Fast Five Review: The First ‘Fast And The Furious’ Sequel Worth Checking Out

Fast Five is the latest in the series of Fast And The Furious sequels. This one caught my attention for a number of reasons. One, a lot of it was actually filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. Bet you didn’t catch that from the trailer! They did a fabulous job at making everything look like it was filmed in Brazil. Secondly, who doesn’t like seeing ridiculous car chases? Fast Five more than delivers on that front. In fact, I’m sure the last chase scene of the film will make a number of lists for top chase scenes. It’s not every day you see two cars pulling around a giant bank vault and taking out everything in their path!

The movie does actually have a plot – it’s not just a series of shots with fast cars… Though it might be a stronger film if it was. The script is weak, and the acting is poor. Yet somehow this film manages to entertain and make you laugh. It’s just so over-the-top… For example, one of the first scenes features Vin Diesel (Toretto) and Paul Walker (O’Conner) going over the side of a giant cliff after a perfectly timed train escape. Just a high dive guys! No worries – It’s all good!

As more crazy car scenes continue to play out – I found myself pulling apart the less noticeable elements of the chase scenes. For instance, say these two cars are somehow able to pull that giant vault around (Yes, you saw the trailer right – the GIANT bank vault), then why isn’t that vault making marks on the street? Having it take out other cars, trees, street lights, and bottom floors of skyscrapers implies that it’s a little bit heavier than the light feather it appears to be when gracefully gliding across the streets of Brazil.

Another great scene involves a fight scene between Diesel and The Rock – in which you actually can’t the two of them apart. But my absolute favorite scene (And a true test for you Lost fans out there to find) is when 4 8 15 16 23 42 show up. I won’t tell you when, it’s so fast that you might miss it – but it’s a nice little something extra for those of us who still have fond memories of Lost…. and see those numbers everywhere.

The Fast Five screening which I attended was earlier this week here in Atlanta. Movie-goers got a special treat when Ludacris, one of the film’s stars and local favorite, introduced the film. Ludacris encouraged everyone to stay until the very end of the film, and I encourage you to do the same!

Overall, it’s fun and entertaining. Just don’t go in with high expectations – other than an expectation to see one of the most absurd and freaking awesome car chases ever.

Grade: B- (Purely for that last chase scene!)
Review By: Emma Loggins

Official Film Description:

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of returning all-stars from every chapter of the explosive franchise built on speed in Fast Five. In this installment, former cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) partners with ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on the opposite side of the law. Dwayne Johnson joins returning favorites Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Matt Schulze, Tego Calderon and Don Omar for this ultimate high-stakes race. Since Brian and Mia Toretto (Brewster) broke Dom out of custody, they’ve blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he’s not the only one on their tail. Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can’t separate the good guys from the bad. Now, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey…before someone else runs them down first.