New Model. Original Parts.

If you haven’t guessed it yet, yes, that is the title to the newest instalment of the Fast and Furious franchise.

And the first thing I have to say about the screening is….

THE STUPID SCREENING STOPPED 3 FREAKING TIMES!!!

How can such technical problems happen on opening day screening of a much hyped movie?

It was such a bad mistake that so many paying customers started booing the projector operator.

One even exclaimed, “Woi, TGV beli cetak rompak."

But the movie isn’t bad though.

You know how sometimes a movie gets hyped up too much and in the end it sucks? Well, luckily this didn’t go the wrong way. Sure it’s more action than racing this time, but hey, it’s still a nice continuation to the franchise.

I like the way they use more muscle cars than tuners in this sequel. And boy, do those cars make a car enthusiast’s mouth water.

No one can deny that I am a car nut. I love cars down to the core. The designs. The power. The adrenaline.

The starting of the movie shows Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his gang hijacking a trailer carrying gasoline. This part shows the link to Tokyo Drift, when Han was still rolling with Toretto.

The comes the main part of the story, of Toretto taking revenge for the death of Letty by infiltrating Braga’s gang of drug smugglers, along with O’ Connor (Paul Walker) who works for the FBI trying to bring down the smuggling organization.

The clever use of the GPS system and street racing gives a great impact to the feel of racing. It kind of resembles playing a video game. I also like the way they used the tunnel to show precision driving at high speeds.

And Mr Walker, you slid a Skyline wide? Maybe a one-on-one tutoring with Mr Black on drifting?

It was reported that a lot of the stunts were done by the cast themselves. Only a selected few were done by stunt people.

The romance level in this sequel has been toned down. Thank goodness! It spoils the mood a little to see so much action and yet have to endure the mushy parts of it. There may be a couple of scenes, but there was nothing more than exchange of feelings and words. Focus had been given to the driving and the action.

However, when comparing this to the original Fast and Furious, the adrenaline had toned down considerably. Amongst the 4 titles, I would still prefer The Fast and The Furious. That’s a classic. And that was the one that spurred cars and racing fans all over to continue waiting for sequels to the Fast and Furious franchise.

I loved the original cast and action from The Fast and The Furious  & 2 Fast 2 Furious, the drifting cinematic actions of Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift and the precision driving and cars in Fast and Furious 4.

I didn’t like Eva Mendes from 2 Fast 2 Furious because I think she was just another pretty face who can’t act. I also didn’t like the introduction of Lucas Black and Nathalie Kelley in Tokyo Drift. Their acting was as dry as the wooden tables in my office. All shiny but dry.

Sure it’s not that easy to carry on the plot after seeing how Paul Walker and Vin Diesel did in the starting 2 movies. I do give them credits for trying, but the right elements are what makes this movie a hit in the beginning.

It would be good to see if Justin Lin (the director) can infuse the elements of all his franchise and make one giant, over-the-top racing action movie.

If you don’t understand this post, you need to get on down to your nearest cinema and catch this movie. Or if you’ve not watched any of the previous Fast and Furious series, you need to visit your local video store and get a copy. Period.