the  hint! They also threw a little bit of tragedy in at the end, which I thought added depth. 

Overall, is this film overly concerned with reality? Um...no. (This won't make sense until you see the film, but can we all say convenient bridge-catch and 50-mile runway?) But it's fun, fast-paced, and definitely gets your adrenaline pumping. One of my sisters said she wanted to go out and do something bad and rebellious after seeing it. The other one wanted to go running to rap music. Me? I just felt the urge to sit down and write an awesome action scene. :D (Our personalities didn't show through on that one at all, did they?) 

As has become the custom over the past few films, they add in a little kicker at the very end to set up for the next film. Being film 6, this is being called the unofficial end of the second Fast and Furious trilogy, but from what I understand, our pal Vinnie is all for making more trilogies. As long as the films continue to do well, I'm sure we'll see more of them, which is just fine with me. :D

Has anyone else seen this film? What did you think?

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