Fast Five Review (Minor Spoilers)

I can die now!

THE MOVIE: CRITIC'S TAKE

It's very rare that a franchise can bring everyone important back for a fifth film. It's pretty much unheard of but this franchise managed to pull it off. I must say they fulfilled a wanting fantasy for every Fast and Furious fan. Now here comes the hard part. Will the fans like it? Given what they've done with this film I think the answer would be a yes. They gave me what I wanted and then some.





STORY

It begins where the last film ended... with Brian, played by Paul Walker breaking Dom, played by Vin Diesel out of a bus ride full of prisoners. This leads them all being wanted by the FBI including Dom's sister Mia, played by Jordana Brewster. They separate and Brian and Mia find themselves visiting an old friend and enemy... Vince, played by Matt Schulze from the first fast and Furious film. He has a job for them but Brian is not sure about it until Dom shows up. They end up doing the job but a double cross occurred that put all their lives in jeopardy. Now the most powerful man in Brazil wants their head and the most talented federal bounty hunter wants nothing more than to bring them all in to pay for their crimes. This sets up one big adventure.

Get him rocky get him!

They end up finding out the real reason why the most powerful man in Brazil named Reyes, played by Joaquim De Almedida, wants their head. After hearing some good news from Mia an idea sparks in Dom's brain. He wants to rob Reyes blind but he needs help from the best men in the theft business. He calls upon his A Team!

A Team!

With his best people in toe they plan the perfect robbery. All they needed was a few cars, drill time, lots of practice, Gisele, played by Gal Gadot, flirting with Han, played by Sung Kang, Roman, played by Tyrese Gibson, lighting up the screen with his humor and wise cracks, the brains of Tej, played by Ludacris, and a bunch of other entertaining moments.

Awesome

During this time Hobbs, played by The Rock, is hell bent on bringing down Dom and his crew. He finally catches up with him and a mega fight ensues. Hobbs managed to grab Dom, Brian, and Mia into custody. However, Reyes had a different plan. In the process Reyes's men kills all of Hobbs men but with the help of Dom and Brian he was able to fend of Reyes's men. Looks like now Hobbs owes them one.

I cried a little

He allows them to go after Reyes and his most prized possessions. The ending was well thought out and very entertaining. In the end everyone gets what they deserved and now Dom has a new agent on his tail. I think this agent might be a little busy though. He may have a ghost he needs to catch.

GHOST?

ACTING

The chemistry here was flawless. This is why friends should make movies together. Everyone fit their roles just like how we remember them. Having them interact together was a delight and I hope they can pull it off again. Even the new people did a pretty good job. No complaints in this department.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

The special effects weren't bad. I loved the Brazilian scenery and how everything popped even in the dark settings. The action scenes were over the top and some of the things they did were unbelievable. It's a very unrealistic film and I hoped for a little realism. I guess that was asking for too much. Well at least the girls were hot...

I want to eat her puXXy

WRITING AND DIRECTING

The film was directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. The writing was ok for a film like this. It wasn't great but it's good enough not to make you cringe. I enjoyed the Gisele character going after Han. It's a nice flip from the ordinary guy crushing on hot girl. I wish more writers had the guts to pull this.

Now that's awesome

Justin Lin did an awesome job with this film. Everything is in focus and nothing is jammed together. He filmed the action scenes the best he could, given the small spaces he had to work with. Overall I wish this team can work together again. It looked like they had a lot of fun.

THE END

This film is a must see. How often can you get all your favorite characters back for one film? The action and chemistry is there and there is some pretty new interesting faces to see. It's a decent film. I don't think you will be disappointed... just wait till after the end credits. There's more faces to see!

STORY 7 out of 10
ACTING 8 out of 10
SPECIAL EFFECTS 8 out of 10
WRITING 7 out of 10
DIRECTING 8 out of 10

OVERALL 8 (MUST SEE)


 
 
 

Thor Review (minor spoilers)

It's about damn time!

THE MOVIE: CRITIC'S TAKE

Thor! One of the last big comic book heroes to meet the big screen. I'm not a major fan but know enough to know if this film was a great adaption. I had my hopes high especially knowing Natalie Portman was cast in the film. I was so-so on the plot but hey it's a comic book film. Does the plot really matter as long as the characters were done with justice? If you're a Thor fan then you might be disappointed but if you want to have a good date night and have a little entertainment then this film is for you. It wasn't great but it's far from bad.

STORY

The story begins with a brief history of Asgard. It tells about a war between the frozen gods and the people that protect the universe from them. When Thor is about to be named king they attack and almost retrieve one of their lost riches. Thor being young and anxious seeks revenge and tries to fight his way through an army. Luckily his aging father arrives and saves everyone involved. Highly emotional he does the unthinkable and banishes his son away from their kingdom, stripping his power in the process. Unfortunately he lands himself on earth... now that's cold.

Why father?

He quickly lands himself in the hospital but it's not his fault. It seems that Portman's character loves hitting Thor with her truck! She realizes who Thor is and retrieves him from the hospital. After some conversations with the locals he learns that his hammer has landed some where nearby. He asks Portman's character to join him on his mission but her friends quickly convince her not to go. Shield shows up and removes most of her findings and research. This pisses her off greatly and goes on the hunt to find Thor. She finds him and helps him break into a military faculty set up by Shield. He finds his hammer only to realize he's not worthy!

I failed

His brother Loki pays him a visit and informs him that his father has died due to his banishment. This proves to be a lie when his friends show up and tells Thor the truth. He becomes stuck in a hard place and a rock because he has now grown feelings for Portman's character. Loki learns that his secret is out of the bag and sends his pet to destroy Thor and his friends. Through a sacrifice he becomes worthy of being the hero he needs to be and destroys Loki's destroyer. He returns to Asgard and a war of the worlds explode. To see who wins and who makes surprise cameos I suggest seeing this film ASAP. The Avengers are starting to shape up nicely.

Avengers

ACTING

The acting here was passable. Chris is able to pull off the dumb jock nicely and he was able to have enough chemistry with his co stars to pass as acceptable. Natalie was the most impressive to watch. I didn't buy her as being a nerd but her cuteness made it able for me to forget. Overall the cast did a fine job.

Thor cast

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Asgard looked as real as it could be. That's really about it. I wasn't impressed with the effects here. It's not a bad movie in this department but when you see too many films with special effects everything looks the same. I felt something was a little off with the effects but the average movie goer wouldn't mind. These effects won't derail you but they won't impress you either.

I'm the shit!

WRITING AND DIRECTING

The writing here was average at best. The dialog flowed nicely and the plot seemed plausible. Nothing really stood out but the dialog is good enough to keep you entertained. The directing was better than I thought. He was able to capture the feel of Thor without making this movie too over the top. It was good to know that this film did not fall in the wrong hands.

THE END

A must see for hardcore Thor fans. I must see for anyone interested in action films. This film isn't bad but don't walk in expecting a masterpiece. Iron Man is a better film but Thor can still be enjoyable. It opens May 6, 2011. Go and enjoy!

STORY 5 out of 10
ACTING 6 out of 10
SPECIAL EFFECTS 6 out of 10
WRITING 6 out of 10
DIRECTING 7 out of 10

OVERALL 6 (GIVE IT A TRY)