linsenbardt.net

Don’t get me wrong…”The Fast and The Furious” was not what one would call a “good movie,” but there was something kinda stupid and fun about it. The movie largely propelled Vin Diesel to “action star” status overnight, and also kicked off the career of Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster…and Paul Walker, if you really call “Timeline” and “Joy Ride” a “career”…

Anyway, “The Fast and The Furious” was actually remake of a 1955 movie of the same name, but they really had very little in common with each other. It was relatively well-received by the fans (yet panned by the critics), and made enough money to warrant a string of sequels, including “2 Fast 2 Furious,” headlined by the aforementioned Paul Walker (and sans Diesel, Rodriguez and Brewster) and “The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift (which only had a cameo by Diesel, and otherwise no-name actors).” “2 Fast…” was a terrible, terrible movie. “Tokyo Drift” I never saw, but from what I hear, wasn’t really a bad movie…just didn’t do well in theaters…at all… However, it exploded in DVD sales and warranted another flick.

Enter the most recent iteration, “Fast & Furious,” which brings back the original crew in an attempt to reboot the franchise. In most respect, it actually pulls it off rather well, providing even more car stunts and action than the first movie, and otherwise decent special effects (there are quite a few more digital effects this time around, though). Paul Walker is still amongst the worst actors in Hollywood, but at least this time, he isn’t headlining the movie and he has Vin Diesel to bring it up a notch (relatively speaking, of course).

Briefly, the story itself deals with Diesel’s character, Dom Toretto, seeking revenge against a Mexican drug czar…who Paul Walker (FBI Agent Brian O’Conner) is also after, for other reasons (read: heroin trafficking). You can probably fill in the blanks from there…not a terribly complicated story…

The cars this time around weren’t all that impressive to me, as compared with some of the other flicks. There were actually very few new tuner cars to be seen…most of them were late-90s or early-2000s models, with the exception of the new Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Otherwise, the vast majority of cars in the movie are “American Muscle,” including a new Mustang, a Gran Torino, a Chevelle SS and, of course, Dom’s Charger. I would have liked to see a few newer cars in the movie, but I’m sure I’ll live…

So yeah, I liked it. It’s a good popcorn flick to kick of a summer of excellent movies. If you liked the first one (or, heck, all of them…somehow…), then you’ll love this. If, on the other hand, you can’t live with Vin Diesel being the best actor in the movie, you’ll probably want to pass. Thus far, it’s grossed $200 million worldwide, so believe you me…there’s another one coming…

For the most part, when it comes to movies based on comics/graphic novels, I’m typically all over it. Certainly with Marvel or DC comics, I have a manageable grasp on the primary characters and a basis to follow when watching movies based on a given hero. Watchmen is something of an anomaly, however, as I’d heard of the graphic novel, published by DC Comics back in 1986-87, but certainly knew nothing about the story or what happened. So far as I understand, “Watchmen” actually adheres to the source material relatively well, but I couldn’t begin to tell you where the differences lie.

Essentially, here’s the idea… In an alternate past (mid-1980s), Nixon is a third-term President and we are under threat of nuclear annihilation from the U.S.S.R. Back in the 1920s/1930s, “masked vigilantes” took to the streets to help clean up crime, leading to a few generations of masked heroes that would go on to protect the citizens of the U.S. These people were a bit more grounded in “reality,” in that the kinds of people that were acting like heroes were generally benevolent, but sometimes sociopaths (i.e. just a bit crazy…). These heroes were inserted into historical events, including the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, and a variety of different protests and riots. Very few heroes, with the exception of Dr. Manhattan, actually had any powers, so they were more like a Batman than a Superman…

As a result of the Keene Act, all masked vigilantes had to quit what they were doing, or risk going to jail. Most of these heroes went underground, and/or retired to private life. In the 1980s, however, two events spark their return: the threat of nuclear holocaust, and to a greater extent, the fact that some of their brethren are being knocked off one by one.

The movie switches between the past and the present, making these events even more confusing than they read above. For the most part, the story is rather interesting and engaging, making you wonder what’s really going on until the very end. Again, I can’t say how well this story is outlined as compared with the source material, but it does eventually make some sense. One of the complaints lodged against the film, however, is that it isn’t quite as “elegant” in switching back and forth in time, but I think the movie did as well at it as it could.

For a bunch of “no name” actors (save Billy Crudup), they all did an outstanding job. They were very believable in their roles, and made you feel for them (there’s a lot to feel for them as the movie progresses…). The effects were decent, but not the best I’ve seen. Honestly, there weren’t all that many special effects so far as the fight scenes go (besides some slow motion action, etc), but some of the bigger scenes depicting nuclear holocaust and Mars (the planet…) were acceptable, but not the best available. Dr. Manhattan especially, while impressive, didn’t seem to get the “mouth movements” quite right when speaking, as he was a digital character with Crudup’s face motion-captured on to him. The movie’s been in production for a long time, so maybe it’s just a few years late on that front.

Overall, I think it’s worth seeing if you want an interesting story, or if you like comics at all. The ending was rather shocking, in my opinion, but still has a decent resolution. It comes in at 2 hrs and 40 minutes, so make sure you get a soda and popcorn before it starts. Considering that the special effects weren’t that impressive, you could wait for the DVD, as seeing it on the big screen didn’t seem to add much to the experience. Still, considering mostly nothing else is out right now in theaters, it isn’t a bad choice!

If anything, it makes me want to pick up the graphic novel and actually read something. I can’t think of many movies that make me want to do that!