The Film
"Let's go for a little ride."
One of the Fast & Furious franchise's most consistent stars, Paul Walker, passed away last week at the age of 40. The hunky California-bred actor died in a car accident, which is pretty ironic, given that he's best known for this high-octane film series. In the days since his death, tons of people have popped up to tell stories about an actor who seems to be the complete opposite of his on-screen characters. Apparently, Walker was a likable guy, who's repeatedly been described as "genuine."
His passing makes Fast & Furious 6 really difficult to watch at times. Besides his manner of death and the fact that this was Walker's last completed film, Fast & Furious 6 continues the franchise's upswing. It's hard to believe, but things are really starting to get good with this series.
Let's face it, though: Most people don't typically come into the sixth movie of any franchise. If you're here, you like what you've seen to date. This installment probably won't be much different, except that it may make you a little sad.
And that's not because the crew is now retired -- well, briefly. Dominic (Vin Diesel) lives with Elena (Elsa Pataky), Brian (Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) are new parents, Gisele (Gal Gadot) and Han (Sung Kang) are hanging in Hong Kong, and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) are enjoying the fruits of their labor. However, DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is bent on getting the band back together to hunt down former British Special Forces soldier Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).
Why would the government need a bunch of gearheads? It doesn't matter. Why would the group even care? That's a bit easier to answer. Apparently, Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Dominic's ex, is still very much alive. From there, the movie is all about fights, chases and at least one tank. In other words, fans will be extremely pleased. That's impressive too, considering how high the expectations were after Fast Five. Still, you can expect to go into this one and have a good time.
Want to take another ride with this action flick? Strap yourself in and check out Beth McCabe's theatrical review of Fast & Furious 6.
The Picture
This movie is all about the eye candy, so you know it's going to be a looker. The 2.35:1 image has some gorgeous scenery, whether it's cityscapes or the beach (although that's particularly beautiful). Of course, there are also plenty of slick cars and The Rock's (I still call him that!) muscles to ogle. The skintones appear a bit sun-kissed, but these characters seem to spend a lot of time outdoors. That and all of the other colors are pretty warm, but also spot-on. The colors and the detail are really impressive overall. Fans won't be disappointed one bit.
The Sound
My one complaint about this audio track is that it's not 7.1. Oh, how much fun that would be! Otherwise, this release's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is pretty darn perfect. The soundtrack is bold and the dialogue is clear. However, when you go into a Fast & Furious movie, you know it's going to be filled with immersive sounds of smashes, crashes, gunfire and explosions -- if they're doing it right, anyway. This one will grab your attention from the first few seconds all the way through the unbelievable action sequence at the end. (And yes, it's more unbelievable than the others.)
The Extras
Despite all of the comprehensive content included here, the set does have a trio of head-scratchers. The first is the sneak peek at Fast & Furious 7. This is a very cool, very short addition to the set. It picks up right where the film left off (if you watched the teaser in Fast & Furious 6's end credits, anyway). However, viewers have to wonder what changes will be made after the death of star Paul Walker. The other two are even more of a mystery. Star Vin Diesel sets up "Take Control" as a sort of picture-in-picture track that should play alongside the movie. However, that's not an option. Instead, it just runs as one 19-minute featurette. What happened there? And finally, the release includes an extended edition of the film, which runs the same 131 minutes as the theatrical version. So what were the additions? Sounds like the basis for a good drinking game right there.
Final Thoughts
Admittedly, I wasn't much of a Paul Walker fan before he passed. I knew he was insanely good looking, and I'm always a fan of that. However, the tales of his off-screen endeavors make it seem like the world really lost something special. The Fast & Furious franchise lost something as well. With well over $2 billion banked to date, it's hard to believe that Universal won't find a way to keep this series going. Although it's a bit hard to watch, Fast & Furious 6 shows that's actually a good thing. The series is surprisingly getting better with age.
Product Details
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