Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $97,375,245
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $202,812,580
Gross Revenue: $584,512,580
Production Budget: $160 million
Director: Justin
Lin
Back in March, I was invited to a test screening and
focus group for Fast & Furious 6,
so as a big fan, I was thrilled; after the credits rolled, it was easy to see
that, despite a few weaknesses, Universal’s cash cow had struck gold again,
complete with a post-credit scene that had the audiences cheering for another
sequel. Having seen the film early, I
now had a unique perspective with which to analyze the marketing efforts, and
with some of the best scenes featured in Golden Trailer Award-winning previews
and soundtrack-heavy television spots (2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa’s “We Own It”
now dominates my iTunes playlists), widespread anticipation was understandably off
the charts. While the inclusion of The
Rock was more than enough to fill theaters, it was Michelle Rodriguez’s return
that was buzzing amongst fans, and new additions like Gina Carano and Luke
Evans (Immortals, Clash of the Titans) ensured that the
cast remained fresh…lord knows that Carano needed another chance to justify a
Hollywood career after 2012’s disastrous Haywire. From Vin Diesel’s guest-appearance on The Voice and Guess’s targeted clothing
line, to online car featurettes and massive banner ads featuring a loaded
tagline like “All Roads Lead to This,” it wasn’t hard to predict a massive
Memorial Day Weekend debut, regardless of direct competition from Warner
Bros.’s ill-advised The Hangover Part III. Given that I agreed wholeheartedly with the
early critical praise, it wasn’t all that surprising that I would line-up to
see Fast & Furious 6 again; and
personally, I was curious to see if the director and producers had made the
changes that the test audiences suggested, as a few minor modifications would
deliver the strongest chapter to-date in one of Hollywood’s most profitable
franchises.
Opening about a year after his team’s successful
heist in Rio de Janeiro, Fast Six
opens with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) living happily off-the-grid with former
Rio police officer Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky), but that peace is soon shattered
when DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) arrives with a tempting offer. It turns out that a gang of high-precision
drivers has been executing several risky heists across Europe, and Hobbs needs
help bringing down the leader, former SAS mercenary Owen Shaw (Luke Evans); initially
dismissive of the job, Toretto’s attitude quickly changes when he discovers
that a key member of Shaw’s crew is none other than the presumed-dead Letty
Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez). Leaving
Elena to care for his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and her newborn, Dominic
recruits Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) to assemble their former team and travel
to London in order to capture Shaw and discover the truth behind his
former-lover’s recent reappearance.
Teaming with Hobbs and his new partner Riley Hicks (Gina Carano),
Dominic and Brian welcome the help of Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker
(Chris Bridges), Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang), and Gisele Yashar (Gal Gadot), who
all take the job working with their former enemy in exchange for full pardons
from the U.S. Government. Facing an
evenly-matched and dangerous opponent who is threatening global security,
Dominic and our other protagonists must use all their skills and resources in
order to bring down the criminal and reunite the racing family that was thought
shattered long ago.
When it comes to the Fast & Furious franchise, there are certain expectations in
relation to adrenaline-pumping action and considerable attitude, and thanks to
help from cast members new and old, Fast
Six delivers in spades with one of the most purely entertaining action
films in years. In terms of the new cast
additions, Luke Evans is a spectacularly threatening adversary whose begrudging
respect for his foes energizes a wonderfully intense cat and mouse dynamic,
while Gina Carano is a gorgeous badass who conveys a surprising amount a
personality in addition to her fighting skills…her drag-out brawl with Michelle
Rodriguez is so brutal that it will likely earn recognition as “Best Fight” of
2013. And in speaking of the returning
Rodriguez, the actress’ reintroduction to the franchise is welcome and
refreshing; whether it is her romantic chemistry with Diesel or her gritty
attitude, audiences will be treated to nostalgic flashbacks that remind
everyone why we have loved these street racers for years. Finally, there are the considerable levels of
action delivered, covering everything from old-school pink slip showdowns to
high-tech chases and chaos-fueled explosions, all of which are filled with
style and attitude…for instance, Shaw’s
razor cars are unbelievably cool, and Roman’s reaction to them is
priceless. With so many enjoyable
elements, Fast & Furious 6 is
remarkably well-executed, so much so that though that the few missteps
presented are easily forgiven and quickly overshadowed.
For as thrilled as I was by Fast & Furious 6, I still noticed a few flat jokes and
groan-inducing stunts, but both can be expected with a next chapter trying to
outdo its predecessor, and neither should detract from overall enjoyment. Suspension of disbelief has always been a
prerequisite of enjoying this street racing franchise, so while one particular
aspect of a featured bridge chase or takeoff getaway is a little hard to
swallow, it shouldn’t sour anyone against the other awesome moments
featured…key example: who cares about an unreasonably long airport runway when
The Rock and Vin Diesel are fighting side-by-side and beating the hell out of a
thug? And he may first and foremost be
an action star, no one can deny that Dwayne Johnson is funny, so while one of his
particular character interactions runs too long, the man’s screen presence is
so entertaining that a few joke misfires are okay. I would also be remiss if I didn’t point out
another dodged bullet: in the test showing
I attended, Elsa Pataky’s character story arc was shamefully unresolved, but
thanks to a last-minute scene addition, the formerly disappointing ending
soars, therefore guaranteeing this sixth installment my highest
recommendation. Take all of these
factors into account, and Fast &
Furious 6 is a wonderful reunion of the characters that we have known for
years, offering everything from action and humor to romance and remorse,
thereby proving that all these racing fumes haven’t weakened elements of depth
or inspiration.
Like I pointed out earlier, given the reputation of
the franchise and the considerable marketing efforts put together by Universal,
Fast & Furious 6 was set for a
gargantuan debut, so suffice to say that nobody was disappointed in a $97
million, first place debut. To put it
into perspective, those kinds of numbers represent the biggest opening for the
franchise, Universal, a Vin Diesel or Dwayne Johnson film, and the
second-biggest opening of the year behind Iron
Man 3. And I’ve hinted before at the
ridiculous international appeal of this franchise, so it should come as no
surprise that Fast Six debuted in
fifty-nine territories at the top of the box office, shattering records and
helping push the to-date cumulative gross well beyond the halfway point to a
billion dollars in ticket receipts.
Weighing that kind of profit against the comparatively modest $160
million production budget, and it is no surprise that Fast Seven will hit theaters in Summer 2014…based on the way the
audience lost their minds during the post-credits scene, this series shows
absolutely no signs of slowing down. So,
whether you are a casual fan or have been following Dominic Toretto since 2001,
you owe it to yourself and action movies in general to see everything that Fast & Furious 6 has to offer.
Overall
Recommendation: Very High
