Why I Saw This: I think I've established a clear history of seeing blockbusters and I needed something a little better than the third Hangover to hold me over this week.
Cast: You've got the same motley crew as always with a couple new ones thrown in because someone has to be the villain. Perhaps no actor personifies the franchise he is known for better than Vin Diesel. He doesn't have a deep bag of tricks nor does he need one for this movie. Same goes for Paul Walker. This isn't a challenging movie for acting. That's not a knock. It's what it is. I think I've been grandfathered in to being a fan of Dwayne Johnson considering this is the third movie I've seen with him in as many months. He's a force of nature in this as always. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris both supply their own form of comedic relief. Michelle Rodriguez makes a welcome return to a role she is perfectly suited for. Luke Evans is your generic European super-villain and plays it well. I've only seen Gina Carano in Haywire before this and I can say two things about her with certainty: 1) It takes about 10 seconds to realize she has an MMA background and 2) she is the toughest "camera-friendly" women in cinema. The rest of the cast, including Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, and others get some use but they are definitely utility players this time around.
Plot: The movie that immediately comes to mind when I think of this movie is The Matrix Reloaded. Even a few hours removed from it, I can barely remember the plot. The story is there to create a through line for the action sequences which are clearly where all the effort went. And, frankly, if the story is as thin as this one is, it better deliver in the action and it does. For someone who likes to see a movie that let's me shut my mind off and bask in the sensory overload from time to time, I was quite tickled by this. It is big to the point that I don't know what they have left to do in 7.
Elephant in the Room: How is this series still alive? I don't know. It is remarkable. Absolutely no one a decade ago could've predicted that the 6th installment of a franchise anchored by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker would be breaking Memorial Day weekend records with a 9 digit opening weekend at the box office. There's a weird alchemy at work here that can't be explained. I have to tip my hat to the people behind this. It it impressive.
To Sum Things Up:
If you want to see a movie to be moved emotionally, skip this. If you want 2 hours of fun, you can do a lot worse. This movie is certainly not for everyone. That's for sure. I found it to be a satisfying action movie outside the fantasy sub-genre that dominates the summer landscape. It isn't my favorite movie of the year or even close, but it is nice when a movie knows what it does well and works within those bounds.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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