I have to open with a disclaimer: I have not seen the first 5 Fast & Furious movies (but I did read their synopses on Wikipedia). They’re simply not my kind of movie. I love an action flick (obviously or the summer blockbuster series would not exist), but action that’s primarily centered around brawn and cars is just not my cup of tea.
“Fast & Furious 6″ is all of those things with a dose of adrenaline and with a number larger than 3 tacked onto the end…my worst nightmare…but I acknowledge that for many that’s exactly what they want from a summer blockbuster.
This latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise picks up where 5 left off (or so I’m told by Wikipedia), with members of Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) scattered across the globe.
When DSS Agent Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) approaches Toretto for help investigating the attach of a Russian military convoy, he’s initially turned down. But when Hobbs reveals the survival of Dominic’s girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) who was thought to be dead, the team is quickly reassembled, and set out to catch our villain—Shaw (Luke Evans).
Shaw just happens to be a former soldier with the British Special Forces and pure evil. He runs his team efficiently and cares only for the usefulness of its members. It’s quickly revealed that an amnesic Letty has been recruited by Shaw.
Are you overwhelmed yet? There are some bright spots in this film. Although his character is completely one-dimensional, Luke Evans is quite captivating as Shaw. Why is he doing what he’s doing? We don’t know, but you believe that he does. He shares some quite wonderful scenes with Michelle Rodriguez too, who is always wonderful.
And then there’s the comic relief, provided primarily by the resident goofs—Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris). They really are quite clever at times.
Having said that, movies should not have 5 sequels. It simply should not be allowed. I know what you’re thinking: What about Harry Potter? That’s a weak argument. Harry Potter had 7 books planned before they started filming the first. You can not tell me the Fast & Furious creators had mapped out their tale 6 movies deep back in 2001. If that is the case, then you have my apologies, but it seems unlikely. If you have this much of a story to tell, but lack the motivation to arc out the entire story before embarking on the tale, make a television show. TV can handle storylines that span a season, the medium allows for that.
Overall, it’s what you would expect from a movie with 6 at the end of its title. It’s fast-paced high energy and low on the details, but it’s not horribly difficult to watch even for someone who hadn’t seen the first 5. So for mindless summer entertainment I give it a 7 out of 10 (on a scale that has not previously existed on 2WC and probably never will again, so take that as you will). As a film in general, well…I won’t go there.
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