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Furious 6 Review

I've been a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise since the first movie. It was a big, dumb, fun movie that was good enough to like, bad enough to love, and with just enough plot to move things along. It was followed by a sequel that didn't offer much, and a third installment that did even less. But then something interesting happened: the movies started getting better. Part 4 was a solid movie pulled together most of the original cast, and even tied in parts 2 & 3—improving those movies retroactively. By the time we got part 5, the franchise managed to pull off the impossible and was actually continuing to improve. They were getting rid of the elements that didn't fit, using the ones that did, and building a universe that actually worked (nonsensical, yes, but it worked). Happily, part 6 continues that trend...and while I don't think it was quite as good as Fast 5, it was still a solid movie that continued to build on the universe that has been created over the last 12 years. The trailers for it have already given too much away (a trend that started with them showing us the first demise of the Charger back in 2001), so I will remain spoiler-free here. It really is worth experiencing this in the theater. I will, however, note a few of my favorite moments:

One of the nicest things with an established series like this is that there is no long setup required. We already know Dom, Brian, Mia, Roman, Han, Tej, and Hobbs. When Furious 6 starts, no time is wasted with back stories or elaborate setups. A "best moments" sequence playing over the title credits acts as a refresher for those that haven't seen the movies in a while, which was a perfect way to make we were all on the same page. I also liked the way they managed to weave together plot points from previous movies, once again making 2 Fast, 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift even better (be sure to stay for the F&F7 teaser, in the first few minutes of the end credits). The automotive action was still awesome, and while there was less of it compared to previous movies, at least once scene proved critical to the plot. We also get some fun scenes like when Vin Diesel and The Rock get to tag team against a mountain of a bad guy.

All in all, it was a great time and a strong entry in the series, setting up a sequel that has more promise than I could have expected (seriously, watch that last scene).

Collector/Modeler Interest:
NKOK has made 1:24 R/C toys based on cars used in the movie, including Dom's Charger Daytona and Roman's '69 Mustang. Jada also repainted their 1:24 diecast Charger Daytona a dark red that is very close to the film car, so between that and the large 5-spoke wheels have created a clearly "inspired by" look. Finally, stock replicas of most of the cars exist as plastic kits, and with a little work can be converted into Furious 6 cars.


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