This paper is an abstract of an article from Variety.com, titled “Fast and Furious Review” dated April 2nd, 2009. The article is a review of the new fourth installment of the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise, written by Todd McCarthy.
The article starts with a relatively negative tone that continues throughout. The author describes the movie franchise as plain hardcore automobile action that has made it big in box offices around the world, but the latest sequel has the weakest storyline, of the four. Eight years after the first movie, the lead actors Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, have reunited in the streets of Los Angeles and are trying to bring down a drug lord named Braga.
Accompanying this plot is of course a lot of illegal street racing and action-packed car chases that appeal to audiences the most. But the weak part described by the writer is that the plot is too generic and unoriginal. The writer describes it as, “macho guys marking their territory and drawing lines in the sand, law-enforcement bosses berating a loose-cannon operative, drug lords turning on a dime from charming to lethal, a dumped girl’s bitterness caving to renewed physical desire, outlaw types living by cowboy codes of honor, justice, and revenge.”(McCarthy) This plot has indeed been used in too many movies. Apart from the film having no originality, the author also mentions that the cinematography is done poorly and some scenes seem senseless.
In my opinion, the review only highlighted the negative aspects of the movie, which surely are not the only ones. Personal preference or taste might have been the cause which makes me think that Todd McCarthy is not a fan of action movies or cars. The previous ‘fast and the furious’ movies have indeed been sort of mindless car chases but the storyline is not absent. In my opinion, the over-the-top street racing action almost overshadows the story.
That does not mean the story does not exist. I agree with the part where the author says that the plot has been used too many times throughout modern action film history, but this particular franchise brings a twist to it, and that has been the reason for its success. Modern-day street racing has been of interest to young people since the 90s, which constitutes the majority of the movie franchise’s target audience. I think the films capture that aspect well.
The article was written well and the references and how it was explained were very descriptive and easily understandable. The only flaw I felt was the fact that it was too negative and may have been biased. It would have been better if the writer could have highlighted the improvements that we see in this particular installment as compared to the previous ones; like better visual effects, the better lineup of cars, fiercer race and chase sequences, and how the marketing efforts were much better than the previous films. All in all, the review was descriptive, somewhat humorous but harsh – all the things that made it all the more interesting to read.
Works Cited
McCarthy, Todd. “Fast and Furious Review.” 2009. Varety. Web.