Fast Five - (April 29, 2011): PG-13
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $86,198,765
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $117,881,000
Gross Revenue: $229,077,340
Budget: $125 million
Director: Justin Lin
Vin Diesel has always been notorious for his distaste of sequels, as evidenced by his absence in the first follow-up, 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003); yet his inclusion in 2009’s Fast & Furious, though a bit uncharacteristic, was met with considerable praise, invigorating a franchise that cooled considerably after 2006’s lackluster The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Universal seemed to learn from this interesting turn of events, not only including original stars Diesel and Paul Walker but also taking measures to ensure that characters from each film in the series would play an integral part in the script. As such, marketing was clearly going to be geared towards working off of audience familiarity with the franchise; however, the first trailer (which was released on Vin Diesel’s Facebook page) seemed to position the film as more of a heist thriller than a racing film. This apparent shift in focus, combined with the inclusion of the undoubtedly popular Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was sure to increase the mass appeal of Fast Five, both to old fans and newer audience members alike. Despite being released in late April and thus not technically an entry of the Summer Movie Season, the star-power of this sequel and the legacy of the franchise would still set the bar for the other blockbusters set for release in the next few months.
Set after the events of Fast & Furious and thus chronologically the fourth film in the series timeline, Fast Five picks up in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, where Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) undertake a car heist with former FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker). Things go south when they are double-crossed by corrupt businessman Hernan Reyes and two DEA agents are killed by one of Reyes’ henchmen. Since the three are framed for the murder of the DEA agents, U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is dispatched to capture the trio, enlisting honest local officer Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky) in the process. With the help of old friend Vince (Matt Schulze from The Fast and The Furious), Dom, Mia, and Brian recruit a team to seek revenge on Reyes and steal his fortune (which includes over $100 million in laundered cash). The team includes a number of familiar faces, including Roman Pierce and Tej Parker (Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris from 2 Fast 2 Furious); Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang from Tokyo Drift); and Gisele Yashar, Tego Leo, and Rico Santos (Gal Gadot, Tego Calderón, and Don Omar from Fast & Furious). Dodging both drug dealers and federal agents while preparing for this dangerous heist, the franchise’s best characters must use their combined skills to outsmart and out-drive their enemies.
As I mentioned in the “Short and Sweet” review, Fast Five is excellent, and easily the best element of the film involves the interaction between the familiar faces, with Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris adding considerable humor and the team as a whole conveying a surprisingly strong level of heart; fans have been following these characters for years, and the combination of the distinct personalities is a welcome reward for franchise devotees. Still, as enjoyable as this stylish on-screen reunion really was, I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on the most prevalent new-addition to the cast, none other than “The Rock” himself; Dwayne Johnson brings his status as a charismatic action star to the next level, taking no prisoners as he brutally dispatches anyone in his way, including, but not limited to, Vin Diesel himself (the whole audience was in awe during their epic fist-fight). Beyond these character interactions, as can be expected from the franchise, the car chase scenes and street racing sequences in Fast Five are absolutely unforgettable, whether that involved watching the trio steal cars from a moving train in the film’s opening scene or seeing Vin Diesel and Paul walker drag a safe through the streets of Rio and use it as a wrecking ball against police cars in the epic climax. With high testosterone levels fueling near-non-stop action, Fast Five caters to every action-junky audience member’s deepest desires, making the film a perfect example of a true summer blockbuster. To be fair, I do have a few small complaints concerning the film, but by and large they are trivial and easily forgivable.
If there is one aspect of Fast Five I could see upsetting franchise purists, it would have to do with the film’s overall shift in focus from the street racing genre to the team heist genre. Of course, there are more than enough impressive car models and hot females to placate fans of the original films, but a few scenes echo Ocean’s Eleven a little too strongly; to the film’s credit, the transition could have been disastrous but was pulled off in a relatively smooth manner. Also, in the face of all the action present, the overall story does suffer…skipping a few necessary logical elements and deferring to a largely forgettable villain. Finally, for as entertaining as the grand-scale stunts really are, I was unable to turn off my brain completely…a few sequences spit in the face of the laws of physics so strongly that I’m sure Isaac Newton rolled over in his grave a few times, such as when Paul Walker and Vin Diesel walk away unscathed from a perilous plunge off a cliff that would kill anyone who wasn’t superhuman. Still, I feel that Fast Five will keep audiences so entertained that most will fail to even notice these shortcomings; those that do will easily shrug them off, sit back, and simply enjoy.
In my earlier review of Rio I had commented on how strongly the animated film performed at the box office, but that is nothing…nothing compared to what Fast Five has accomplished. With over $86 million its opening weekend, Fast Five marks Universal Pictures’ best opening ever, the highest grossing weekend in April, and the second highest Spring opening (behind Alice in Wonderland). With combined overseas receipts, Fast Five has already almost doubled its considerable $125 million budget; analysts have expressed concern over declining theater attendance, but it looks like this blockbuster may be marking the beginning of a much-desired industry shift. Critics have also been raving, so it is clear that Fast Five has set the bar very high for the Summer Movie Season. On a side note, be sure to stay for the post-credits sequence, which delivers another welcome character return and sets the stage for another sequel. If it’s anything like Fast Five, I will buy my ticket right now.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
