With Furious 7 hitting theaters this weekend, I thought it would be appropriate to review the previous film in The Fast and Furious franchise. So without further ado...
The Fast and The Furious
Brian O'Conner (placed by Paul Walker), is a youthful FBI agent investigating a series of hijackings by going undercover with a street gang led by charismatic Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel). Caught up in Toretto's world of gang conflict that is resolved in late-night car races, Spindler starts to sympathize with his chief suspect and falls in love with Toretto's younger sister Mia (played by Jordana Brewster). In the meantime, Spindler initially suspects the wrong gang of complicity in the crimes he's probing, while Toretto remains involved in a forbidden romance, à la Romeo and Juliet, with his girlfriend Letty (played by Michelle Rodriguez).
This movie really awesome. The action in the film is enough for you sit down and watch it on a Saturday afternoon. The acting in the film is decent, but there is a lot of cringe worthy dialogue. Also if you've seen the movie Point Break then you recognize the plot really easily as this movie is a complete rip-off of that movie the only difference is that this film has cars instead of surf boards. The stunts in the film are just spectacular and you'll be amazed every time you see them with each viewing. Overall this film is action-packed, but the unoriginal plot just brings the film down. I give The Fast and The Furious a 7 out of 10.
2 Fast 2 Furious
Moving from Los Angeles to Miami, Brian O'Connor (played by Paul Walker) is looking to redeem himself after the events of the first movie, so he again goes undercover to infiltrate another group of thuggish car enthusiasts. This time around he's enlisted the help of ex-con Roman Pierce (played by Tyrese Gibson) and fellow agent Monica Celemente (played by Eva Mendes) to bring down Carter Verone (played by Cole Hauser), an importer/exporter who heads up a massive drug trafficking operation.
As much as I love the first film, this film is really terrible. It pretty much uses the same plot as the first film, but it has a different location and the acting is just horrendous. I like the addition of Eva Mendes to the cast , but her character is so dull that you wonder why she was even in the movie. The one standout of performance of the movie comes from Cole Hauser and it stands out for all of the wrong reasons. He is absolutely terrible, over-the-top, stupid villain. I think this film was the one where people started to call the franchise a joke. I will say that the action sequences are better than the last film. Overall this film is dreadful and it doesn't live up to the first one in any way. I give 2 Fast 2 Furious a 3 out of 10.
The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift
A frustrated teen from a broken home, Sean Boswell (played by Lucas Black) is an outsider looking to make a name for himself on the illegal street racing circuit. When Sean is busted by the police for his high-speed exploits and given the option of either spending time behind bars or moving overseas to live with his no-nonsense, military man father who's currently stationed in Tokyo, the young rebel packs his bags and sets his sights on Nippon. Though at first reluctant to adapt to the unfamiliar customs and foreign code of honor of his new home, Sean soon strikes up a friendship with American speed freak Twinkie (played by Bow Wow), a like-minded race fan who schools the inexperienced newcomer in the pulse-pounding world of drift-racing. Inadvertently challenging local champion and yakuza associate D.K. (played by Brian Lee) his first time on the road, Sean is subsequently forced to work under expatriate Han (played by Sung Kang) to pay off his debt after failing to cross the finish line first. Taking note of the young American's affinity for racing as he warmly welcomes him into his merry band of misfit drift-fanatics, Han slowly introduces Sean to the key principles of the popular new racing style. When Sean makes the potentially deadly mistake of falling for D.K.'s girlfriend Neela (played by Nathalie Kelley), he'll need all the help he can get to face his most challenging race to date and take on the most notorious driver on the Tokyo drift scene in a hair-raising, hairpin-turn race where the winner truly takes all.
This film is a complete abomination. It has a lot of beautiful special effects and some terrific action scenes, but that's all it has. The acting is horrendous and the fact neither Paul Walker or Vin Diesel are in this film (Diesel does make a small cameo at the end) should tell you that they knew how bad the film was going to be. I love the actors that were brought on for the film, but they are just so flat, dull and boring. You can't get behind the story because it just lazy and very predictable. Overall this film just drags the franchise down even farther and this is the low point of the franchise's history. I give The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift a 1 out of 10.
Fast & Furious
Fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) is back in Los Angeles to seek out the truth behind a high-profile crime, but his presence in town doesn't sit well with Agent Brian O'Conner (played by Paul Walker). These two rivals are forced to unite in the cause of fighting a common enemy, however, when convoy heists and precision tunnel crawls lead them out of Los Angeles and into the Mexican desert. Now, in order to take down a formidable opponent with some serious skills behind the wheel, Dom and Brian forge an uncertain partnership while exploring thrilling new frontiers in the fine art of racing.
This film was pretty darn good. It has the original cast return to help put some life back into the franchise. The plot of the film is somewhat decent, but there are a lot of emotional ups and downs throughout the movie. The action scenes in the film like the rest of the franchise are just fantastic and absolutely breathtaking. I thought the performances were really solid and this brought the franchise back to life. Overall it's a fun and exciting film to rejuvenate a dead franchise. I give Fast & Furious a 6 out of 10.
Fast Five
Since Brian (played by Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto (played by Jordana Brewster) broke Dom (played by Vin Diesel) out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he's not the only one on their tail. Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) never misses his target.
This film was amazing. It has a lot of action and lot of great stunts that keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I love the addition of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to the cast as he has become a formidable foe to Vin Diesel's character. I really love the character development in the film as well becuase we grow with the characters as they try to regain their freedom. The performances were a little shaky, but this film has proven that this franchise can be a successful one. I've also enjoyed seeing the development of director Justin Lin who has been with the franchise since Tokyo Drift and he has done better and better each film. Overall this is a non-stop action thriller with some of the most insane stunts you'll ever see on the big screen. I give Fast Five an 8 out of 10.
Fast & Furious 6
Since Dom (played by Vin Diesel) and Brian's (played by Paul Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin's empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete. Meanwhile, Hobbs (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (played by Luke Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (played by Michelle Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.
This film was fantastic. Look since the downfall of the franchise (The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift) each film since has just gotten better and better. With the succes they were able to go out and get a talented actor in Luke Evans who gives a pretty darn good performance. As I've said with every film the action and stunts are top-notch and they are some of the best that I've ever seen. The story is decent, but ti could've been better and this is probably the most emotional film in the franchise (that's until Furious 7 comes out tomorrow). My one complaint with the film is that Luke Evans was't used enough and his character didn't seem like much of the threat and he was barely on-screen. Overall I really enjoyed the film and it did it's job of making me stuff popcorn into my face. I give Fast & Furious 6 a 9 out of 10.
Average Overall Franchise Rating; 6 out of 10
So ladies and gentlemen what are you thoughts on The Fast and The Furious franchise, would you rate the films and are you excited to see Furious 7? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
The Fast and The Furious
Brian O'Conner (placed by Paul Walker), is a youthful FBI agent investigating a series of hijackings by going undercover with a street gang led by charismatic Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel). Caught up in Toretto's world of gang conflict that is resolved in late-night car races, Spindler starts to sympathize with his chief suspect and falls in love with Toretto's younger sister Mia (played by Jordana Brewster). In the meantime, Spindler initially suspects the wrong gang of complicity in the crimes he's probing, while Toretto remains involved in a forbidden romance, à la Romeo and Juliet, with his girlfriend Letty (played by Michelle Rodriguez).
This movie really awesome. The action in the film is enough for you sit down and watch it on a Saturday afternoon. The acting in the film is decent, but there is a lot of cringe worthy dialogue. Also if you've seen the movie Point Break then you recognize the plot really easily as this movie is a complete rip-off of that movie the only difference is that this film has cars instead of surf boards. The stunts in the film are just spectacular and you'll be amazed every time you see them with each viewing. Overall this film is action-packed, but the unoriginal plot just brings the film down. I give The Fast and The Furious a 7 out of 10.
2 Fast 2 Furious
Moving from Los Angeles to Miami, Brian O'Connor (played by Paul Walker) is looking to redeem himself after the events of the first movie, so he again goes undercover to infiltrate another group of thuggish car enthusiasts. This time around he's enlisted the help of ex-con Roman Pierce (played by Tyrese Gibson) and fellow agent Monica Celemente (played by Eva Mendes) to bring down Carter Verone (played by Cole Hauser), an importer/exporter who heads up a massive drug trafficking operation.
As much as I love the first film, this film is really terrible. It pretty much uses the same plot as the first film, but it has a different location and the acting is just horrendous. I like the addition of Eva Mendes to the cast , but her character is so dull that you wonder why she was even in the movie. The one standout of performance of the movie comes from Cole Hauser and it stands out for all of the wrong reasons. He is absolutely terrible, over-the-top, stupid villain. I think this film was the one where people started to call the franchise a joke. I will say that the action sequences are better than the last film. Overall this film is dreadful and it doesn't live up to the first one in any way. I give 2 Fast 2 Furious a 3 out of 10.
The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift
A frustrated teen from a broken home, Sean Boswell (played by Lucas Black) is an outsider looking to make a name for himself on the illegal street racing circuit. When Sean is busted by the police for his high-speed exploits and given the option of either spending time behind bars or moving overseas to live with his no-nonsense, military man father who's currently stationed in Tokyo, the young rebel packs his bags and sets his sights on Nippon. Though at first reluctant to adapt to the unfamiliar customs and foreign code of honor of his new home, Sean soon strikes up a friendship with American speed freak Twinkie (played by Bow Wow), a like-minded race fan who schools the inexperienced newcomer in the pulse-pounding world of drift-racing. Inadvertently challenging local champion and yakuza associate D.K. (played by Brian Lee) his first time on the road, Sean is subsequently forced to work under expatriate Han (played by Sung Kang) to pay off his debt after failing to cross the finish line first. Taking note of the young American's affinity for racing as he warmly welcomes him into his merry band of misfit drift-fanatics, Han slowly introduces Sean to the key principles of the popular new racing style. When Sean makes the potentially deadly mistake of falling for D.K.'s girlfriend Neela (played by Nathalie Kelley), he'll need all the help he can get to face his most challenging race to date and take on the most notorious driver on the Tokyo drift scene in a hair-raising, hairpin-turn race where the winner truly takes all.
This film is a complete abomination. It has a lot of beautiful special effects and some terrific action scenes, but that's all it has. The acting is horrendous and the fact neither Paul Walker or Vin Diesel are in this film (Diesel does make a small cameo at the end) should tell you that they knew how bad the film was going to be. I love the actors that were brought on for the film, but they are just so flat, dull and boring. You can't get behind the story because it just lazy and very predictable. Overall this film just drags the franchise down even farther and this is the low point of the franchise's history. I give The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift a 1 out of 10.
Fast & Furious
Fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) is back in Los Angeles to seek out the truth behind a high-profile crime, but his presence in town doesn't sit well with Agent Brian O'Conner (played by Paul Walker). These two rivals are forced to unite in the cause of fighting a common enemy, however, when convoy heists and precision tunnel crawls lead them out of Los Angeles and into the Mexican desert. Now, in order to take down a formidable opponent with some serious skills behind the wheel, Dom and Brian forge an uncertain partnership while exploring thrilling new frontiers in the fine art of racing.
This film was pretty darn good. It has the original cast return to help put some life back into the franchise. The plot of the film is somewhat decent, but there are a lot of emotional ups and downs throughout the movie. The action scenes in the film like the rest of the franchise are just fantastic and absolutely breathtaking. I thought the performances were really solid and this brought the franchise back to life. Overall it's a fun and exciting film to rejuvenate a dead franchise. I give Fast & Furious a 6 out of 10.
Fast Five
Since Brian (played by Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto (played by Jordana Brewster) broke Dom (played by Vin Diesel) out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he's not the only one on their tail. Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) never misses his target.
This film was amazing. It has a lot of action and lot of great stunts that keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I love the addition of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to the cast as he has become a formidable foe to Vin Diesel's character. I really love the character development in the film as well becuase we grow with the characters as they try to regain their freedom. The performances were a little shaky, but this film has proven that this franchise can be a successful one. I've also enjoyed seeing the development of director Justin Lin who has been with the franchise since Tokyo Drift and he has done better and better each film. Overall this is a non-stop action thriller with some of the most insane stunts you'll ever see on the big screen. I give Fast Five an 8 out of 10.
Fast & Furious 6
Since Dom (played by Vin Diesel) and Brian's (played by Paul Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin's empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete. Meanwhile, Hobbs (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (played by Luke Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (played by Michelle Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.
This film was fantastic. Look since the downfall of the franchise (The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift) each film since has just gotten better and better. With the succes they were able to go out and get a talented actor in Luke Evans who gives a pretty darn good performance. As I've said with every film the action and stunts are top-notch and they are some of the best that I've ever seen. The story is decent, but ti could've been better and this is probably the most emotional film in the franchise (that's until Furious 7 comes out tomorrow). My one complaint with the film is that Luke Evans was't used enough and his character didn't seem like much of the threat and he was barely on-screen. Overall I really enjoyed the film and it did it's job of making me stuff popcorn into my face. I give Fast & Furious 6 a 9 out of 10.
Average Overall Franchise Rating; 6 out of 10
So ladies and gentlemen what are you thoughts on The Fast and The Furious franchise, would you rate the films and are you excited to see Furious 7? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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