Furious 7 (2015)

Furious 7 (2015)

Director: James Wan

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Gal Gadot,  Elsa Pataki

If you’ve been following the Fast and Furious franchise, then you know the big expectation surrounding this seventh installment. If not then you should know that one of the main actors of the series, Paul Walker, died right smack in the middle of the production. Tragedy and irony joined forces, and he passed away while driving a fast car, just like the ones depicted in the movies. For a moment there the production floated in uncertainty. Would they scrap the project or pull on through and finish the film? Considering all the millions that had already been invested, of course they pulled through and finished the film, Hollywood has never been known to back down, even when death shows its ugly face. The interesting thing about this series of films is that each film has been more successful than the last with Furious 6 (2013) pulling in more than 700 million worldwide. So of course, a lot was expected of Furious 7. I mean, Fast 5 (2011) and Furious 6 (2013) were ultra explosive action films, bombastic in every way imaginable. It’s expected, in true Hollywood fashion that this seventh film would surpass anything seen before. Is Furious 7 more exciting and explosive then previous installments? How did they finish the film without Paul Walker?

So this time, everything revolves around something called “The God Chip” which is basically this chip that when installed can let you tap any camera, computer or phone anywhere, anytime. In this way making it an easy task to locate anybody in the world. Toretto and crew being the best at stealing things are contacted by a secret organization to take the chip from the bad guys and save the free world from evil. In the middle of all that, we have Jason Statham and Dominic Toretto, each on their private vendettas. Will Toretto and crew get the God Chip from the bad guys and save the world? Will Toretto and Statham ever kick each other’s asses?  

I grew up watching action movies from the 80’s so I’m always wondering where this generations Arnold Schwarzenegger is at. Where’s this generations Sylvester Stallone? Well, Furious 7 has answered me these questions. Furious 7 has gathered all the relevant action stars of today. I speak of Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Vin Diesel. These guys are the corner stone of any nutritious nitroglycerine extravaganza and it was cool to see them all together in a gargantuan action film like this one. Furious 7 is as if back in the 80’s Arnold, Stallone and Van Damme all made an action film together when they were in their prime. And it’s awesome to see all these modern action stars kicking each other’s asses  and walking away in slow motion from the explosions behind them. Did the movie make the best of this unification of testosterone?

Yes, Furious 7 has a lot of action in it, jumping from thrilling action scene to action scene, unfortunately, they blew their wad and the ending isn’t as exciting as I’d expected when compared to the previous films which ended with a bang. I’m sure this had a lot to do with the death of Paul Walker, because the death of a major cast member will bring the momentum of any production down a couple of notches. Still, it’s amazing that they pulled through and finished the film and delivered an entertaining fun ride. Just don’t expect the film to end with anything as awesome as cars jumping out of exploding air planes in a gigantic ball of flame. Still, Furious 7 has enough awesome action scenes to please any fan of this series of films. Check this out, we get a fight scene between Tony Jaa and Paul Walker! There’s a particularly thrilling scene in which the whole crew parachutes out of a plane while still inside of their respective cars! We get cars jumping from sky scraper to sky scraper, pretty cool stuff. Totally unrealistic, but who the hell cares cause its fun and we have fun characters to pull us through the cheesier stuff. And that’s really what holds this cheesefest together, the characters and the camaraderie between them.

It’s not easy to make a movie with so many characters in it, so you can expect some characters to get the cold shoulder in order to make way for others to take the center stage. Mainly, it’s the girls who get the shaft on this one. We don’t get much of Elsa Pataki, Jordana Brewster or Gal Gadot. But don’t worry, Michelle Rodriguez steps in for them with an awesome fight sequence with Ronda Rousey. Rodriguez also gets a chance to stretch her acting chops due to the resurrection of her characters romance with Vin Diesel. Vin Diesel gets to say a gazillion cheesy lines, every one of them as cringe worthy as the last. Every time Toretto talks I laugh because he’s always talking like his a wise man or a guru, spewing little golden nuggets of stupidity. He can never talk like a normal person, it’s always some cheesy over sentimental one liner like “I don’t have friends, I have family”, but call me crazy, I've grown to accept these terrible one-liners as part of what these films are. They went a little too far by turning Toretto into The Hulk at one point, but what the hell, again, I went with it. I can’t really complaint about that when I've already accepted so much.  So anyhow, you should have a blast with Furious 7. Of course, the film does end on a somber note because of Walker’s death. But they did edit a decent homage to his presence throughout the whole series and they do send him off to speedster heaven in fashion and style. I heard a couple of sniffles in the audience. No doubt this movie will make obscene amounts of money, and no doubt we’ll get another one. Honestly? I half way expect the team to be sent off into space for the next film.

Rating: 4 out of 5  

  

Fast and Furious 6 (2013)

Title: Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

Director: Justin Lin

Cast: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, Gal Gadot, Ludacris, Luke Evans, Elsa Pataki

Review:

The important thing about a summer blockbuster is that it has to entertain; it has to blow you out of that seat and it has to make you leave that theater with a big fat grin on your face, and quite possibly the desire to see the film again. Fast Six achieves all these things with spectacular aplomb. With each film, the Fast and the Furious franchise has improved in quality; each film bigger than the last. Keeping in line with this tendency, Fast Six is more explosive and more action packed then the previous film and in my book that’s saying a lot because I truly enjoyed Fast Five (2011)! Aside from the fact that the film was shot in my home town and I had an amazing opportunity to see it getting made, Fast Five ended up being one of my favorites of the summer 2011 season, it was simply put a good action film. Now can somebody tell me how in the hell did this franchise which I initially disliked turn into one my favorite guilty pleasures?

Fast Six starts out exactly where the previous one left off, with Toretto and crew enjoying the fruits of their last heist. Torreto is living in Brazil with Elena, his new girlfriend cop. Brian and Mia are learning how to become parents, and basically each of the characters has gone off into their own world, doing what they want with their millions, enjoying the fruits of their labor. Enter Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) the cop who almost caught Toretto and crew in the last film. Hobbs is having a hard time catching an international gang of thieves who are searching for the parts to build an emp device that could shut down a whole country for 24 hours. Hobbs needs the aid of Toretto and his team to stop these guys. Will the gang accept the mission?

When talking about films of this nature, there’s a term used to describe the artifact that triggers the action in the film, I’m talking about ‘The McGuffin’ whatever it is that the good guys and bad guys are after in the film. The McGuffin is a name given to the excuse to get the show on the road. Sometimes, it doesn’t even matter what the McGuffin is, all that matters is how they go about getting it, which in a Fast and the Furious film means vehicular warfare and massive destruction of public property, and trust me, there’s lots of that in this film! The stunts are the best part of these films and this one delivers the goods when it comes to fast cars and destruction in massive amounts. The film has two major action sequences, but they are both extended, which means that they last for more than 20 minutes each. This is something I enjoy about the action sequences in these films, they are intricate and extensive! The same can be said for the chase sequences which take place in both the streets of London and Brazil. If you are a fan of cool cars and watching them fly in the air, you will be pleased.

The whole thing about these films getting bigger and badder with each passing film stays true to the characters as well. These characters started out being a gang of street racing thugs from L.A. on the first film, by the sixth film they’ve turned into indestructible super heroes! They can jump from one moving car to the next! They can shoot their guns while jumping through the air! I mean, these guys can fall down a flight of stairs or crash into the windshield of a car and never even break a bone! Vin Diesel can even take a freaking bullet and go on driving in the next scene just fine. So my advice is to throw all your expectations of reality out the door. This film isn’t interested in being real, it just wants to wow you, entertain you with its exaggerated action sequences, which I have to say are truly fun. We get a bunch of cool cars, a tank and military plane! They really do go all out here in using all manner of cool vehicles.

It was a genius idea adding Dwayne Johnson into these series of films. I’ve always thought that Johnson is the natural successor to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it seems there’s no stopping him now! The Rock starred in three films this summer season (G.I. Joe Retaliation, Pain and Gain and now this one)and they’ve all been huge money makers. I’m thinking we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of Dwayne Johnson in action films! Now all he needs is a cool sci-fi film or a super hero film, I can’t believe they’ve taken this long to do that. On Fast Six he has a couple of cool moments, but one of them involves him going ‘mano a mano’ with another massive dude, the battle is epic, the people in my theater where chearing! Audiences are really into these films! When the title for the film came up on screen some dude screamed “Whoo-hoo!” And speaking of fist fights, the girls in the film also get a chance to show what they are made in a fight that takes place in a subway station in London. Pretty cool scene, Michelle Rodriguez and Gina Carano give a whole new meaning to cat fight. They really go at each other’s throats!

True, the acting is not good at all in these films, especially when Vin Diesel tries his stab at sentimentalism and gets all mushy on us. It’s just too funny. But whatever, we don’t go to a movie like this one searching for the performance of the year, we go into a movie like this for the fun factor and on this one, the fun factor is quite high. When the action gets going, it gets going. On the downside of things, there’s some faults in the logic of some scenes, for example, there’s a scene that takes place on a landing field, with a plane attempting to take off that was cool as hell, but also unbelievable as hell because the landing field seemed to last forever and ever. The filmmakers obviously had lots of cool stunts to pull off for that big finale, unfortunately they forgot all about the logistics of a landing strip. There’s no way in hell that a landing strip would go on for as long as the one in this film does! That minor quip aside, I had tons of fun here. These films are similar to reading a comic book, with a “to be continued” attached to the ending…and this entry is no different. The ending will leave you wanting more, I aint gonna spoil it for you, but if what I saw in the ending is any indication, part seven should be pretty kick ass as well. I hear they are going back to L.A. for that one! The series will apparently come full circle, looking forward to that.

Rating: 4 out of 5 

Fast Five (2011)

Title: Fast Five (2011)

Director: Justin Lin

Cast: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Jordana Brester, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Elsa Pataki

Review:

Most of the time, when a series of films hits its fifth entry, it is almost a given that quality will take a nose dive. By the fifth film on any franchise, if the appropriate measures are not taken to make a good film, usually stories are watered down versions of their previous selves. Usually by that point, any passion or creativity is thrown out the window and the studio is simply cashing in on the franchises popularity rather then genuinely interested in making a good film. There’s no better genre to give an example of this than the horror genre. Take for example Friday the 13th part V: A New Beginning (1985) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), both considered to be the worst in their respective franchises. By the time SAW V (2008) rolled into theaters, story had been spread so thin that it became a complete bore. So when word came down that the fifth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise was being filmed, I wasn’t expecting a great film. I was expecting a by the numbers sequel. Well, I’m happy to report that I was wrong; this fifth installment has proven to be the best film in the whole series! Not a bad way to kick off the summer blockbuster season!

On this film, Dominic Torreto and his crew of misfits have gone to Brazil running away from the authorities. But moving to Brazil doesn’t solves the fact that Torreto and crew are in desperate need of money to survive. Things are tight and it’s getting hard to survive with no cash, specially when we take in consideration that Paul Walker’s character (Brian O’Conner) is on his way to becoming a dad. So when a “job” comes along where they can steal a bunch of expensive cars and get some good moolah for them on the black market, they take it. Unfortunately for them, these aren’t just any old cars, and they get themselves involved in a plot that involves, drug trafficking, corrupt government leaders and 100 million dollars. Torreto and his crew decide to beat the system, and become free by going after the 100 million for themselves.

So how did Fast Five end up being the best film in the whole Fast and the Furious series of films? A lot has to do with a feeling of familiarity with the characters, I never thought I’d be saying this about a Fast and the Furious film, but you kind of feel like you know these guys. I mean, what the filmmakers got right is that they make us care for these characters by adding a lot of genuinely warm situations and scenes, where the characters become close, like family. So on top of the cool action sequences, and fast cars, we get some genuine warm characters we can connect with. Like many people right now in the world, these guys are struggling to survive, looking for a way to become financially free from the system, from the corruption and from economical woes. Let’s face it, in the modern world we live in, you might have a job, but you still feel like a slave, and it’s because of the way things are set up in society. And it’s the poor people who suffer the most because they don’t have that cash! I mean, if the cost of living keeps going up, it wont be long before we have to pay five bucks for a freaking can of soda.

So what this film does is it turns its main characters in to a gang of Robin Hoods. At times when governments are economically strangling their people, Robin always pops up somehow. That’s why it didn’t surprise me when Ridley Scott decided to make his recent take on the character. Robin Hood is a character for our times. So much like Robin of Loxley, Dominic and Co. steal from the corrupt government that lies to its people and bleeds them dry, to give to the poor, to those in need; and of course, to themselves. I liked that about the film, it addresses how badly people are in need of money right now, and it plays with that idea: what if the poor actually got away with stealing 100 million? They are anti-heroes because they are stealing, but this is a twisted world we live in, and sometimes the good guys are the bad guys, and vice versa. There are a lot of gray areas on this movie, morally speaking. But then again, the world we live in isn’t exactly black and white. So the film addresses themes of poverty, the way the system is set, and how the poor are trapped and left to suffer at the hands of corrupt governments, which is very true in many parts of the world. Hey, I live in Puerto Rico, I know a thing or two about corrupt governments who steal money and use the police force to opress their people instead of protecting them. I live and breathe this every day, so of course I connected with the story.

Then there are the awesome action sequences that this series of films is so well known for. I’ll just step right in here and say that in this area, the film does not disappoint one bit, it does contain some of the best action sequences (if not THE best) in the whole series . When there isn’t any action, we get the funny characters and dialog to hold us off. And it does get pretty funny at times; actually, there were a couple of instances where I literally laughed out loud. But back to the action, don’t know how many of you guys know this, but 90 % of this movie was shot in Puerto Rico, where I live. In fact, it wasn’t only shot in Puerto Rico, a huge chunk of the action sequences where shot right in front of the building where I work at every day! So I got to see how a huge Hollywood Blockbuster gets made. For a full article on this go to this link and read about my adventures walking around the set of Fast Five. It was pretty exciting for me, since I am in my own small way a filmmaker myself. But it was great to see this huge production unfold before my very eyes. Actually, at one point I got to meet Paul Walker’s stunt double and was actually standing right next to Elsa Pataki at one point while they were shooting a scene! I wasn’t aware that it was her (she had glasses and a hat covering her face) but that birthmark in her upper left lip is hard to miss. When I saw the film I realized that it was her I was standing next to all the time! So anyhows, the action sequences are spectacular. The whole last big bombastic action sequence where the good guys steal the vault with the 100 million dollars inside of it was shot in front of my job, and it’s the best freaking sequence in the whole film! Pretty impressive stuff, I loved the way they edited the whole thing, it looks so exciting up on screen! It was great to see so many familiar places in a big Hollywood film, of course, its all made up to look as if it’s all taking place in Brazil, but whatever. It’s was fun as hell!

Another plus that the film has going for it is that Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock) is now part of the cast. On this film, he plays a cop hot on Torreto’s tail. I’m glad to see Dwayne Johnson finally returning to action films, in my opinion, he still has to make that “great action film” that he will be known for, so I’m glad he hasn’t given up on this. In fact, if you ask me, he has returned in full force to action films. This year he has released not one, but two big action films! Faster (2010) which also starred Billy Bob Thorton and now Fast Five where he actually goes “mano a mano” with Vin Diesel. Two me, these two guys are the modern equivalent of the 80’s big action stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Big dudes with huge muscles who like to scream, punch and shoot their way of any situation. Testosterone flies high in this movie! One scene has them both going at each others throats and all I could think of was that Arnold and Stallone never had a film like this where they kick each others asses. In my humble opinion, Dwayne Johnson looks more bad ass in the film. Their big fight was another highlight of the film, the big question being “who’s the toughest hombre of the two?” Watch the movie and find out.

On the negative side of things, the acting is not so great. But hey, this movie is not one of those movies you go to see for performances, this is the kind of movie you go to see to see fast cars, and lots of destruction of public property, which is exactly what you'll get. Still, it's kind of funny to see Vin Diesel try and act all serious and emotional in certain scenes. By far, the most kick ass character in this movie is Dwayne Johnson. In that scene where its Vin Diesel vs. Dwayne Johnson, my money was on The Rock for sure. The dude looks like a freaking tank on this movie! Other negative points: the film has some gargantuan loop holes and gaps in logic. I mean, stealing those cop cars was waaaay too easy! And then they run them down the street and no other cop seems to see them doing these high speed races in stolen cop cars? Also, where did these poor dudes get the money to buy a second vault with which to practice their heist? That thing must have cost some serious cash, yet, they magically get it in a matter of days. Who put the money up for that vault? And yet another weak link in the film is the films villain, who is dispatched by the good guys without even letting the bad guy have his moment of glory. But ultimately, I didnt give a crap about these things because I was having fun with the film. 

All in all, a great action flick. It had me laughing and entertained all the way, something I never thought these Fast and the Furious movies would do. I guess its official, this sequel won me over. Word of advice, stay a couple of minutes after the credits for a logic defying ending (which stars Eva Mendez by the way) that will have you coming back for the sequel, which will no doubt get made. After all, in its first three days in theaters, Fast Five pulled in 83 million dollars at the box office! This no doubt assures us another entry in the series, and no doubt will get director Justin Lin that Terminator sequel he wants to direct. An excellent action film every step of the way, highly recommend it.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

I took this picture on the set, right after they had yelled "Thats a Wrap!"