Born Movie Reviews

Movie Review written by: Born Movie Reviews

RT Critics Rating: 6.9/10

Born Movie Reviews' Rating: 8/10

The Fast & Furious franchise, from this point on, will be known as one of the greatest turn-around series in film history. It began with only thin plotlines of car racing, grossing less than $400 million worldwide, then evolved into a heist plot in the fifth entry with over $620 million, to the current one this year, grossing over $780 million. Today, it is known as Universal Studio's most successful franchise of all time. However, when the sixth film's title card arrives, it only says "Furious 6." Why not just call it that then? We see Fast & Furious 6 everywhere on the posters and trailers. Come to think of it, Furious 6 has an interesting ring with its previous Fast Five. It sounds cooler, more slick...

Furious 6 continues where Fast Five left off, revolving around Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), living a peaceful quiet life with Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), and their newborn baby. He is soon tracked down by Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) once more, this time persuading him to help take down a former British Special Forces soldier named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), after showing him a recent photo of his long-dead girlfriend Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez). After gathering his crew together one more time, Dom accepts the mission in exchange for having all of their criminal records wiped clean, allowing them to return home to the United States.

Just like the previous installment, the chemistry between Diesel and Johnson is ingenious to watch. Two big tough guys work together to take down a common enemy. Whoever is messing with the duo is in big trouble. Once again, the film has a great sense of comedy, all delivered through lines of dialogue within the group, proving that the witty screenwriting from Fast Five still has some fuel left to run this entry. Though most of the funny moments occur between Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson, there still exists a bond among the people. Like they say it, they are a family.

Furious 6 for sure has a load of preposterous action sequences, in which cars defy gravity and characters defy physics. There is an entire scene with a tank and a finale with a plane, or "planet," that jazzes up the entire screen with explosive entertainment. And again, the film slows down at crucial moments, developing characterization and building suspense for the plot. The pacing of the romantic subplot between Dom and Letty is careful and aware. Any person who has seen the previous films would know that the two loved each other very much, and that Letty's death in the fourth installment was a scar to the lead characters. Now that she is alive, our favorite criminals attempt to bring her back.

In my review of Fast Five, I wrote that I would be returning to the theaters to see a sixth entry, hoping that it is just as enjoyable. Fortunately, it is. Might not be as straightforward and complete in storytelling and plot, but just as explosive and exciting and electrifying to watch. Ever since the franchise departed from the street racing theme and became a general action genre, the Fast & Furious movies have just earned themselves a much larger and better audience. 

In conclusion, Furious 6 works the formula of the series like a Formula One. The outer shell of the vehicle may look cleaner and newer, but deep down, the engine and gears are still the same. Composed of everything that made Fast Five so furiously original in the franchise, Furious 6 is the brand new carmageddon, proving that this new vehicle can run just as well a second time, living life on the fast lane.