The Transporter Refueled

Stunningly awful… I felt like I was watching robots mechanically delivering an emotionally vapid performance. Now if this was a pre-take walk through, it could be forgiven but as the final cut, it was deplorable. Only the father exuded some warmth and presence as a character that one could identify with and appreciate. The sheer lack of depth of the other characters was only matched by the lame attempts to humanize them. I am nearly speechless at how artificial the attempts were. Not sure if this was due to a really bad script, bad directing or terrible editing. I think the women made a valiant effort to give some dimension to their characters but in the end the whole enterprise was a sinking ship and the cast knew it….

As a fan of action films, particularly the original "Transporter" trilogy featuring Jason Statham, my expectations for "The Transporter Refueled" were quite high. However, after watching this lackluster reboot, I was left feeling disappointed and unfulfilled.

First and foremost, the plot was convoluted and felt like a half-hearted attempt to recapture the magic of the original. The story revolves around Frank Martin, now played by Ed Skrein, who must become entangled with a group of femme fatales and a dangerous crime lord. Unfortunately, this premise fails to deliver any genuine tension or excitement. The characters lacked depth and development, making it hard for viewers to become emotionally invested in their fates.

Ed Skrein's portrayal of Frank Martin did not hold a candle to Jason Statham's iconic performance. While Skrein is undoubtedly a talented actor, he seemed miscast in this role. His interpretation of Frank felt flat and lacked the charisma that made Statham's character so memorable. This lack of captivating lead performance was a major detriment to the film as a whole.

The action sequences, a hallmark of the Transporter franchise, were underwhelming at best. Rather than the well-choreographed, adrenaline-pumping stunts that fans had come to expect, the action in "The Transporter Refueled" felt disjointed and over-edited. It was as if the filmmakers relied heavily on shaky cam and quick cuts to disguise the lack of imagination in their fight choreography. This approach only served to frustrate me as a viewer, as it made it difficult to fully appreciate what little talent was on display.

The film's pacing seemed erratic. There were moments where the narrative dragged, leaving me checking the runtime, and then suddenly, it would rush through crucial plot developments without providing adequate context or explanation. This uneven pacing kept me disengaged and made it challenging to follow the film's progression.

The supporting characters were woefully underdeveloped. The femme fatales, who could have added an intriguing dynamic to the story, were reduced to clichés and stereotypes. Their motivations felt unclear, and their interactions with Frank lacked any real chemistry, making key moments feel forced and dull.

The film's attempts to inject humor fell flat and often felt out of place. Instead of providing lighthearted relief, the comedic elements detracted from the tension of the action scenes, leaving me feeling confused about the tone the filmmakers were aiming for.

"The Transporter Refueled" is a disappointing addition to the franchise that fails to capture the essence of what made the original films enjoyable. A weak script, lackluster performances, subpar action, and a muddled tone all contributed to a viewing experience that left much to be desired. For fans of the series, I recommend rewatching the original trilogy instead of enduring this uninspired reboot.

It's sad to see this movie flop this bad, really. It really had the huge risk of at least deliver something equivalent of the original trilogy. But doing this movie without any of the previous trilogy's creative minds is really a big mistake. The people behind the creative process for this movie clearly didn't know what they were doing. They only tried so hard to recreate the Jason Statham's Frank Martin persona with the mannerisms and the unique fight sequences. But in doing so they really pitted Ed Skrein with the old Jason Statham performance, on which everyone can really choose who's the winner. Not having Jason Statham is by itself a big burden due to Ed Skrein still fails to live up to the Statham persona. The story also seems very flat, nothing new or unpredictable is being offered by this movie. And the biggest sin is the editing.there are so many editing mistakes that takes away the fun in watching the action scenes. The acting overall is so bad that I don't deign to write about each actors' performances.

Quick background: I like Jason Statham, I thought the first two transporter movies were awesome, but the third one was a let down. And this fourth attempt (without him) is just like the last one. I saw it in the cinema because there wasn't much else going on action wise. So I would only recommend this is if you have ran out of options. I don't think it is as bad as some have put it, as it does have some action, although the fighting leaves much to be desired and doesn't come close to JS skills. And to make it worse, some of it has been hidden! They tried to make up for it all with lots of beautiful women, and it may have worked a little.

In summary, it's just an OK action movie. I wish JS got his act together and made another proper one.

It is just heartbreaking to say I did not like a transporter movie. But still, I did not like this transporter movie, at all !! It is expected from a transporter series to have top notch action sequences with Jason Statham throwing some mind blowing dialogues that would make a fan jump from his/her seat. But this Transporter got neither great action sequences nor good dialogues.

Ed Skrein tries his best to reach that level but fails in experience. His voice is a plus but still cannot deliver a good blow with his dialogue delivery. He also lacks that Badass look Jason used to have.

I was literally expecting the entire time for the movie to pick up pace and satisfy the action thirst that action movie lovers would have, but it stayed that dull movie where Hero would fight for some girl the entire time and kiss her at last. (kissing the Heroine with all bruises on Hero's face is now like a symbol that movie is over).

I don't know if they will make an other part of this but I only hope next one will be better.

Verdict: If you are very bored on the weekend, take a family trip,but try to avoid Transporter Refuelled. This movie is only for Transporter series fans who just don't want to skip a movie in the series.