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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Passengers (2016) in Movies
Jul 12, 2019
Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) is a man looking for a fresh start on a new world. Along with 5000 other passengers; Jim is sleeping away the 120 year journey in stasis aboard a luxury ship. In the new film “Passengers”, Jim finds his entire world turned upside down when he is awakened 90 years before the completion of his trip. Alone with no way to return to stasis; Jim struggles to keep his wits as despite having food and recreation readily available, his only companions are server robots and an Android bartender named Arthur (Michael Sheen).
Unable to wake any of the crew to assist him with the situation or access the bridge of the ship, Jim uses his engineering skills to study the operations of the ship as well as gain access to areas normally reserved for VIP passengers.
As time goes by Jim becomes more and more despondent because he cannot even contact anyone on earth as the computer informs him that it will take 36 years for reply to any of his messages to reach the ship and he grows weary of the thought of spending the rest of his life alone.
During one of his frequent visits to his former stasis chamber, Jim discovers an attractive passenger named Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence), and using the ships database, proceeds to learn all about her and begins to fall in love with her as she sleeps blissfully unaware of his presence.
Fate eventually gets in the way and Aurora awakens and joins Jim is the only people awake on the massive ship. Having come from a privileged background as a successful author, Aurora is really upset over spending the rest of her life on the ship as her plan was to spend a year on the colony world before returning to Earth and resuming her writing career 241 years after she left with the adventure she is undertaken being the basis for some of her new work.
The two eventually have feelings for one another, but Jim is harboring a dark secret that threatens to unravel the happy life they have been able to build for one another. As if that was not enough, the ship is experiencing random and increasing malfunctions which threaten not only their survival, but the long-term survival of the fellow crew and passengers and the long journey that they have ahead of them.
What follows is a time predictable but albeit entertaining mix of romance and action. There are some very good visuals in the film and while the story moves along at a very predictable pace, the two leads make the material work. The film does have numerous plot holes in it which I cannot go into without spoiling it but suffice it to say the premise of q couple stranded is not new.
Yes we have seen this all before but the cast and the interesting locale and visuals make the film add up to more than the sum of its parts. I only wish there’d been a little more time shoring up the plot holes and perhaps adding a little bit of mystery and intrigue to the plot as it truly would’ve made this more compelling.
Unable to wake any of the crew to assist him with the situation or access the bridge of the ship, Jim uses his engineering skills to study the operations of the ship as well as gain access to areas normally reserved for VIP passengers.
As time goes by Jim becomes more and more despondent because he cannot even contact anyone on earth as the computer informs him that it will take 36 years for reply to any of his messages to reach the ship and he grows weary of the thought of spending the rest of his life alone.
During one of his frequent visits to his former stasis chamber, Jim discovers an attractive passenger named Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence), and using the ships database, proceeds to learn all about her and begins to fall in love with her as she sleeps blissfully unaware of his presence.
Fate eventually gets in the way and Aurora awakens and joins Jim is the only people awake on the massive ship. Having come from a privileged background as a successful author, Aurora is really upset over spending the rest of her life on the ship as her plan was to spend a year on the colony world before returning to Earth and resuming her writing career 241 years after she left with the adventure she is undertaken being the basis for some of her new work.
The two eventually have feelings for one another, but Jim is harboring a dark secret that threatens to unravel the happy life they have been able to build for one another. As if that was not enough, the ship is experiencing random and increasing malfunctions which threaten not only their survival, but the long-term survival of the fellow crew and passengers and the long journey that they have ahead of them.
What follows is a time predictable but albeit entertaining mix of romance and action. There are some very good visuals in the film and while the story moves along at a very predictable pace, the two leads make the material work. The film does have numerous plot holes in it which I cannot go into without spoiling it but suffice it to say the premise of q couple stranded is not new.
Yes we have seen this all before but the cast and the interesting locale and visuals make the film add up to more than the sum of its parts. I only wish there’d been a little more time shoring up the plot holes and perhaps adding a little bit of mystery and intrigue to the plot as it truly would’ve made this more compelling.
Fred (860 KP) rated Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) in Movies
Jun 7, 2018
Han & Chewie's first meeting (7 more)
Don Glover as Lando
Ehrenreich as Han
Suotamo as Chewbacca
Woody as Beckett
The Kessel Run
The "HOLY SH*T!" cameo
The train robbery scene
Movie is very dark. And I mean dark, like "Put on the lights!" dark (1 more)
Music not as good as other Star Wars movies
Almost perfect Star Wars movie
I think people didn't like The Last Jedi & so, they didn't even want to give this a chance. Well, they're missing out, because Solo was awesome! As you can tell from my positives, I thought the actors were perfect for their roles. We get all of Solo's back story here. The first meeting of Han & Chewbacca. The meeting of Han & Lando. The "introduction" of the Millennium Falcon. The infamous Kessel Run, as well as the spice mines. Now I know why C-3PO was scared to be sent there.
The action scenes in this film are some of the best I've seen in a Star Wars movie. somewhat Maybe my favorite was the train robbery scene. It was intense! And the Falcon really takes a pounding in this one.
Like all prequels, there is the problem where we know nothing is going to happen to the main characters, since we know they live long enough to have been in the later films. But somehow, it doesn't matter with this film. I still felt suspense as Chewbacca hung on for dear life. If I have one problem, it's that the movie was very dark & I found it hard to see what was going on in some scenes. The focus was somewhat soft too. Not sure if that was the theater's problem though. I will definitely have to buy this when it comes out on Blu-ray.
If you haven't seen it yet, give yourselves a treat and see it when you can. Very fun!
The action scenes in this film are some of the best I've seen in a Star Wars movie. somewhat Maybe my favorite was the train robbery scene. It was intense! And the Falcon really takes a pounding in this one.
Like all prequels, there is the problem where we know nothing is going to happen to the main characters, since we know they live long enough to have been in the later films. But somehow, it doesn't matter with this film. I still felt suspense as Chewbacca hung on for dear life. If I have one problem, it's that the movie was very dark & I found it hard to see what was going on in some scenes. The focus was somewhat soft too. Not sure if that was the theater's problem though. I will definitely have to buy this when it comes out on Blu-ray.
If you haven't seen it yet, give yourselves a treat and see it when you can. Very fun!
7 Leadership Lessons of D-Day: Lessons from the Longest Day-June 6, 1944
Book
The odds were against the Allies on June 6, 1944. The task ahead of the paratroopers who jumped over...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated High Moor in Books
Jun 22, 2024
123 of 220
Kindle
High Moor ( book 1)
By Graeme Reynolds
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When John Simpson hears of a bizarre animal attack in his old home town of High Moor, it stirs memories of a long forgotten horror. John knows the truth. A werewolf stalks the town once more, and on the night of the next full moon, the killing will begin again. He should know. He survived a werewolf attack in 1986, during the worst year of his life.
It's 1986 and the town is gripped in terror after the mutilated corpse of a young boy is found in the woods. When Sergeant Steven Wilkinson begins an investigation, with the help of a specialist hunter, he soon realises that this is no ordinary animal attack. Werewolves are real, and the trail of bodies is just beginning, with young John and his friends smack in the middle of it.
Twenty years later, John returns to High Moor. The latest attack involved one of his childhood enemies, but there's more going on than meets the eye. The consequences of his past actions, the reappearance of an old flame and a dying man who will either save or damn him are the least of his problems. The night of the full moon is approaching and time is running out.
But how can he hope to stop a werewolf, when every full moon he transforms into a bloodthirsty monster himself?
I absolutely loved this book! It was good old hammer horror vibe werewolf fun with a little twist of some modern tales. So interesting and gory the characters were brilliant from the “goodies” to the “baddies”. I didn’t want to put it down best werewolf book I’ve read for a long time. Highly recommend!
Kindle
High Moor ( book 1)
By Graeme Reynolds
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When John Simpson hears of a bizarre animal attack in his old home town of High Moor, it stirs memories of a long forgotten horror. John knows the truth. A werewolf stalks the town once more, and on the night of the next full moon, the killing will begin again. He should know. He survived a werewolf attack in 1986, during the worst year of his life.
It's 1986 and the town is gripped in terror after the mutilated corpse of a young boy is found in the woods. When Sergeant Steven Wilkinson begins an investigation, with the help of a specialist hunter, he soon realises that this is no ordinary animal attack. Werewolves are real, and the trail of bodies is just beginning, with young John and his friends smack in the middle of it.
Twenty years later, John returns to High Moor. The latest attack involved one of his childhood enemies, but there's more going on than meets the eye. The consequences of his past actions, the reappearance of an old flame and a dying man who will either save or damn him are the least of his problems. The night of the full moon is approaching and time is running out.
But how can he hope to stop a werewolf, when every full moon he transforms into a bloodthirsty monster himself?
I absolutely loved this book! It was good old hammer horror vibe werewolf fun with a little twist of some modern tales. So interesting and gory the characters were brilliant from the “goodies” to the “baddies”. I didn’t want to put it down best werewolf book I’ve read for a long time. Highly recommend!
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Fallout (Crank, #3) in Books
Jun 6, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog at <a href="http://www.themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty Something Year Old Girl</a>).
Fallout by Ellen Hopkins is the final book in the Crank trilogy. I so wanted and expected this book to be just as great as the first two. However, this wasn't the case. It was alright, but no where near as good as Crank and Glass. Perhaps it was just because I wanted more Kristina, and she wasn't mentioned too much in this book.
Fallout follows the lives of three of Kristina's children. Hunter is the oldest at 19. He is extremely angry at his mother and can't understand why his mother abandoned him. Next is Autumn who lives with her aunt and grandfather. When the stability of her home life falls out beneath her, Autumn turns to drinking and becomes a bit of a wild child. Summer doesn't even know she has any biological siblings. She's been living in and out of foster homes her whole life for the most part. When she meets the boy who seems to love her, things start to go wrong. However, each one of them wants Kristina to acknowledge them.
The title of this book makes sense as all of Kristina's children have fallen out with her. I think it does a great job of giving you a hint about what this book will be about.
The cover of this book doesn't really do it for me. I like how the author stuck with the whole druggy looking title. However, I just didn't care for the ugly yellow background and how plain the cover looked. Perhaps that's just a personal thing as all the covers have been plain looking, but as this was told from the point of view from Kristina's children, I thought this cover would just have a different look.
The world building in Fallout is alright, but it's easy to forget which world you're in. Maybe that's just my bad memory, but I always had to remind myself which setting belonged to what character.
The pacing in this book is slower than the first two books, and is just a bit slow overall. It took me a longer time than usual to read this book because most of the time, I just had trouble getting into it. I just found myself not caring really when it came to everything in Fallout.
There's not much dialogue going on between the characters as with the first two books in the series. I thought the internal dialogue which each character was really good, and I felt like the dialogue between each individual character was appropriate for each of their age. There are a few swear words in this book so be warned if that's not your cup of tea.
I found myself not caring about the characters most of the time. I don't know if this was because I wanted more Kristina or because they weren't as well developed as Kristina. I got Autumn and Summer confused a lot of the time whilst reading since they almost seem to have the same personality. The only way I was able to tell them apart (besides it having their name printed at the top of the page when it was time for their point of view) was because of the setting, and even then it was sometimes difficult. With that said, I started off enjoying reading about Hunter as he seemed to just be a more well defined, more interesting character. About halfway through the book, I even stopped caring about him because he just became a little bit boring.
I enjoyed that Fallout was written in verse like the first two books in the series. Hopkins does a fantastic job putting words in verse and putting it into a story. I just wish this book could've been as good as the first two. Instead Fallout falls a little bit flat with the characters and the plot both leaving me feeling uncaring. Don't get me wrong, it's still an okay book, but I just think that this book didn't need to be written as not much is going on.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who are interested in learning about Kristina's children since you won't be hearing much about Kristina in this book.
Fallout by Ellen Hopkins is the final book in the Crank trilogy. I so wanted and expected this book to be just as great as the first two. However, this wasn't the case. It was alright, but no where near as good as Crank and Glass. Perhaps it was just because I wanted more Kristina, and she wasn't mentioned too much in this book.
Fallout follows the lives of three of Kristina's children. Hunter is the oldest at 19. He is extremely angry at his mother and can't understand why his mother abandoned him. Next is Autumn who lives with her aunt and grandfather. When the stability of her home life falls out beneath her, Autumn turns to drinking and becomes a bit of a wild child. Summer doesn't even know she has any biological siblings. She's been living in and out of foster homes her whole life for the most part. When she meets the boy who seems to love her, things start to go wrong. However, each one of them wants Kristina to acknowledge them.
The title of this book makes sense as all of Kristina's children have fallen out with her. I think it does a great job of giving you a hint about what this book will be about.
The cover of this book doesn't really do it for me. I like how the author stuck with the whole druggy looking title. However, I just didn't care for the ugly yellow background and how plain the cover looked. Perhaps that's just a personal thing as all the covers have been plain looking, but as this was told from the point of view from Kristina's children, I thought this cover would just have a different look.
The world building in Fallout is alright, but it's easy to forget which world you're in. Maybe that's just my bad memory, but I always had to remind myself which setting belonged to what character.
The pacing in this book is slower than the first two books, and is just a bit slow overall. It took me a longer time than usual to read this book because most of the time, I just had trouble getting into it. I just found myself not caring really when it came to everything in Fallout.
There's not much dialogue going on between the characters as with the first two books in the series. I thought the internal dialogue which each character was really good, and I felt like the dialogue between each individual character was appropriate for each of their age. There are a few swear words in this book so be warned if that's not your cup of tea.
I found myself not caring about the characters most of the time. I don't know if this was because I wanted more Kristina or because they weren't as well developed as Kristina. I got Autumn and Summer confused a lot of the time whilst reading since they almost seem to have the same personality. The only way I was able to tell them apart (besides it having their name printed at the top of the page when it was time for their point of view) was because of the setting, and even then it was sometimes difficult. With that said, I started off enjoying reading about Hunter as he seemed to just be a more well defined, more interesting character. About halfway through the book, I even stopped caring about him because he just became a little bit boring.
I enjoyed that Fallout was written in verse like the first two books in the series. Hopkins does a fantastic job putting words in verse and putting it into a story. I just wish this book could've been as good as the first two. Instead Fallout falls a little bit flat with the characters and the plot both leaving me feeling uncaring. Don't get me wrong, it's still an okay book, but I just think that this book didn't need to be written as not much is going on.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who are interested in learning about Kristina's children since you won't be hearing much about Kristina in this book.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Bedrock (Bedrock #1) in Books
May 22, 2019
Addison Greyer knows better.
Or at least she should.
Never in a million years would she have guessed she'd wind up agreeing to the sinister side-gig her tough-as-nails new boss proposes.
Until she does.
Turns out, one bad decision often leads to another.
He's troubled.
She's married.
It's a dangerous game, for sure--one in which she stands to lose the most. Soon,
she learns desire is not only dangerous but deadly and there's a price to be paid for her mistakes.
A pound of flesh.
Never in a million years would she have guessed how far her picturesque little suburban life would unravel.
Until it does.
She should have known better.
Too bad she didn't.
Intelligently written story of choices and the consequences of those choices. All choices have consequences, some good, some bad.
This is the story of Addison.
A typical house wife, Addison wishes she had continued with her career and not stayed at home with her 3 boys. Although she is desperately in love with them, she feels like their is a part of her that is missing. Her husband is involved with his career that he does not notice that she is a different person to the one he married.
Addison has many threads to her life and not what you would expect. You slowly peel back her layers.
I found myself drawn to reading in order to find out what was going to happen next.
The characters are interesting and the many twists and turns keep you wanting to know more and make you feel engaged with their lives.
This is a must read book and I recommend it to anyone.
Can't wait to find out what happens next.
I received my copy free from the Author and this is my own honest voluntary review.
Or at least she should.
Never in a million years would she have guessed she'd wind up agreeing to the sinister side-gig her tough-as-nails new boss proposes.
Until she does.
Turns out, one bad decision often leads to another.
He's troubled.
She's married.
It's a dangerous game, for sure--one in which she stands to lose the most. Soon,
she learns desire is not only dangerous but deadly and there's a price to be paid for her mistakes.
A pound of flesh.
Never in a million years would she have guessed how far her picturesque little suburban life would unravel.
Until it does.
She should have known better.
Too bad she didn't.
Intelligently written story of choices and the consequences of those choices. All choices have consequences, some good, some bad.
This is the story of Addison.
A typical house wife, Addison wishes she had continued with her career and not stayed at home with her 3 boys. Although she is desperately in love with them, she feels like their is a part of her that is missing. Her husband is involved with his career that he does not notice that she is a different person to the one he married.
Addison has many threads to her life and not what you would expect. You slowly peel back her layers.
I found myself drawn to reading in order to find out what was going to happen next.
The characters are interesting and the many twists and turns keep you wanting to know more and make you feel engaged with their lives.
This is a must read book and I recommend it to anyone.
Can't wait to find out what happens next.
I received my copy free from the Author and this is my own honest voluntary review.
Spilt Milk
6.0
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The new novel from the author of 22 Britannia Road, Amanda Hodgkinson. 'Hogkinson's second novel is...
Sygic Iraq: GPS Navigation
Navigation and Travel
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THE MOST DOWNLOADED OFFLINE NAVIGATION APP IN THE WORLD! "I have been using it in the Kurdistan...
Merissa (13840 KP) rated Blowout (Breakers Hockey #6) in Books
Jan 4, 2023
I was lost in their story and loved every word.
BLOWOUT is the sixth book in the Breakers series but you could read it as a standalone. Both characters are mentioned in previous books but you don't NEED to have read those to fully appreciate this story.
Cas was a player - until Jules came into his life. Now, he wants her but won't go past the boundaries she has set. Jules has too much going on in her life to put up with a playboy! Her son needs her and she needs work to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. But Cas - very gently - breaks down her defences. And what horrible way does he do that? By caring. By putting her first. By treating her the way he believes she should be treated. Oh, man!
I felt for both Cas and Jules in this. Yes, Cas is in a better position financially, but emotionally, he's just as hurt as Jules. It is by being together, by opening themselves to each other, that these two work so well. No lies, no games (not conscious ones, anyway,) just two people trying to figure out what everyone else seems to already know.
The pacing was perfect and I read this in one sitting, unable to put it down. I was lost in their story and loved every word. A great addition to the series and absolutely recommended by me. Now, I just need to wait for Theo's story!
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Cas was a player - until Jules came into his life. Now, he wants her but won't go past the boundaries she has set. Jules has too much going on in her life to put up with a playboy! Her son needs her and she needs work to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. But Cas - very gently - breaks down her defences. And what horrible way does he do that? By caring. By putting her first. By treating her the way he believes she should be treated. Oh, man!
I felt for both Cas and Jules in this. Yes, Cas is in a better position financially, but emotionally, he's just as hurt as Jules. It is by being together, by opening themselves to each other, that these two work so well. No lies, no games (not conscious ones, anyway,) just two people trying to figure out what everyone else seems to already know.
The pacing was perfect and I read this in one sitting, unable to put it down. I was lost in their story and loved every word. A great addition to the series and absolutely recommended by me. Now, I just need to wait for Theo's story!
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Fast Five (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
The 2011 summer movie season kicks off in high gear with the release of Fast Five the latest installment in the phenomenally popular Fast and Furious series. The movie picks up exactly where the previous film ended with Brian O’ Conner (Paul Walker), orchestrating a daring escape for Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel).
The film quickly moves forward in time where Brian and Dominic’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), overall fugitives from the law, have taken refuge in Rio. Unsure of exactly where Dominic is, an old family friend offers Brian and Mia roles in a job which will surely score them some very easy and much-needed money. Although reluctant, Brian agrees to the job which involves the theft of three high-value cars from a train. Things go horribly wrong when they’re doublecrossed, the aftermath of which leads to the death of three federal agents. Only Dominic’s arrival, quick thinking, and a daring escape allows Brian and Mia to survive.
Although it is not their fault, the deaths of the agents is blamed solely on the trio, and an elite fugitive hunter named Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) arrives with his team with the sole mission of stopping Brian, Mia and Dominic, no matter the cost.
As if this wasn’t enough trouble for the fugities, it is learned that they have also fallen on the radar of the local drug kingpin named Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), who will stop at nothing to retrieve an item now in the trio’s possession. Caught in the crossfire between Hobbs and Reyes, Dominic plots an epic caper that will allow them not only the money to flee Hobbs and disappear into a life of luxury, but allow them to settle the score with Reyes.
What follows is a nonstop action thrill ride that sprinkles in a nice mix of comedy and romance to keep things interesting. The film downplays the racing aspect of the series and instead saves the spectacular driving for key action sequences. While street racing scenes are alluded to they are not shown as director Justin Chin focuses squarely on his cast and allows them ample time to develop their characters. In doing so it strengthens the bond between them and allows the climactic sequence to have an even greater impact than your standard over-the-top summer film action scenes.
.
There are some really funny moments in the film as Dominic assembles his team to pull off the ultimate job. The new characters work very well with the established cast from the previous films and introduce characters which I hope will be a part of any future films in the series. Johnson was a very pleasant surprise, as his character could easily have been one-dimensional. He was given a few wrinkles which allowed him to walk the fine line between good guy and bad guy, which is an essential quality to many of the film’s characters. Johnson’s action sequences were solid and highly effective and once again underscores that he needs to be focusing more on action films and less on the family-friendly genre that
has dominated the bulk of his recent work.
Walker and Diesel complement each other perfectly and appear to be having a great time working with one another again. They have a very easy-going and natural chemistry with one another that works even when they’re not behind the wheel of a car or caught up in a frantic action scene.
While the plot of the film is fairly straightforward it provides ample framework for the characters to grow and propel the story forward. While the audience is asked to take some great leaps in logic it doesn’t derail from the finished product. The stuntwork in the film was absolutely amazing and the spectacular finale of the movie alone must be seen to be believed.
Many times during my press screening the audience was completely silent for a brief second following an action sequence before erupting into thunderous applause and cheers after they’ve fully processed what just unfolded on the screen. Larger-than-life characters combined with larger-than-life action, plus some very sexy cars and very sexy people make an extremely winning formula. If the rumors are true, Chin may be handed the reins to the Terminator franchise as well as the next film in the Fast and Furious series, then audiences are in for one hell of a ride.
I think my wife summed it up best when she said that movie was “Ridiculous…ridiculously good.” Reality is thrown out the window for pure adrenaline and testosterone fueled action.
The film quickly moves forward in time where Brian and Dominic’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), overall fugitives from the law, have taken refuge in Rio. Unsure of exactly where Dominic is, an old family friend offers Brian and Mia roles in a job which will surely score them some very easy and much-needed money. Although reluctant, Brian agrees to the job which involves the theft of three high-value cars from a train. Things go horribly wrong when they’re doublecrossed, the aftermath of which leads to the death of three federal agents. Only Dominic’s arrival, quick thinking, and a daring escape allows Brian and Mia to survive.
Although it is not their fault, the deaths of the agents is blamed solely on the trio, and an elite fugitive hunter named Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) arrives with his team with the sole mission of stopping Brian, Mia and Dominic, no matter the cost.
As if this wasn’t enough trouble for the fugities, it is learned that they have also fallen on the radar of the local drug kingpin named Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), who will stop at nothing to retrieve an item now in the trio’s possession. Caught in the crossfire between Hobbs and Reyes, Dominic plots an epic caper that will allow them not only the money to flee Hobbs and disappear into a life of luxury, but allow them to settle the score with Reyes.
What follows is a nonstop action thrill ride that sprinkles in a nice mix of comedy and romance to keep things interesting. The film downplays the racing aspect of the series and instead saves the spectacular driving for key action sequences. While street racing scenes are alluded to they are not shown as director Justin Chin focuses squarely on his cast and allows them ample time to develop their characters. In doing so it strengthens the bond between them and allows the climactic sequence to have an even greater impact than your standard over-the-top summer film action scenes.
.
There are some really funny moments in the film as Dominic assembles his team to pull off the ultimate job. The new characters work very well with the established cast from the previous films and introduce characters which I hope will be a part of any future films in the series. Johnson was a very pleasant surprise, as his character could easily have been one-dimensional. He was given a few wrinkles which allowed him to walk the fine line between good guy and bad guy, which is an essential quality to many of the film’s characters. Johnson’s action sequences were solid and highly effective and once again underscores that he needs to be focusing more on action films and less on the family-friendly genre that
has dominated the bulk of his recent work.
Walker and Diesel complement each other perfectly and appear to be having a great time working with one another again. They have a very easy-going and natural chemistry with one another that works even when they’re not behind the wheel of a car or caught up in a frantic action scene.
While the plot of the film is fairly straightforward it provides ample framework for the characters to grow and propel the story forward. While the audience is asked to take some great leaps in logic it doesn’t derail from the finished product. The stuntwork in the film was absolutely amazing and the spectacular finale of the movie alone must be seen to be believed.
Many times during my press screening the audience was completely silent for a brief second following an action sequence before erupting into thunderous applause and cheers after they’ve fully processed what just unfolded on the screen. Larger-than-life characters combined with larger-than-life action, plus some very sexy cars and very sexy people make an extremely winning formula. If the rumors are true, Chin may be handed the reins to the Terminator franchise as well as the next film in the Fast and Furious series, then audiences are in for one hell of a ride.
I think my wife summed it up best when she said that movie was “Ridiculous…ridiculously good.” Reality is thrown out the window for pure adrenaline and testosterone fueled action.