When Is A Superhero Movie Not A Superhero Movie..."The Fate of the Furious"

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell,

Directed by F. Gary Gray

The Story:

You've seen the trailers.  Dom (Diesel) has turned his back on his team, his family. Now it's time to finally find out why.

If you've been there for the first 7 installments, you'll have no problem transitioning into the final trilogy of the Fast and Furious saga.

Yep, Vin's got plans to make 2 more, 10 total, to conclude a little street racing saga that has grown bigger and more popular with the passing of each year and each installment.

Especially once they infused the cast with new blood and new thrills starting with Fast Five and the reassembling of the largest cast pitted against Special Agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) as the only guy who could take them down.

With each passing chapter, the stakes have gotten higher and the stunts more elaborate.

And yes, it's the 2nd greatest superhero universe, right behind Marvel.

Suck it DC.

: )

Now if you don't like these movies, and I can't even fathom that prospect in all sincerity, then this movie isn't for you.

The only thing missing is Paul Walker, but there's nothing that you can do about that. He shared his vision with Vin Diesel, and they're honoring that memory as best they can.

Enjoy the ride, it's a lot of fun.

Final Grade: B+

Bittersweet Farewell... "Furious 7"

Furious 7 (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Kurt Russell, Sung Kang,

Directed by James Wan

The Story:

Deckard Shaw (Statham) is pretty upset about what Dom (Diesel) and his guys did to his little brother in the last film. So he begins his revenge, first by killing Han (Kang), putting Hobbs (Johnson) in the hospital, and then targeting the rest of the family for extinction. With a little help from the Feds (Russell), Dom assembles the crew for one last ride to stop Shaw and save themselves.

Well, that was a bit anti-climatic.

Justin Lin steps away from the franchise, and the film feels like it loses a little something in the process.

Or, it's the giant elephant in the room of losing Paul Walker mid-filming that hangs over this seventh installment in what is quickly becoming the most entertaining non-superhero, superhero franchise of them all.

A lot of things get thrown at, and through, walls this go round to see what sticks.

If you've been along for the entire ride, you'll be mostly satisfied. If you're starting from the ground up here, you might be in over your head.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of Hobbs, but that's purely selfish.

Just give him his own franchise already.

:)

I would also have to commend Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris for putting a lot of the fun moments into the film. Gibson, especially, as Roman brings the laughter, even when you know it's going to be funny, somehow his delivery or actions make it even better.

Everything is different now, but that's okay.

The Furious Franchise is all about family.

Families change over time, but they are still family at the end of the day.

So too are the fans.

Can't wait to see what happens in Furious 8.

Final Grade: B+

Need For Speed Weekend "Fast and Furious 6"

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Rated PG-13 - Language, violence, car crashes galore!

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson

Directed by Justin Lin

The Story:

Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) is an evil man.  His band of car terrorists are robbing military convoys to obtain parts that could destroy a country.  Agent Hobbs (Johnson) realizes he needs to fight fire with fire, so he recruits Dom (Diesel) to reassemble the crew to help him take down Shaw's gang.  The kicker?  It appears that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is alive and working with Shaw.  With their crew reassembled for one more run, Brian (Walker) asks for one thing: full pardons for everyone.  Hobbs relents, and the game is on!

Buckle up!


One of my Top 10 Films of 2013 (Best Films of 2013) holds up as well, possibly even better on a repeated viewing at home.

If You Can't Beat Them... Join Them in the Sequel!

The bar that was elevated with the 5th film is possibly surpassed ever so slightly with this 6th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise.

The heist elements are still there, though to a lesser extent as now the team is working on the side of The Man, though they are still willing to bend as many laws and rules as possible to get the job done.

Lin returns to helm his final installment of the series, and he goes out with a bang.  A lot of bangs.

I Believe I Can Fly...

He amps up the  car chase from 5 with a tank chase in this movie.  It's amazingly destructive and just an adrenaline rush to watch.

All of the players are given ample opportunity to shine, and that's saying something for a cast this size.

Aside from the obvious chemistry that Diesel and Walker have accumulated over the life of the franchise, it's always  hilarious whenever Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) share some screen time.


The only flaw from the film, aside from the Rock's disappearing and reappearing goatee... ;)  is the massive, 800 mile runway at the end of the film.

Just Sayin'...

Suspend your disbelief (like you haven't already with this franchise) and it won't bother you too much.

Finally, for those that like to turn off a movie as soon as it is over, sit through the credits for about a minute.

There is a scene for the setup of Fast 7.

It also shows you that Tokyo Drift is really Fast & Furious 6.5, not 3.

Also, kudos to Universal for however they did it, whether it was scrapping the initial release and redoing all of the discs or what they did, but they included a beautiful tribute to Paul Walker that is really a nice recap of the franchise, focused on Walker's involvement.

It's still hard to believe he's gone, or how emotional that made me, and I would assume other Fast & Furious fans.

As I mentioned in my In Memoriam post about Walker, fans feel strongly when celebrities pass because next to family, friends or co-workers, these actors, musicians, authors, etc. bring us together as a collective audience.  Any friends of mine who enjoyed this franchise will mourn what could have been with 7 or beyond.

Heck, I've let the entire family gather around and watch this franchise at home with Dad, so we've lost someone that's been in a lot of movies the family has enjoyed for the last 13 years.

So thank you Paul Walker for the fun body of work that you've left for us to enjoy.
You will be missed.

And thank you Universal for the Fast and Furious franchise.  What started as a movie focused on street racing has blossomed into a wonderful franchise that has simply gotten better every time a new one comes out.

That's impressive.

Checked last year's review (Fast 6 Theater Review) and the film gets a slight bump between theater and DVD release.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:   Without a doubt, in fact it was under the tree for Christmas, so I'm quite the happy guy! ;)

You Will Believe A Lot of Things Can Fly... "Fast and Furious 6"

It's always been about family...

The Story:

The gang is enjoying their lives of luxury, when Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) comes calling to enlist Dom (Vin Diesel) and the crew to help take down Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).  It seems that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) isn't as dead as everyone thought, and she's working for Shaw to steal some military technology.  Brian (Paul Walker) says that they'll help catch Shaw and save Letty... if they can get full pardons and get their lives back.

The little franchise that could.

For those that have never seen one, the opening credits pretty much catch you up on everything you need to know.

For those of us that have been around since the beginning, this movie is as satisfying as Fast Five had been.

Plus, my long-standing question of how did Han survive Tokyo Drift gets answered. 

The correct order for viewing the franchise is now: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7... coming to theaters next summer!?!

As for the movie itself, there are two moments that require a suspension of disbelief.  Diesel going Superman on the bridge... and the world's longest runway...

Other than that, Justin Lin goes out with a bang for the series.  Hopefully the new director keeps up Lin's vision and keeps the series both exciting and fun a the same time.

Fast Seven is set up, thanks to an ingenious flashback to Tokyo Drift.  While it's sad to see Han truly go... I've got to admit I'm really excited for the next installment.

Now playing in theaters near you this weekend...

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Oh yeah, I'm all over this one when it comes to DVD! : )

The Best One Yet... "Fast Five"

What a Rush!

The Story:

After O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) break Dom (Vin Diesel) from the clutches of the man, they hightail it to Rio.  Needing to make some money, they attempt to swipe some cars from the DEA.  Whoops.  Turns out one of those cars belongs to the Kingpin of all Rio (Joaquim de Almeida) and he wants his car back.  Since escaping justice is a bad thing, the United States sends the biggest, baddest agent, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) to Rio to find the boys.  The guys decide to go for one last score, and then disappear forever.  To do that, they're going to need some help.  And who better to help than everyone that was in the first 4 movies?

Yes indeed, they bring them back: Roman and Tej (Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris from 2 Fast), Han (Sung Kang from Tokyo Drift)... but didn't he die?  They never do explain this one.  Glad he's back though.  I've heard rumors that Tokyo Drift is supposed to take place after everything that happens in these films.  Meh... I'll just assume Han got out alive. : )

Justin Lin puts his stamp on the franchise with the biggest, loudest, and best part of the franchise to date.

Bringing back all of the components from each of the films is a clever and welcome touch.  Gives plenty of screen time to catch up on the characters and see how they've changed, or not changed over the years.

After all, this marked a decade of franchise-ability for The Fast and the Furious.  I don't think it was their intention to make a tent pole franchise when they started, but they have one now.  And this one actually unfolds as if they had been plotting it this way since the very beginning.

That's pretty impressive for a movie about street racing.

Oh, and kids, don't try street racing at home!

The Rock and Diesel squaring off makes for an energetic fight sequence in the middle of the movie.

I will also go on record that the final car chase sequence is most likely my favorite car chase in this franchise, or in just about any other movie for that matter.

This one transcends the other films in the franchise by adding the heist element, and as I've gone on record many times, I love me a good heist flick!

And stick around after the credits as they set up the sequel for Part 6...in theaters NOW!

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Infinite.  Really enjoyed watching this one again.  Impossible not to enjoy this film.

Is It Possible 2 B "2 Fast 2 Furious" ? Anything Is Possible

Paul Walker is taking his talents to South Beach...

The Story:

Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) is living in Miami, trying to make ends meet as a street racer.  It seems his last steady gig ended when he made a decision that cost him his job.  Now presented with an opportunity at redemption, O'Conner must again go undercover to help nail a drug lord (Cole Hauser).  However, he's going to need a partner, so he enlists the aid of childhood pal Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) to help him make the runs.  However, once again, O'Conner falls for a woman (Eva Mendes) and jeopardizes everything.

Won't he ever learn?

Well, they certainly missed having the charisma of Vin Diesel for this one.

That said, it's not too terribly bad.  It's simply different from the first one.

Different city, different supporting characters, including Ludacris as the local garage owner and guy that helps get Brian some racing gigs.  They were clever in bringing back Thom Barry as Agent Bilkins to help tie this installment to the first film.

John Singleton takes overs the director's chair, and this too is his only outing with the franchise.

He decided that his next film would be the underrated and enjoyable Four Brothers, and he would take the film's "true star"... Tyrese Gibson with him to make that one.

Poor Paul Walker, the guy gets no love!

: )

Oh well, I'm sure he'll happily sign up if they have another Fast and Furious sequel, right?

Final Grade: B


Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Amazingly, I don't have this one.  I will have to correct that mistake in the near future.