Fast Five

To say I was anxiously awaiting this film would be an overstatement. To say I wasn't happy to see it would be an understatement. Did I expect to like it? Well, Yeah, It is a movie after all. I was more excited about seeing what the director Justin Lin would do. I paid extra close attention to this since he has been confirmed to direct Terminator 5 with Arnie. I don't think if I would call myself a fanboy of this franchise, but I do love cars and action. My sister in law is the real reason we went to this as I think these are her favorite films ever. Keep in mind she is 33. If her whole life kept in line with this single obsession, she would probably be the coolest chick ever. Unfortunately this is really strange to everyone who knows her, as this franchise really doesn't "fit" the parameters of her day to day life. The aspect I was most looking forward to in this film was the addition of a "real" actor. That being said, the actor I speak of is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is actually a wrestler. Funny. He brings an intensity to the screen that Vin Diesel could only dream of. The story is a minute for minute continuation from the previous film. We know Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) and Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) and a couple others went to break Dom (Diesel) out of his prison transport bus. They pick up with that scene and don't stop until the final credits roll. Vince from the first film is back and he is living in Rio de Janero. He has Brian and Mia and Dom meet him there. He commissions them for a job. A not so simple boost, but these guys are on the run and need the money. The job goes awry and then the real plot begins. The actual opening scene is the bus, but the real opening scene is awesome. The boost. Great action and I was a sweaty nervous wreck halfway into it. The job goes bad as I said which gives us the title baddie, Reyes. He controls everything down there including the cops. Those were suppose to be his cars. As if that is not bad enough, 3 DEA agents were killed in the process of the job. Toretto and O'Connor are directly blamed and now they are at the top of the most wanted list. The man hired to bring em back is Hobbs (The Rock). Within 5 seconds of him being on screen the tempo is boosted. He even drops the F Bomb in his opening monologue. He was the absolute perfect cast for that part. What I really noticed was how big the two stars got since we last saw them. The Rock got huge with muscles, and Diesel got huge with fatty tissue. He has a bit of a gut and a double chin. The wife beaters don't do him any favors, whereas the Under Armour Hobbs where's makes me want to go buy some in hopes that it will make me look like that. He is right on their butt, and the crew and firepower he brings along are unmatched, not to mention his bulletproof tactical vehicle which is quite similar to the new one commissioned by the US Army built by Boeing. With all the stuff happening Toretto and O'Connor decide to take down Reyes. They need a crew so what I really enjoyed was all the members that came in. They pulled members from all the previous films and united them into a solid machine. Tej (Ludacris) and Roman (Tyrese) have the comic relief banter that really feels real. Almost like it's unscripted. It's a non stop action movie that is insanely awesome with brilliantly thought out stunts and choreography. The fight scene between Dom and Hobbs is awesome, the cars are insane, and story is really strong. I was surprised at how funny the movie is. It's not one of those movies that is ridiculous which makes it laughable. It's the humorous dialogue and scenes that were written to perfection. What Fast Five brought to the franchise was firepower. Drug runners, tactical teams, and testosterone = Good Times. I only paid $5 to go see this which is a full $2 less than matinee price. At this price, it should absolutely be seen in the theater. At $10 a ticket I may be a little more hard pressed, but I was glad to have seen it. Everyone is waiting till next week for Thor to kick off the summer season of Big Blockbuster films. It actually kicked off last night with Fast Five.

**P.S. - Stay through the credits!!!! 

NBM rates Fast Five - Phenomenal...and I'll tell you why. It is the best film of the franchise thus far.