Ladies & gentlemen, I hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend! Second, tonight, we review an action sequel to a 2001 hit. The one, and only, 2 Fast 2 Furious!
Plot: Brian O’ Connor (Paul Walker) relocates to Miami, Florida, after getting discharged from the police force, and escaping prosecution for helping Dominic, and his criminal crew. But when found in Miami, instead of getting arrested, Brian agrees to an offer to go undercover, and take down an Argentinian drug lord named Carter Verona, so that Brian’s criminal record can be cleared. With the help of his old pal, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), and another undercover agent named Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes), will they be able to take down Verone’s organization?
Well, with me giving the first film a high B grade, I’m sure you all are wondering about a very important question. That of course being whether or not this sequel is as good, or better than the first film! Well gang, I hate to tell you all that 2 Fast 2 Furious is not quite as good, or better than The Fast & The Furious. Oh yes, there are still some good things to like about it, no doubt. Still, there were some areas where this sequel could have improved. First of all, when it comes to some of the newer characters, they’re decent, but they don’t seem to be all that interesting. I mean even the new love interest of this film, Monica Fuentes, she’s pretty cool. Still, she doesn’t seem to be quite as memorable as say something of the characters from the first film. Heck, one could argue that the character that she played in 2005’s Hitch was a better developed character than Monica. Same unfortunately seems to go for the antagonist of this movie as well. Okay, don’t get me wrong! His motives are understandable, and he’s one of those villains that one may love to hate. Aside from that however, he doesn’t seem to be that memorable either. As for the story, it seems to be a little too fast-paced at times. So much so that aspects, like the ending, may have felt a little rushed. Not to mention that the film could possibly feel somewhat like a TV show expanded into an hour and a half to two hours. As for the story itself, though engaging, it can also feel a little bland, and mediocre at times.
Now, what are the good things about this film? Well, the dynamic duo with Brian, and Roman is really good. not only that, but Roman is one of the rare to few characters that seems to have a very interesting backstory. Oh, and need I mention the very cool action that occurs throughout the film? Truth be told, it is mainly the action that seems to help keep this film afloat. Oh, and how about some creative action including some certain stunts that would be used in later films like 2004’s Starsky & Hutch, eh? Still, there is also some of the comedy that occurs throughout this film too. The main villain thugs also end up being a little more likable than the main villain himself. David Arnold also does a very good job with the music too. The movie also does a good job of showing how creative one needs to get when facing dangerous situations.
And that’s my review for 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious. So, with all I said, does this sequel end up being the 007: Man With The Golden Gun of The Fast & The Furious franchise? Well, while it’s not quite that type of mediocre level, it’s safe to say that this doesn’t seem to be quite the best of this film series. However, unlike 007: Man With The Golden Gun, at least 2 Fast 2 Furious ends up being a little more entertaining, and having a few more good quality things in it. I would say that even if you don’t believe that you’ll like 2 Fast 2 Furious as much as the other films in this franchise, to still see it anyway just to get a good understanding of what happens throughout these car stories.
Final Grade: B-
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 