Ever since Vin Diesel and Paul Walker first introduced mass audiences to the underground world of illegal street racing in 2001’s The Fast and The Furious, popular interest in customized cars, nitrous injections, and pink slip racing skyrocketed; the franchise was effectively transformed into an indelible aspect of popular culture. Though he is actually present in only three of the five films in the series, Vin Diesel is easily the one name most closely associated with the franchise, and though his return to the big screen no doubt generated a large amount of audience interest, the biggest selling point for Fast Five involved the fact that this sequel would bring together characters from every previous entry. Thrilling as this notion may be, Universal further advanced the appeal of Fast Five by including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; even if you weren’t a fan of street racing, the notion of action icons Diesel and Johnson appearing together was going to be hard to ignore. Directed by Justin Lim (who has helmed the three previous films of the franchise), and released just before the beginning of the Summer Movie Season, Fast Five seemed like the perfect appetizer to draw audiences to the theater.
For those who would believe that a fourth sequel might signal a decline in overall quality or futile attempts to draw revenue solely from audience nostalgia rather than natural momentum, Fast Five will silence critics almost immediately, as it is easily the best film of the series. Though Fast Five adopts strong elements from the heist action film genre, probably making it the least “street racing” film of the entire franchise, fans will be instantaneously placated by jaw-dropping stunts, extensive chase sequences, and brutal fight scenes (the climactic fight between Johnson and Diesel is more than enough for a testosterone overdose). Being a fan of the previous entries in the series, I have to say that the reunion of past characters balanced perfectly with a new story, and it was a treat to see all the familiar faces come together and deliver surprising levels of heart and humor to the film. Some weak story elements and ludicrous stunts that ignore the laws of physics do not overshadow the fact that Fast Five more than delivers the action and entertainment that has come to be expected of a true “popcorn flick”; do not miss it.
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Overall Recommendation: Very High
