Summer Review #1 -- Fast Five

As you would recognize that summer was here by the rising temperatures and sunny days, so you would also undoubtedly know that it had arrived by yet another installment of the wildly popular Fast & Furious franchise. Yes, the boys are back in town in what is probably their most boisterous, guns blazing, revved up adventure. And it is FUN.

After getting their guru Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) out of custody, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and his girlfriend, Dominic's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), move to Rio, where they expect to pull off a final heist with a new team, in anticipation of retirement. Things do not go quite according to plan, though, what with a tenacious U.S. DSS agent (Dwayne Johnson) hot on their trail and a local police officer (Elsa Pataky) beginning to doubt the villainy of the supposed bad guys...

This franchise is a well-oiled machine, pun completely intended. Each of the films is fully aware of itself and its grease-fuelled machinations; each of the actors is in the picture to enjoy themselves in fabulous locales and possibly take part in, like, awesome stunts... but I digress. As always, the principal characters come glued to their tricked-out rides, and the race and chase scenes are truly spectacular, particularly a scene toward the end.

When it comes to performances in a film like this one, I find myself wanting to heap praise upon the stunt people, the visual effects magicians and, of course, the monster vehicles themselves, rather than the actors for their work. The human performances are inextricably linked to the gas-guzzlers, having become increasingly so over the course of the three earlier sequels. Diesel and Walker still have a bromance going on, and Johnson adds a dose of steroid-infused, dour authority to the proceedings. Brewster plays well off of a new dimension added to Mia, while Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris provide a healthy dose of comic relief.

One sees a film like Fast Five for one simple reason -- to get into the spirit of summer through pure adrenaline created by cinematic velocity. It is what it is, people, and it was never meant to be anything else. Watching the movie, we get a good sense that it was made for the audience's enjoyment, and that is exactly what it achieves. Do not be a backseat driver and do not question the destination. Just enjoy the journey.

6/10