Fast & Furious 6

The Fast and Furious franchise has undergone a radical transformation since launching 12 years ago, with the changes following Justin Lin taking hold of directorial duties from Tokyo Drift (film three) onwards.

The series has made the transition from street races to include drugs, heists, and now terrorism, while lead characters Dom Toretto (Diesel) and Brian O'Conner (Walker) have gone from petty thug and law enforcer to wanted fugitives.

With an opening sequence reminiscent of Quantum of Solace, Toretto and Brian screech around mountaintops as the latter readies himself to become a father, demonstrating how adult and family-minded they've become. Meanwhile, what follows is a nice refresher for those acquainted with the series and for newcomers alike, acting as a highlights reel to bring everyone up to speed of the events experienced in the previous five films.

The antagonist for Fast 6 is Mr Owen Shaw (Evans), a former special ops military man that uses his knowledge, contacts and fast cars to make robberies for the highest bidder. In this instance, it just so happens he has his eyes on a chip that would incite terrorism in the wrong hands, which prompts baby oil-loving federal agent Hobbs (Johnson) to round up Toretto and his crew for back-up, offering them full pardons in exchange for their services.

London is the main backdrop for the film, which, naturally, features a very corny cameo, though the the bright lights, black taxis and double-decker buses dotted around the city are infinitely more welcome.

For me, five was the best of all of the films, but six gives it a run for its money, taking the stunts to ridiculous new heights (literally). You could, of course, reprimand the film for its use of impossible feats, but that's the whole point of these films, right? To get bigger and more extreme, as demonstrated with the big and extreme – and always affable – introduction of Johnson in Fast Five.

For me, Johnson changed the game and breathed new life into a franchise that was beginning to get stale, and seeing Hobbs join forces with Toretto and co makes for brilliant viewing. The action is insane and the banter is electric, with the camaraderie between the cast obvious.

The only criticism of the film is its length. There was a particular moment that seemed as though the film had wrapped, though it continued for another half hour, and while what followed was laced with adrenaline and big bangs, the film could have done with a 20 minute tightening.

Shaw isn't an intimidating or imposing character, particularly when facing off against Hobbs and Toretto, but he is devious, ruthless and sharp, presenting an entirely new threat to the series.

Those in the know will be aware Tokyo Drift threw the timeline entirely out of sequence, but the game comes full circle at the end of the film, and you won't want to miss the credits sequence that follows…

Originally posted at www.zentertainmentweekly.com

7/10

I'm going to keep this short, simple and sweet because that is exactly what this film is. It's great summer fun for all ages that manages to succeed on the one thing I hate in horror movies; make an idiot of itself. It is where this stupidity in plot events comes from that gives the film its fuel to do nothing but provide brainless over-the-top popcorn fun. It is done so by having some of the best sound editing I have heard in a while with brilliantly paced action sequences, with one fight scene in particular that will surly be the best action scene of the year. I recommend Furious 6 if you're looking to have some fun, but whatever you do, do not walk in there expecting The King's Speech, because it is not what this movie is trying to be- which makes this film so admirable.

Grade: B+

I don't think many other franchises has been as turbulent and uneven as The Fast and the Furious films. Things started off pretty earnestly with Rob Cohen's first film, but quickly careened into odd directions, with the ever-cheesy 2 Fast 2 Furious taking off and running with one main character while leaving the other in the dust, and with Tokyo Drift drifting away with totally different characters altogether. Thankfully, Fast & Furious realigned the series with its roots. But it wasn't until Fast Five when I really began to give a darn about this series. Granted that all films have had their fun moments, the fifth film magically tied in every single strand from every single film, and made every single character relevant. Best of all, it did so with a great sense of fun: it had great pacing, amusing comedy, great action, and it made the characters stand out as a collectively outstanding cast.

So now Fast & Furious 6 has come out, reuniting the entire gang once more to take on bigger stakes. The spectacle in this film tries its best to be even bigger, more absurd, and more awesome than before: the film is effectively book-ended with two massive action setpieces. The first involves a decently destructive car chase in London, where the villain effectively uses his custom-built ride to launch other cars all over the place. The film's final act features a really crazy sequence in which a tank roars across a highway, crushing other cars and blowing up bridges. This all culminates with all the muscle cars banding together to bring down a massive cargo plane in a fiery blaze of glory. In between, the film slows down a bit, but there's frequent fist-fights and pursuits, a few scenes of witty comedy, and there's one decent car-racing scene.

Whether or not you really dig this film may depend on how well you dig the characters and all their dynamics. It definitely helps to watch and understand the events of the first five films, because at this point, they've all been through so much and changed so much; for a late-comer like me, who never was invested in the characters until the last film, it can be confusing to remember who was who and what their history was. Fortunately, the film does insert some flashbacks and reminders for the audience's benefit. If you are keeping up with things, then the film will reward you with a cast of endearing and heartfelt characters, and the film's plot generally revolves around their continuing struggles. As far as the actual plot goes, it's pretty brainless and absurd action-movie fodder, and there are plot holes to be found. However, the film does have the merit of presenting a cast of villains to directly oppose the cast of heroes, and the story pulls out a few surprising twists.

The film generally looks good, but many of the action scenes are hectically shot and edited, and it can be hard to tell what's going on in certain scenes. What you can see is awesome, but sometimes, it's just aggravating. Acting is generally fun and enjoyable from the whole cast. Writing gets the job done well enough. This production uses a plethora of quality sets, props, and costumes, with loads of flashy cars at its disposal, and some okay-looking special effects. This film uses some cool hip rap and techno music, while the music score is pretty cool (sounds a lot like Brian Tyler's work from Tokyo Drift, which was one of my favorite soundtracks).

Best recommended to fans of the series, especially if you've been following the last few movies.

4/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Pretty Good)

Part 6 does not disappoint. More action then ever. If you added Bruce Willis this could have been Die Hard 6

The sixth instalment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, Fast & Furious 6 follows into the footsteps of its predecessor and continues the series' new-found mantra of departing from its original street racing theme to move further into the heist thriller sub-genre. And even if it's not as refreshing & impressive as Fast Five, it nonetheless succeeds as another thrilling, ridiculously entertaining & undeniably fun extravaganza.

The story of Fast & Furious 6 concerns Dominic Toretto & his crew, all of whom have retired to a comfortable life following the heist they pulled off in the previous chapter yet they still remain wanted fugitives in their homeland. But when Hobbs asks for their services to take down a skilled mercenary organisation in exchange for clearing their criminal records, Dom accepts the deal and reassembles his team to finish one last job.

Directed by Justin Lin, Fast & Furious 6 is his final stint with this franchise and he decides to go out on a high note by delivering a picture that's far too enjoyable to worry about the laws of physics being bent here on few occasions. The screenplay packs in an interesting plot filled with excellent use of humour but it isn't as tightly gripped as the last instalment and is a slight step down in comparison. But a few elements do get an upgrade.

The technical aspects follow the same formula that was applied in Fast Five and there isn't much to complain here for the set pieces look spectacularly detailed, the action sequences benefit a lot from its energetic camera-work, brilliant editing & more use of practical effects just like the last chapter although at times the action goes way too over-the-top yet not so exaggerated for most viewers to suspend disbelief. And the background score is fitting for the most part.

Coming to the performances, the entire main cast that was present in the last one reprises its role, Michelle Rodrigues also returns to join the gang and Luke Evans is the new addition who plays this chapter's antagonist. Vin Diesel & Paul Walker do their usual best as Toretto & O'Conner, Dwayne Johnson continues to impress as Hobbs, However, Evans doesn't get enough screen time to show his mettle and his characters turns out to be a generic villain. The rest of the cast chips in with fine contributions.

On an overall scale, Fast & Furious 6 builds upon the very ingredients that worked in favour of Fast Five and, barring a couple of issues, manages to stay on the track for the most part. Although not as amazing as the previous entry, this is nevertheless an immensely enjoyable blockbuster material that promises a lot of fun & thrills, and effectively delivers it. Definitely more style than substance although the margin isn't as vast as it had been in the first four chapters of this franchise, Fast & Furious 6 comes delightfully recommended.