Fast Five
Dir: Justin Lin
2011
**
I think it would be unfair of me to proclaim that Fast Five is more of the same nonsense we've seen throughout the franchise because it isn't. They have created a brand new type of nonsense, an improved nonsense if you will. Gravity is still totally ignored as is death, if your character dies in the franchise then you can always come back no questions asked. You can also kill innocents and police with no consequence. The cars take a bit of a back seat really, the one race opportunity is completely ignored with only a before and after scene to show for it, which I have to say was refreshing as we've seen it all before. The big problem with this film is the story. It's so stupidly ridiculous it's amazing it ever got green-lit. I liked the way they got everyone's favorite characters from the franchise and got them together but this crime 'dream team' serve absolutely no purpose. What did Han do exactly? He drove one car once but was chosen for his 'best in the world' crime credentials? It's poor character development and lazy writing. Vin Diesel's constant mumblings on family is tiresome too, especially when one of his 'brothers' dies and requests with his dying breath that he visits his only son. Does he? Does he hell, he's got a ton of money to steal for no good reason. If they had the amount of money needed to fund such an audacious heist then they probably wouldn't have needed to bother in the first place.