Monday Sequel Spotlight: Fast Five

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Fast Five
Directed by Justin Lin
Released April 29, 2011

The “Fast and the Furious” franchise is a particularly interesting one because it doesn’t follow the logical progression of most series with such a staggering number of installments. The first film, released in 2001, was an adrenaline-fueled hit. “2 Fast 2 Furious” swapped out tough guy Vin Diesel, who opted to make a sequel to “Pitch Black” instead, for funny guy Tyrese, and it served as little more than a guilty pleasure. This reviewer skipped the third film, which was subtitled “Tokyo Drift” and was missing both Diesel and Paul Walker. The fourth entry, which boasted the same title as the first without the definite articles, reunited the entire cast for a fun thrill ride, and then came the fifth film. Its title presumed intimate knowledge of the franchise, and not only were Diesel and Walker still on board, but members of the ensembles from all of the previous films were also on hand. This fifth installment demonstrated that this franchise has grown rather than withered with age, understanding full well how to tell an occasionally over-the-top, action-driven story with superb albeit ridiculous characters. Adding The Rock to the cast as the new lawman was an excellent choice, and having him go head-to-head with Diesel’s character an even better one. The action scenes and twists in this film are magnificent, and it makes the wait for the forthcoming sixth film, slated for release in May 2013, all the more unbearable.