Viewed in
2010
Formats
HD TV
Premise
Lots of fast cars, something about undercover cops, Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, and more fast cars.
Liked
The vehicle stunts.
Disliked
Everything else.
Thoughts
After nearly a decade, the action stuff still held up.
I know nothing about cars, and I am apathetic to racing, yet I was genuinely excited by the quality of the car chases, especially the exhilarating eighteen-wheeler heist. Authentic old-school stunts gave them the "oomph" factor.
The movie makers sure loved their souped-up vehicles, and they definitely put in the work, with nifty stunts, sleek cinematography, jacked-up sound effects, and thumping electronic music. In terms of pure style, the sound was underrated in creating ear candy as well as eye candy.
Living in Los Angeles, it was fun recognizing the shooting locations. Fans of the Monk series will be amused to see Ted Levine as (surprise!) a police chief.
While the car chases were well tended to, the rest of the movie was heavily neglected, with familiar formula, predictable plot, mannequin acting, and indistinguishable dialog. Heck, the only way I was able to tell the characters apart was by which race clan they were in, and by race I meant skin color. Had the movie makers taken their time to craft a decent story or characters, I probably would not have noticed that race-rockets apparently can defy laws of physics, time, and Los Angeles traffic.
As simply entertainment, I understood the appeal of the movie and why it was able to launch a franchise. I loved the stunts during the movie, but felt a little bit dumber afterward.
What I would change
A little bit of effort around the car chases would have been nice.
