MOVIE REVIEW: “Fast and Furious”

By Katy Bass | gargoyle@flagler.edu

I made the mistake of letting my roommate pick out the movie for the evening. She had one thing – or should I say person – on her mind when deciding: Paul Walker.

The new edition to the series did not catch my interest, but I went along for the ride in hopes of seeing something new and different that hasn’t been seen in the first two movies. Hollywood must be having a hard time coming up with new movie ideas because, let’s be honest, who really wants to watch another “Fast and the Furious” movie that has the same plot line as the others?

There have been two already (not counting “Tokyo Drift”), and they both end with the drug dealers or car stealers getting caught. Not really a moving ending to need a third movie in its series. For all you cliché-lovers out there, this would be called kicking a dead horse. Obviously, some common themes that run throughout all the “Fast and the Furious” movies are sex, drugs, fighting and, of course, fast cars. As a woman, I know I would feel incomplete without this series, especially since the majority of the films consist of girls wearing the least amount of clothing as possible dancing around the drivers. I’m sure most viewers would agree.

At the beginning of the film Dominic (Vin Diesel) leaves his long time girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) in hopes of keeping her safe from the danger of the racing business. He quickly learns that leaving Letty to fend for herself was not the best idea when his sister in Los Angeles calls to tell him that Letty has been killed. Dom returns to L.A. with the intent to kill the person who killed the love of his life. His pal Brian, an FBI agent, has already been working on the case. If you didn’t already know from the previous movies, Dom and Brian did not end on good terms; however, Dom is willing to work with Brian to get to the bottom of Letty’s murder.

In order to avenge her death, Dom and Brian must race. They have narrowed the killer down to two guys who happen to be heroin dealers and smugglers. Once the two get in with the drug gang, the story unfolds from there.

Multiple car races and chases ensue, leaving many dead and others flat out furious wanting revenge. I’m pretty sure the ending is not hard to guess, so I’m going to leave that a mystery.

While “Fast and Furious” might have some beautiful actors and actresses, the movie as a whole, is far too similar to the previous two. Though the special effects were great and the thrill that puts you on the edge of your seat was there, Paul Walker alone cannot make up for the lack of originality seen from the producers and directors of these films.