Fast and Furious 4
April 14, 2009 2 Comments
I just saw the Fast and Furious 4. There have been mixed reviews. I heard it’s the number one movie in Canada. The newspaper stated it received a 1.5 stars out of 5. However, the movie theater I went to said it received an 8.7 out of 10. What does everyone else think? However, what a true sequel following the first and second!! The third one I was dissatisfied with..they should have just titled it Tokyo Drift, without a connection to FnF. However, I can’t be too angry because they bounced back with a great sequel. That is rare! Sequels are usually not as up to par as they should be these days. You’re always let down…I could list quite a few movies where I was disappointed with the sequel or one of them if there was more than two. The one that I remember just hating was Transporter 3…talk about getting lazy. X Men 3: The Last Stand…I think they didn’t read the comics or care to know the story. Someone just made up their own story and killed it…brutally. I could go on hours on that one but I’ll save that for another review. Now, lets get back to Fast and Furious 4.
I’m going to voice my own opinion in a moment, but first off let me state that I tend to like movies others do not and I tend to not like movies that others tend to like. I believe this is because I am a screenwriter myself and I nit pick on important things even story structure, and I also notice little things that I found powerful or very useful in the movie. I break every movie I see down into very small pieces and that is how I create an opinon on the film.
Now in short terms, I loved the movie. It had a strong story, it captured the feel of the first two movies all of us FnF fans fell in love with, and it had fantastic action which is expected due to the previous films. Brian O’Connor played by Paul Walker, his first sequence was fantastic. It gave me a slight Paul Greengrass feel. The Directors idea was executed in such a manner I yearn to see the seen again.
Being a car fanatic, another bonus I hand out to all those participating in the film is all of the gorgeous cars…I was drooling. Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are flares on screen together. I have always enjoyed the two actors for different reasons, but both of their talents combined is truly enjoyable. I also enjoyed the familiar relationship between the two characters Brian and Dom, the big brother little brother sense you get from them. The little brother always seeking out the approval or acceptance of the older brother and the older brother never giving him what he wants but the two of theme still having a strong bond without expressing it directly.
I enjoyed seeing the side of Brian that we love, the ‘lose cannon’ that occasionally surprises you. He’s the character with the focus while Dom is the bull in a china shop, but the two of them together is a whirlwind you can’t get enough of. The scene with Brian smacking a fellow co-workers face into the wall caused me to have a little smirk on my face on the theater because it’s expected from the character to occasionally step beyond the borders or over the ‘lines’ of where he is confined. Loved it. You also get the usual crazy from the two of them loving the adrenaline rush.
Vin Diesel did a phenomenal job embracing his character Dom T. once again. He tore it up on screen with Walker when he realized Brian had been in touch with Letty. (Loved it) It was raw. The race across the border was a huge thrill for those watching. I loved seeing the shot of the two characters trying to escape with a scary large amount of crazies on their ass.
I loved the ending…it was open. And it gave you that ‘yeeeeeeahhh’ feeling leaving the theatre with a smile on your face. The second you saw the bus driving in a sandy area where there were zero cops trailing behind and in the middle of no where you mind went…’yes…’ I loved seeing Dom’s sister along side Walker who was driving Dom’s well known vehicle from the first film. It hit home, you were pumped and ready for the next film already! I loved how it cut off…it was short and you wanted more. I look forward to the coming movie.
A few things I didn’t like, a few wasted shots on lesbians for my tasting. I know hot bods come with the cars and I dig it but the other was overrated. Karina Longworth from SpoutBlog says it best: “There is a lot of girl-on-girl kissing in this film; it seems to be director Justin Lin’s PG-13-safe visual shorthand for the hedonism of the morally specious world in which the heroes immerse themselves in the name of a greater good. The correlation between girls kissing and intolerable uncoolness is made so blatant that one obvious dickwad is even punished while hosting a sapphic scene in his living room. His crime? Being an obvious dickwad in a shaky position of superiority.” Hell yeah Karina!
And the biggest let down was the introduction and death of Letty. I liked how they opened it with action. Beautiful. However, I did not feel the death of Letty. I knew she died and it should have been an emotional rollercoster because I had grown to love the character in the past films but I was not mourning with the characters. That is needed for such a film, since their actions were mainly pushed by relationships and loss. If there would be something I’d fix which is what we writers/directors do that would be it.
What are your opinions when you take the movie apart?
Links & more reviews…the usual…’first week made 72 M..bla bla…”
I go on a rant about those who don’t understand Fast and Furious or say it’s too far from reality – bland humans…check it out. (check back for this in a bit)
Listen to Paul Walkers interview
Movie-Moron..sure is a moron but it has a nice piece on Fast and Furious 5
