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That Fast & The Furious Movies - Ever Seen One?

Started by Dr Rock, January 10, 2022, 03:11:45 PM

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Dr Rock

Surprised to see it's pretty much the highest grossing film series outside the MCU (not strictly a series but you know), or maybe the Bond films if you added them all together. Ever seen one? Was it good? Or total shit, as I would imagine?

greenman

#1
Watched the first one which was decent as a broish action thriller, didnt see any of the others until the 5th one in Brazil which was a fun dumb  action film then watched the next couple as well which gradually got less good and sillier, haven't seen any of them since.

I'm guessing a similar viewing pattern for a lot of people? a product of the franchise really having two lives.

Blumf

They're good films, if fast cars and crazy action is what you're after.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: greenman on January 10, 2022, 03:21:53 PMWatched the first one which was decent as a broish action thriller, didnt see any of the others until the 5th one in Brazil which was a fun dumb  action film then watched the next couple as well which gradually got less good and sillier, haven't seen any of them since.

I'm guessing a similar viewing pattern for a lot of people? a product of the franchise really having two lives.

I've only seen the fifth one and quite liked it, as you say it's dumb fun, though I thought it was overlong and haven't had the urge to check out any of the others after seeing middling reviews of them.

greenman

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on January 10, 2022, 03:57:36 PMI've only seen the fifth one and quite liked it, as you say it's dumb fun, though I thought it was overlong and haven't had the urge to check out any of the others after seeing middling reviews of them.

That is probably the best of the ones I'v seen, the following couple did get progressively more bloated and sillier.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: greenman on January 10, 2022, 03:21:53 PMWatched the first one which was decent as a broish action thriller, didnt see any of the others until the 5th one in Brazil which was a fun dumb  action film then watched the next couple as well which gradually got less good and sillier, haven't seen any of them since.

I'm guessing a similar viewing pattern for a lot of people? a product of the franchise really having two lives.
Yep, that describes my experience of the series pretty well. The first is an inferior copy of Point Break, but I guess it fit some sort of trendy niche for the era and it passed the time when I was a teenager ("It was the noughties! PS2!"). I didn't bother with the next three and I certainly wasn't excited when Four-st and Furious reunited the original cast.

I probably wouldn't have bothered seeing Fast Five either, but I'd met up with an old school friend when I was visiting my folks and there's chuff all else to do in our hometown except for the cinema. I often think Duanetherock Johnson seems too self conscious about maintaining his brand, but, much as it might upset Vin Diesel, he was was the perfect (steroid) shot in the arm for the series. If I remember rightly, it also gave his career a boost, as he was well on his way to the bargain bins at the time. Ditto Jason Statham in later ones.

I've seen all the subsequent ones, barring 9 and I'll likely watch that when it turns up on Netflix. They're ephemeral nonsense, but they're a good laugh while you're watching them. I think the series' strength is that it knows it's stupid but still takes itself seriously.

After all the fussing and feuding between Diesel and Rock, it seems bizarre that they brought in yet another wrestler to play Dom's long lost brother in the latest one. Odd too that they went with John Cena, who seems better suited to outright comedy, instead of Dave Bautista (although Bautista is probably too good for it).

checkoutgirl

Never seen one but they're not aimed at me. Anything with Dwayne Rock in them are not aimed at me by definition. If a new Marvel or Star Wars comes out I will probably give them a look but anything with the rock is just nah. 90% of his films seem to be bad films. Statistically that's quite impressive because the law of averages would suggest more than 10% of his films be pretty good but he somehow manages to pump out crap.

I'm not against popcorn action films but they have to have something that interests me. A good review, an actor I like or a novel idea. Fast and Furious have none of that for me. It's like they are films designed by a committee and focus grouped to a standstill. Films by Michael Bay I would lump in with this. Just badly directed popcorn trash with no redeeming qualities.

It's probably a bit rich saying that if I've never actually watched the fucking thing though.

madhair60

All of them. They're total shit, but fun. They go up a gear from 5 onwards. My favourite is probably 6.

They only work because they are totally guileless and lack any self-awareness or ironic detachment at all. They present the imbecilic events without commentary. The "comedy one", Hobbs and Shaw, doesn't work because it draws your attention to its idiocy by snarking about itself. Shades of this in Fast 9 as well. Mate, I know I'm an idiot for watching this silly shit, I don't need to be reminded of that.

Blumf

Quote from: checkoutgirl on January 10, 2022, 04:37:52 PMIt's like they are films designed by a committee and focus grouped to a standstill. Films by Michael Bay I would lump in with this. Just badly directed popcorn trash with no redeeming qualities.

I think that's a bit unfair. They are made to a formula, but they're not nailed down to that level (unlike MCU stuff, sadly). And the direction is generally pretty good, for the action stuff, which is all it needs to be.

It's why the series has lasted so long, they're good at what they do, and have no illusions about it, just focus on their strengths. I'd put them in with Moore era Bond, you know what you're getting, just enjoy the different set dressings.

checkoutgirl

Quote from: Blumf on January 10, 2022, 05:02:28 PMthe direction is generally pretty good

That's fair enough. Maybe lumping them in with Transformers is a bit below the belt. I saw a few minutes of one of the Transformers films once and it was just unbearable.

What's the best Furious film to watch for the casual viewer?

Blumf

Quote from: checkoutgirl on January 10, 2022, 05:06:24 PMWhat's the best Furious film to watch for the casual viewer?

Maybe 6, 7, or 8 for the set pieces.

For example, 6's wiki page has:

Quote from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_%26_Furious_6Shaw's group board a moving Antonov An-124 on an exceptionally long runway

Which should hint at the level to set yourself for, although the tank chase preceding that is probably the highlight.

Just have someone around to take the piss with for the talky bits, and have a good time.

peanutbutter

I could argue for all of the first seven with the exception of the fourth. Not all great or anything but quite likable and/or entertaining.

dissolute ocelot

I'm a fan: if looking for mindless entertainment it's good stuff. I've seen 5-9 and the spin-off Hobbs vs Shaw. Lots of fun if you like that kind of thing. 5 is probably the best, as you have the first appearance of The Rock, and good action scenes at the start and end. But most of them have impressive action: the airborne attack on a convoy in the Caucasus in 7; the ice-bound submarine in 8; the jungle scene in 9. And they fit in those little character moments where the silly character makes a joke and the nerdy character presses some buttons. Compare F&F's technicolour stunts with the latest Bond where there's a couple of Land Rovers in a grey forest and lots of running up concrete stairwells.

They've succeeded without massive stars: Vin Diesel is way too old and puny next to wrestlers; Paul Walker has left us; most of the rest are there for comedy or to fill in plot holes. The more ambiguous or villainous people are often better: Luke Evans is a fun villain; Jason Statham is Jason Statham is Jason Statham; although in F9, John Cena while generally a reasonable actor didn't work so well (maybe he's not evil enough).

The films are among The Rock's best work, so it's a shame he's in them so little: after lots of fun from 5 as a cop chasing down our outside-the-law heroes, in 7 he spends almost the entire film in a hospital bed before emerging to do the sort of kick-assery Arnie did in the 80s. Then he got a spin-off and retired from the main series. But it's than the Rock's usual leading roles: it's hard to make someone who seems to be an asexual hairless statue into a leading actor. IMO The Rock is fine in Rampage and Jumanji but the likes of Skyscraper are terrible.

I'm not a huge fan of the scenes where they sit around talking about family and drinking beer. But equally I'm not that keen on the scenes in Mission: Impossible or Bond when they talk about geopolitics and technological conspiracies and how governments should blow things up. The plotting is no worse than in any other big-budget movie: go somewhere, get something, someone has a secret. And after all this time Bond, MI, or even Marvel, are hardly going to beat it for characterisation, when you have 10 films full of these same simple-minded dudes fighting, loving, dying, and mysteriously returning to life.

The early ones are kind of shit though.

Sebastian Cobb

Seen at least one but no idea how many as they're all basically the same. The first one was ok as a pedestrian action movie, no idea why nobody is able to stop them.

mothman

ITV recently did a series of them, last year. I think I watched the first in, crikey, 2002 or 2003? And didn't see the need to ever watch it again. But I watched 2 Fast 2 Furious when it was on.

And... I have to assume they get a whole lot better. It's one long music video. Muscly men high-fiving and bear-hugging in a way that's totally not gay, they'd be at pains to stress. Women are just there to writhe sinuously in the background while wearing bikinis, and pout. And then the men all whoop and get in cars often without opening the doors, and drive them stupidly fast in a way that'd definitely not edited and VFXed to buggery. You begin to understand why whatsisface, dead guy, played Brian, thought he could drive like that in real life.
Spoiler alert
He couldn't.
[close]
I was going to watch more of them but then forgot...

bgmnts

It's pure gruel for the cattle now but I did remember watching Tokyo Drift back in the day. It was okay.

beanheadmcginty

There's a bit in one of the later ones where The Rock has his arm in plaster and then realises he's needed outside to help blow shit up, so he flexes his bicep and the plaster cast bursts. It's fucking brilliant.

Blumf

Quote from: mothman on January 10, 2022, 09:31:41 PMWomen are just there to writhe sinuously in the background while wearing bikinis

Later films are better in that area, lots of action work for the ladies; one of them's a big baddie, another is a 733t haxor, and Helen Mirren is Jason Statham mam (it's about family, see, and the street always winning, but mostly family)


mothman

I think that was my impression, but my God the early movies are rife with it. But of course there's Vin D's sister and girlfriend in the first one, they are actual characters, and I suppose Eva Mendes had something to do in the second one (I forget what, undercover cop or something) and Devon Aoki DOES drive a car (when she's not standing around wearing a bikini, that is).

Mister Six

I watched the two nobody likes - 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift. I barely remember anything about either, except that it was really obvious in TD when the cars turned into CGI models to aid in the fancy (boring) driving action.

I think the fourth one is where they (sensibly) shift away from street racing and towards heists/stopping villains with the power of cars. Absolutely cannot be arsed catching up on them, though.

gilbertharding

Quote from: Blumf on January 11, 2022, 12:37:20 AMLater films are better in that area, lots of action work for the ladies; one of them's a big baddie, another is a 733t haxor, and Helen Mirren is Jason Statham mam (it's about family, see, and the street always winning, but mostly family)


Yeah - I was going to say, I've never seen a whole one, but the impression I got was that there was quite a lot of meaningful moments with fully-clothed lady women in these films. In between gear changes.

I don't know why I watch them, but it's apparent from a lot of youtube videos that many Americans seem to think of driving a manual car as some kind of dark art which even after years of training few master. I see the ridiculous amount of shots of people pretending to change gear in these films as part of that. And no-one seems to see that the Gear Change Acting in these films is as obviously bad as when an actor tries to pretend they're drinking even though the cup is empty.

famethrowa

Saw a bit of the first one and it seemed to be large lads having a BBQ tinted very orange. Skipped forward ages movies and at the end one of the baldos was driving a car and accelerated extra hard so he could crash into a helicopter(?) and everyone was rueful I think.

Kinda like Tokyo Drift, the opening scenes and the race around the building site are great fun. Unlike most of the rest of the car scenes, that feels like they pinged cars around for a day. Main actor is likeable. It's not totally silly plot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaAWMOJ52Js

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vjrjXud-WE

Brazilian one is good well-paced fun.

The second one is pretty dire though.

Quote from: beanheadmcginty on January 10, 2022, 11:47:23 PMThere's a bit in one of the later ones where The Rock has his arm in plaster and then realises he's needed outside to help blow shit up, so he flexes his bicep and the plaster cast bursts. It's fucking brilliant.

Daddy's gotta go to work

The Culture Bunker

I think the only one I've seen is the very first, which I thought was considerably inferior to the similarly dated/themed 'Gone in 60 Seconds' - which not only has the added Cage bonus, but also Chris Ecclestone as a carpentry obsessed villain.

Blumf

Gone in 60 Seconds being a decent remake of the original 1974 film. I don't think they're that comparable to the F&F franchise though. Gi60S is more of a crime drama, where F&F is more of a street racing melodrama.

Redline (2007) (not the very nice 2009 anime), on the other hand, is a prime example of how to do Fast and Furious wrong, very very wrong. Dull and stupid in a way the F&F films, even at their worst, never are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redline_(2007_film)
QuoteA critical and financial failure at the box office, the film is most notable for being funded by subprime loans issued by Sadek's company, Quick Loan Funding, which closed its doors in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis. It was featured on the CNBC special House of Cards as an example of the excess of the pre-meltdown mortgage market in the United States.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: Blumf on January 11, 2022, 10:41:51 PMGone in 60 Seconds being a decent remake of the original 1974 film. I don't think they're that comparable to the F&F franchise though.
Probably not - I was thinking in (very) simplistic terms of them together as being about fast cars/crime and not much else, the sort of thing I watched as a regularly drunk student. Like I said, I've not ventured beyond the original of the Fast and Furious franchise, but I do gather they got more into the silliness side of things.

mothman

Wasn't Aaron Paul's first big role post-Breaking Bad some sort of F&F/Gi60S knock-off? That vanished without trace...

13 schoolyards

Quote from: mothman on January 12, 2022, 12:11:13 AMWasn't Aaron Paul's first big role post-Breaking Bad some sort of F&F/Gi60S knock-off? That vanished without trace...

Need For Speed? It had Michael Keaton as the bad guy operating out of a control room and never interacting with anyone else, which is the kind of thing Bruce Willis now excels at.

The motorbike movie Torque was well ahead of its time in combining fast vehicles (one of the bikes is a jet engine with wheels bolted on) with incredibly silly stunts (someone rides a motorbike along a moving train then drops down between carriages) and cardboard characters - it's basically a late-era F&F movie, but because it was made in 2004 it got the thumbs down across the board

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