A few years ago I stopped going to the movies. Netflix was the best thing since sliced bread and I had a lot of catching up to do. I literally watched 5 movies a week for an entire semester. I slowed down my viewing cause my brain was beginning to turn to mush and I was running out of good movies to catch up on. In the past 18 months I have ventured back to the movie theatres and realized what a joy going to the movies was.
In the past I have been rather picky about the movies that I chose to see in the theatre, who can blame me at $12 a ticket and $13.50 for a medium popcorn and soft-drink combo. However, this weekend I threw caution to the wind and decided to see the forth installment of The Fast and Furious series cleverly titled....wait for it....wait for it.....Fast and Furious.
Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are reunited after two films apart and are both after the notorious heroin smuggler, Braga. Brian (Walker) as an FBI agent is after his big bust and Dom (Diesel) is out to avenge his girlfriends’ death. The movie opens with a 20-minute action sequence that trumps any opening scene in the series and I was thoroughly excited for what was to come.
The major reason I try to avoid movies like Fast and Furious, although I have somehow managed to see everyone, is that the combination of bad acting, poor dialogue, and unrealistic situations gets under my skin. I find myself getting annoyed for spending the money and time to see such a juvenile movie. However, the fourth installment didn’t get under my skin and in fact, I found myself having a really good time. The scantily clad females scattered throughout the movie didn't hurt the experience either.
The joy in seeing a movie like this is all about the experience. The booming soundtrack, the larger than life explosions, and some crowd participation is sometimes all you need to look past all the little things that can make a PG-13 action flick less than memorable. A lot of critics have hammered this movie saying it was nothing more than a re-make of 2001 The Fast and Furious also starring Walker and Diesel. Lets get one thing straight; if Fast and Furious is a remake of anything, it’s a remake of the 1991 classic (yeah, I said classic) Point Break starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Now, with that out of the way, I will make another comparison. This movie gave me the same tickle as Back to the Future II.
Let me explain.
Back to the Future II is a much more exciting experience if you have seen the original because it cleverly manages to combine the best of the first film with it's new story-line. Fast and Furious accomplishes the same feat. While someone who is unfamiliar with the series would be able to watch Fast and Furious without a hitch, knowing the history between Brian and Dom makes you feel like they are characters that you have been friends with for years. The Fast and Furious 2 tried to re-create this situation between Paul Walker and Tyrese but failed miserably. The 5th installment in the series is on its way, to no ones surprise, given the huge success at the box office. This 4th installment, I think, will prove to be the favorite among the fans though.
I honestly like the stories that set up the review as much or more than the review itself. Good job though Kyle.
ReplyDeleteI like the first movie, but the second one was pretty bad, in my humble opinion. I wasn't going to bother seeing the third or fourth, but now that you've given it a decent review, I think I might try to get in to the theatre before its run is over. I might have to drink a little first in order to get over the "bad acting, poor dialogue, and unrealistic situations."
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