Review of Fast & Furious (2009) by Troy S — 11 Apr 2015

While I agree it isn't up to the standards of the first two films, I don't get the hate for this one, which is probably the most important film in the entire franchise. Gone are the cheesy jokes and the wooden acting and back are Walker, Diesel, Rodriguez and Brewster, this time with director Justin Lin providing a darker, more serious tone and even more technical mastery than the series has previously shown.

It's not as funny as the previous three films, but the story is better-written and it's great to finally see Walker & Diesel back together for the first time since the original movie. The plot is also the most character-driven of the four movies, involving Diesel's attempts to avenge the death of his sister while Walker attempts to catch the same guys who did it, but for a different reason as he's working for the FBI.

The car chases are better than ever, the cinematography and editing are the flashiest of the series so far, and there aren't any moments of cringeworthy line delivery. On the one hand, the cheesiness is kind of missed, and I can't wait to see Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris again, but this is certainly a great turning point for the franchise, a kind of cathartic u-turn to attempt to wash out the flaws of the previous three films before slowly working the charm back in for the next few. As a standalone, this is one of the weakest of the series for that reason, but in the bigger picture that makes it the most important.

This is also the best of the series so far for female characters, as all of the four main females (those played by Rodriguez, Brewster, Gal Gadot and Liza Lapira) ave genuine plot significance as opposed to being eye candy or damsels in distress. This is still nothing groundbreaking on that front - there are still lots of women hanging out around the guys solely to look pretty, and the four main women get significantly less screen time and action than the men - but it's a bit of a step-up for a series that's pretty much been aimed solely at teenage boys.

Overall, I'm glad they kept Lin on for more, and I excitedly anticipate the next three.