If anyone had told me back in the summer of 2001 that The Fast and the Furious would spawn not one, but five sequels--indeed, what promises to be more than that after this weekend's box office take and [spoiler]--I'd have bet against it. Granted, I was making $8.00 an hour stocking shelves that summer, so perhaps the amount wagered would not have been high, but rest assured it would have been an impressive sum considering that income.
The Fast and the Furious wasn't bad, but it was at moments quite awful. The first drag race in the film sums up just about everything in this regard:
By that summer I had officially checked out of math, and never took that subject again in the eight years of schooling that followed. Nevertheless, I see in this clip that young Paul Walker reaches 140 miles per hour at the 1:28 mark of this video, with the race finishing at the 2:17 mark. After hitting "the NOS" (yes, the nosssss), or nitrous oxide, Walker zooms up past the 150 mark, but I figure the calamity that follows has to drag him down a little bit (and, really, we're just ballparking here). Anyway, assuming 140 MPH for 49 seconds, I calculate that this stretch alone works out to 1.9055 miles.
Although completely dispelling by any stretch of imagination that this is the traditional quarter mile drag race, when Vin Diesel chastises Walker for his loss and comments "It don't matter whether you win by an inch or a mile," at least in this context it makes sense.
The other regrettable feature in this segment is Ja Rule, yelling out "Ménage!" in what was and remains a reference to not merely French, but to a period of hip hop and rap music that we've all happily forgotten about.
But otherwise, The Fast and the Furious had heart.
Can I explain that? No. It is most likely that my appreciation for the latter three films has elevated the first installment for "starting it all." But you don't know where you're going until you know where you've been, and whatnot.
Although the quality of rap and R&B musicians making their transition to acting would improve with just one sequel, it was there that the franchise nearly ran its course. I did not see 2 Fast 2 Furious when it hit theaters in 2003, but by summer of 2004 it played on one of the Starz channels at any given moment of the day. Since I was living in Fort Wayne, making little money at an internship and not quite 21 years old (thus unable to go to the bars with my older friends), I saw a lot of 2 Fast. I daresay 2, too much.
2 Fast stepped up by ditching the straight "quarter mile" (or whatever) races, but otherwise offered a mediocre plot with far too many imported cars. Given the number of times I saw the movie (well, never in one sitting), it's surprising how little I can recall. Most importantly, though, is that the pairing of Paul Walker with Tyrese just couldn't cut it. I agree with Metacritic: this is the lowest point in the series.
In 2006, the series saw somewhat of a reboot in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, a sort of Halloween-esque third installment because of the absence of nearly every character from the previous films. Now making $15 an hour and saving for law school, I did not see this in theaters, and actually only saw the film in its entirety within the last few years. Though still focusing largely on Japanese imports, it had the virtue of taking place in... yes, Japan. Lucas Black hardly shines here, but holds his own compared to, say, Paul Walker. What saves the films is Black's pairing with Bow Wow (yes, I said it) and Sung Kang, forming a team of interesting characters that actually surpasses the first film. Mixed with a good dose of comic relief and some refreshingly invigorating race sequences (power sliding like Junior Johnson!), I was surprised that I didn't hear better reviews at the time. And what movie doesn't get bonus points for sending some work the way of Brad from Home Improvement? Anyway, by the end of the film, with the cameo by Vin Diesel audiences were left with that feeling: maybe...
And so came 2009, with Fast & Furious [Four]. No, I didn't see this one in the theater, either. But by midsummer, the spring release carried over into the hotel pay-per-view circuit, and following my first day of the Illinois Bar Exam in Chicago I ate a large meal and retired to my room to digest and watch something mindless. It was already impressive that eight years after the debut of the series a fourth installment would drop with a near full-scene for a teaser trailer, and though far from perfect this set the Fast & Furious series on a lasting course to par excellence summer popcorn fare.
It's with Fast & Furious [Four] that writers and producers changed focus. The first three films sought to tell stories around hot cars and racing, while since the fourth film the series has sought to place hot cars and racing around a great story. And it's worked very well. In this way, Fast & Furious demands comparisons to Bullitt, Ronin, and other films that define the car-movie genre. Of course Vin Diesel and company do not hold a candle to Steve McQueen or Robert DeNiro, but this approach is nevertheless a large step up from a genre that for too long stood as little more than an excuse for teenage boys to park their "tuners" outside the movie theater and pose.
Along with this change in focus came a far better balance of cars. The token Charger or Mustang are buttressed with a far better sampling of American muscle. Just seeing the scene featured in the first trailer--where a Buick Grand National was given center billing--was, for me, jaw-dropping. (The Grand National now has its own documentary.) Also, if only by virtue of there being so much background story, suddenly the characters (including Sung Kang from Tokyo Drift) had depth. This is not to say there's significant character development, but like the James Bond films we warm up to the characters if only because they've been around for so long. However, the major flaw to the fourth film is glaring, and that's the significant use of CGI instead of live action. At least on the small screen in the hotel room, it was painfully, inexcusably low-rent. Thankfully, at the time plenty of critics pointed this out.
Although the quality of rap and R&B musicians making their transition to acting would improve with just one sequel, it was there that the franchise nearly ran its course. I did not see 2 Fast 2 Furious when it hit theaters in 2003, but by summer of 2004 it played on one of the Starz channels at any given moment of the day. Since I was living in Fort Wayne, making little money at an internship and not quite 21 years old (thus unable to go to the bars with my older friends), I saw a lot of 2 Fast. I daresay 2, too much.
2 Fast stepped up by ditching the straight "quarter mile" (or whatever) races, but otherwise offered a mediocre plot with far too many imported cars. Given the number of times I saw the movie (well, never in one sitting), it's surprising how little I can recall. Most importantly, though, is that the pairing of Paul Walker with Tyrese just couldn't cut it. I agree with Metacritic: this is the lowest point in the series.
In 2006, the series saw somewhat of a reboot in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, a sort of Halloween-esque third installment because of the absence of nearly every character from the previous films. Now making $15 an hour and saving for law school, I did not see this in theaters, and actually only saw the film in its entirety within the last few years. Though still focusing largely on Japanese imports, it had the virtue of taking place in... yes, Japan. Lucas Black hardly shines here, but holds his own compared to, say, Paul Walker. What saves the films is Black's pairing with Bow Wow (yes, I said it) and Sung Kang, forming a team of interesting characters that actually surpasses the first film. Mixed with a good dose of comic relief and some refreshingly invigorating race sequences (power sliding like Junior Johnson!), I was surprised that I didn't hear better reviews at the time. And what movie doesn't get bonus points for sending some work the way of Brad from Home Improvement? Anyway, by the end of the film, with the cameo by Vin Diesel audiences were left with that feeling: maybe...
And so came 2009, with Fast & Furious [Four]. No, I didn't see this one in the theater, either. But by midsummer, the spring release carried over into the hotel pay-per-view circuit, and following my first day of the Illinois Bar Exam in Chicago I ate a large meal and retired to my room to digest and watch something mindless. It was already impressive that eight years after the debut of the series a fourth installment would drop with a near full-scene for a teaser trailer, and though far from perfect this set the Fast & Furious series on a lasting course to par excellence summer popcorn fare.
It's with Fast & Furious [Four] that writers and producers changed focus. The first three films sought to tell stories around hot cars and racing, while since the fourth film the series has sought to place hot cars and racing around a great story. And it's worked very well. In this way, Fast & Furious demands comparisons to Bullitt, Ronin, and other films that define the car-movie genre. Of course Vin Diesel and company do not hold a candle to Steve McQueen or Robert DeNiro, but this approach is nevertheless a large step up from a genre that for too long stood as little more than an excuse for teenage boys to park their "tuners" outside the movie theater and pose.
Along with this change in focus came a far better balance of cars. The token Charger or Mustang are buttressed with a far better sampling of American muscle. Just seeing the scene featured in the first trailer--where a Buick Grand National was given center billing--was, for me, jaw-dropping. (The Grand National now has its own documentary.) Also, if only by virtue of there being so much background story, suddenly the characters (including Sung Kang from Tokyo Drift) had depth. This is not to say there's significant character development, but like the James Bond films we warm up to the characters if only because they've been around for so long. However, the major flaw to the fourth film is glaring, and that's the significant use of CGI instead of live action. At least on the small screen in the hotel room, it was painfully, inexcusably low-rent. Thankfully, at the time plenty of critics pointed this out.
In summer 2011 I finally went back to the theater for Fast Five. If you only see one Fast & Furious film, this is the one to see. Finally, everything clicked. Excellent chemistry between a not-quite-A-list cast. I'm unsure if fame has any real effect, but Fast Five goes miles beyond the camaraderie portrayed in ensembles like The Expendables, which amount to a lot of has-beens cashing in on past fame and hot-dogging. The Fast and Furious cast know they have a good thing going, are enjoying the ride and bringing us along.
Fast Five features new Dodge Chargers, the classic Dodge Charger, a Ford GT and even an appearance by a DeTomaso Pantera. It's simply a joy to watch from start to finish. As with Fast & Furious 6 and the previous installments, there's plenty of stupid movie fare, but it's all forgivable because it's a movie. One must be very cautious with this disclaimer. So far in the summer of 2013, both Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness have failed in this regard, sacrificing great characters to a rigorous schedule of endless activity that bores rather than invigorates. Fast Five and 6 are unafraid to mix up the tempo, and actually put some effort into setting up the action sequences. This should not be a novel approach, but alas, Hollywood.
While the acting and stories may not reach The French Connection, Five's climatic chase scene does. Again, with the reservation that it's a summer blockbuster with no pretensions of greatness, that's saying something.
After last weekend, we have six. I've now seen half the Furious films in the theater and intend to so patronize every one that will be made henceforth. Indeed, there's plenty of things to criticize, even mock: I could offer up a fake trailer proclaiming "From the producers who brought you the 3-mile quarter... the 20-mile runway..." But like Fast Five, this was fun. No shocking departures from past efforts, no suspicions that the suits came in with awful ideas to supplant the director, and some awesome cars.
I mean, seriously, now I'm getting schooled. I had no idea what a Jensen Interceptor was. Now, well, I know I want one. And the Plymouth Superbird (pictured)? Be still my heart.
As I just mentioned, it's miles beyond this year's Iron Man or Star Trek. Furthermore, it does not bring the baggage that accompanied the surprisingly enjoyable GI Joe: Retaliation. On a related note, I did not catch The Hangover Part III this weekend, simply because The Hangover Part II was so awful. So far, for the summer blockbusters I can only offer four of five stars to Fast & Furious 6 and the flawed-but-beautiful Oblivion.
In short, after all this, without irony I say: this is the most reliable action series we've got, and I'm happy to call myself a fan.
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