X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber & Danny Huston

A disappointing solo-debut for the popular X-Men character that, whilst possessing some entertaining moments, relies on too many clichés and not enough focus on character.

In 2000, the X-Men graced the big screen with their first movie with enough success that a superior, and even more successful, sequel followed in 2003 with a third film in 2006. Like the comic books, the X-Men movie franchise has proved to be popular and also like the comic books, Wolverine quickly became the fan-favorite character in that franchise. After some production hiccups along the way, Wolverine now gets his own film, one that goes into his past and explaining his origins for film fans. The result has some very promising moments but, unfortunately, rarely makes enough use of them instead focusing more on blander, more clichéd material.

Starting with a very enjoyable, very impressive prologue and opening credits sequence beginning in 1845 and chronicling the adolescence of Logan, AKA Wolverine (Jackson) and his life through to the American Civil War, WWI, WWII and Vietnam alongside his brother Victor (Schreiber) to the 1970s, Wolverine starts off strong. It is an effective opening montage that manages to convey the differences between Logan and his brother, demonstrate the nature of their mutations whilst also being visually impressive. However, once the main story begins, Wolverine rarely shows as much depth from then on. An entertaining sequence where Logan and Victor are recruited into a team of super-powered mercenaries introduces some interesting characters like Ryan Reynolds wise-cracking Wade Wilson but ultimately results in actions that drive Logan to quit the team. Six years later, Logan is pulled out of retirement when it seems his brother is hunting down his former teammates and takes away the quiet life Logan has built for himself. Allowing his former boss Stryker (Huston) to give him the power to take down his brother in the form of an unbreakable skeleton, the film then becomes a series of fights scenes as Logan fights Victor, former teammates and Stryker too, who wishes to turn Logan into a weapon.

With the plot focusing more on action, character seems to suffer because of it. A love interest for Logan is introduced and removed far too briefly and an elderly couple, who help Logan, barely have time to register before the plot moves on. Even the motivations and characterizations of Logan and Victor, the central conflict and relationship within the film, are barely explored beyond saying that one embraces their animal side and the other resists. The action sequences on Wolverine too, except for the Logan vs helicopter sequence already revealed in trailers promoting the film, are not especially impressive lacking that intense, brutal feeling that made the Wolverine character’s fight sequences in the X-Men films so entertaining. There is also some obvious wire work and occasionally weak CGI (whenever a character is thrown, or when Logan first admires his Adamantium coated claws in a bathroom mirror) that stand out.

Regarding performances, Hugh Jackman is just fine, reprising the Logan/Wolverine role again. He remains watchable and suitably angry as the role requires yet the script this time around doesn’t give Jackman many moments to demonstrate humor. Schreiber is suitably intense and feral as Victor and Huston suitably slimy and calculating as Stryker though neither get much opportunity to give their characters much depth therefore playing just to the type the script requires. Ryan Reynolds makes the most of a brief appearance that entertains more than any other performance in the film whilst rapper Will.i.am and actors Daniel Henney and Taylor Kitsch put in fairly bland, unmemorable performances as the mutants Wraith, Agent Zero and Gambit respectively. Lynn Collins, as Logan’s love interest Kayla, also struggles to make a lasting impression in a role that is underdeveloped.

Overall, Wolverine is disappointing. Wolverine has a very strong beginning, an enjoyable cameo from Ryan Reynolds, an enjoyable performance from Jackman and a few entertaining scenes and action sequences, most in the first half of the film. However, with too many underwritten characters, a plot that falls into too many clichés and focusing more on action than on character and some poor effects, Wolverine ends up being less than satisfying and doesn’t reach the potential the character, or Hugh Jackman, possess.

Rating: 2/5

State of Play

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck & Rachel McAdams

An excellent political thriller that adapts the BBC series to the U.S. and to the cinema screen admirably with a strong performance from Russell Crowe in the lead.

Originally an award winning, 6-part, 6 hour, BBC mini-series from 2003, State of Play adapts the plot of the original mini-series about a journalist’s investigation into the death of a woman linked, romantically, to an old friend who is now a politician from London, England to Washington, USA and also casting Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck (replacing the originally cast Brad Pitt and Edward Norton) in the roles originally performed by John Simm and David Morrissey in the BBC drama. Fortunately the cinematic adaptation succeeds very well in capturing the essential elements of the original story and presenting them in an intelligent and entertaining manner for the big screen.

Cal McCaffrey (Crowe) is an old school journalist, shunning the world of online reporting and the rising preferences of making scoops over actual investigative reporting, he is following the story of a thief murdered one evening that also left a witness to the incident in a coma. When a woman dies in a subway train accident and is suspected to be a suicide, McCaffrey is harassed by colleagues for information when the woman is revealed to have been working for McCaffrey’s old roommate, now a politician, Stephen Collins (Affleck). Initially reaching out to Collins as a friend rather than as a reporter and to his Collins wife Anne (Robin Wright Penn) especially when news that the dead woman had an affair with Collins, McCaffrey then gets involved in a larger story when the dead thief he was covering appears connected to the dead woman on the subway. Was the woman murdered like the thief? And what does it have to do with the investigation Collins is undertaking against a military contractor profiting from war? The investigation takes McCaffrey and an opportunistic young reporter named Della (McAdams) into a cover up of subterfuge, shady corporate dealings and tests McCaffrey’s friendship with Collins.

Despite having to suspend some disbelief to accept that Crowe’s McCaffrey could ever have been college roommates and friends with Collins when Collins is played by the much younger Affleck, State of Play manages to be a very gripping thriller. The occasional line of clichéd dialogue to remind you of what is at stake and a scene that reminds you that bad things happen in underground parking lots, especially in films, never really harms the enjoyment of the film. The plotline, while condensed down from the BBC series’ original 6 hour running time to 2 hours, manages to maintain the more important details and keeping some of the major themes of the series intact and, whilst also twisting and turning with the investigation taking McCaffrey, Della and Collins ever deeper also manages to avoid the usual plot holes and stretched logic that many films of this genre are plagued by. The script remains mostly intelligent thanks to the involvement of screenwriters such as Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) and Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) and the film is also helped by some strong performances by its cast.

Russell Crowe, all shaggy haired and disheveled in appearance, gives McCaffrey the sense of integrity and commitment that his character required. Confident and intelligent whenever he needs to be, charming when its required but also keeps McCaffrey believable when he’s faced with errors particularly the swift, and believable, change in manner Crowe portrays in a scene where McCaffrey knocks on the wrong door at the wrong time. Despite being too young for the role, Affleck manages to impress too, giving Collins the necessary amounts of earnestness and sympathy in spite of his character’s flaws whilst McAdams is likeable, perhaps too much, as the eager junior reporter out for a big story. Along with Helen Mirren as McCaffrey’s editor and Robin Wright Penn as Collins’ suffering wife, State of Play benefits from a strong cast of experienced actors.

Overall, despite the occasional cliché and the, perhaps, error in casting two actors with 9 years between them as long time friends in the lead roles, State of Play is nevertheless a gripping thriller. Smart, well acted and very enjoyable.

Rating: 4/5

Observe and Report

Director: Jody Hill
Starring: Seth Rogen, Anna Faris & Ray Liotta

A dark comedy that has some enjoyable moments but suffers from an uneven tone that affects its attempts at seriousness as well as its attempts at humor.

Coming soon after another mall-security guard comedy, Paul Blart, which was an altogether lighter and more mainstream comedy, Observe and Report arrives and is a far darker and adult approach to the same concept of mall-security guard trying to overcome personal problems and be successful. Starring Seth Rogen, starring after a string of recent hit-comedies such as Knocked Up and Pineapple Express, Observe and Report, on paper, appears to have the potential to be another hit. However, audiences expecting a comedy similar in tone to either Paul Blart or Rogen’s previous films may be surprised at the far darker, and certainly unpleasant, themes running throughout this film.

Ronnie Barnhardt (Rogen) is the head of mall security. Suffering from Bi-Polar depression, but possessing an over-inflated opinion of his own authority, Ronnie's main pre-occupation at his workplace is with Brandi (Faris), the girl working at the mall’s make up counter. After a flasher exposes himself to several women at the mall, including Brandi, and with Ronnie’s attempts to investigate undermined by Detective Harrison (Liotta), Ronnie finds himself driven to catch the flasher before the police and proving himself to Harrison and to Brandi. With no success in this, or in solving a string of burglaries, Ronnie is declared incompetent by Harrison. Ronnie then attempts to join the police force only to find he is psychologically unfit to be a police officer. Frustrated by his failures including attempts to form a relationship with Brandi, Ronnie begins to melt down.

Observe and Report does have some ambition, dealing with Ronnie’s psychological condition and a discernable lack of education and their effect on Ronnie. Ronnie sets himself unrealistic goals, fails to apply himself effectively to achieve them and blames others for his failures. Ronnie is portrayed as a loser, but rather than demonstrate any charm that might make him loveable to audiences anyway, he is portrayed more as a pitiable figure and, frequently, as an unlikable one. Observe and Report occasionally works as a black comedy, however its attempts to lighten some genuinely dark moments with humor, particularly crude humor (one scene in where Ronnie has sex with a near-comatose Brandi provokes slight laughs but very awkward ones) fall flat. One scene, where Harrison informs Ronnie that he won’t be a police officer is interrupted by Harrison’s partner who declares that he “thought this was gonna be funny but it’s actually sad” which captures the tone whenever Ronnie fails. However, Ronnie’s successes often succeed in being quite amusing such as his attempts to bust up a drug corner and the film’s finale when Ronnie finally confronts the flasher plaguing his mall.

Performances in Observe and Report are mixed. Seth Rogen does play down his more likeable character traits effectively to portray Ronnie as the struggling, unstable, individual he is though his handling of a voiceover during a scene seemingly inspired by Taxi Driver struggles to generate tension or humor and feels out of place. The rest of the cast of Observe and Report seem to, like with Rogen, involve them playing more unpleasant versions of character types they’ve played before. Anna Faris, known for playing somewhat shallow, yet likeable characters in comedies plays Brandi as far more cold and conceited while Liotta’s Detective Harrison is frequently vindictive and condescending. Only Collette Wolfe’s Nell, and employee at the mall’s coffee bar, is in any way likeable.

Overall, Observe and Report possesses some genuinely amusing scenes, several of them quite dark, and also handles some of its darker themes quite well but often the humor feels out of place, falling flat and added to characters who are frequently too unlikable to laugh at, Observe and Report frequently struggles to satisfy.

Rating: 2/5

I Love You, Man

Director: John Hamburg
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segal & Rashida Jones

A funny and charming comedy about male bonding that, whilst playing it safe in terms of story and jokes, still entertains because of the likeability of its two stars Rudd and Segal.

Following a string of recent comedies dealing with male friendship and bonding, dubbed ‘bromance’, such as Superbad and Role Models comes I Love You, Man starring Judd Apatow production regulars Paul Rudd and Jason Segal. While the most direct, and mainstream, attempt to address the male friendship dynamic in recent years, I Love You, Man finds plenty of insights and humor to make the film enjoyable to male audiences.

Beginning with Peter Klaven (Rudd) proposing to his girlfriend Zooey (Jones), Zooey soon becomes concerned that, once the announcement is made and wedding goes into planning, that Peter has never had many male friends and no best friend with which to call a best man at the wedding. With the support of Zooey, his brother (Andy Samburg) and his parents (the enjoyable Jane Curtin and J.K. Simmons), Peter attempts to find himself a male friend whom he can call his best man involving a string of ‘man dates’ that fail in several, amusing, ways including the inevitable misinterpretation that the ‘man date’ is a sexual advance with one potential friend. Whilst running an open house in his day job as a real estate agent, Peter encounters Sydney (Segal), a likeable slacker looking to use open house days as a way to meet women. Hitting it off, Peter and Sydney meet up again and a friendship forms that whilst opening up the option to be honest to a male friend about his life also threatens to put a wedge between Peter and his fiancé Zooey.

Whilst generally playing it safe with its dialogue and situations and rarely attempting to approach the more risqué humor of a Judd Apatow production, I Love You, Man certainly manages to be consistently witty and charming thanks not only to its cast but also to the improvisational approach to the dialogue, particularly between Rudd and Segal, that leads to a lot of surprising humor that is frequently sharp and occasionally deliberately cringe-worthy such as Peter’s frequent attempts to sound cool in front of Sydney which often leaves him babbling nonsense. There are also plenty of effective scenes in which Peter recognizes the value of having a male friend, of realizing that there are things you never discuss with female friends or partners even if you always thought you were honest and also in being able to enjoy and share more male-orientated interests such as, in Peter’s case, playing guitar with Sydney but in also allowing yourself to embrace your more aggressive instincts which Peter avoids to the detriment of his career ambitions. The plot of I Love You, Man may take predictable turns with Peter and Sydney’s friendship affecting Peter’s relationship with his fiancé and also his career leading to break ups, arguments and the inevitable reconciliations and upbeat ending but the journey is nevertheless an enjoyable one.

A large part of what makes I Love You, Man enjoyable is its cast. With Paul Rudd and Jason Segal both recently progressing from a string of entertaining supporting roles in comedy films to lead status, Segal in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Rudd with Role Models, both are more than able to carry a film themselves and together they work very well with a natural chemistry on screen developed from working on several films together in the past. Rudd keeps Peter frequently witty but is also believably, and enjoyably, awkward and embarrassing when placed in uncomfortable situations. Peter’s failed attempts to sound cool when talking to Sydney in earlier scenes and a post-poker game drinking contest with Jon Favreau, playing the husband to one of Zooey’s friends, are highlights. Segal meanwhile makes Sydney completely loveable despite his character’s lack of ambitions later demonstrating his character’s loneliness as he’s sees his friends all moving ahead with their lives. Sydney’s embracing of his male instincts also leads to some entertaining physical confrontations particularly one with actor Lou Ferrigno (playing himself). Rashida Jones is very likeable as Rudd’s fiancé Zooey and Jane Curtin, J.K. Simmons and Andy Samburg are all entertaining in smaller roles as Peter’s family.

Overall, I Love You, Man is a very enjoyable film. There is plenty of appeal for male and female audiences but should be particularly enjoyable for the male audiences. The fairly safe nature of the plot and humor might not give the film the re-watch ability value of braver comedies but the Rudd and Segal make for an enjoyable pair and I Love You, Man should not fail to entertain.

Rating: 4/5

Crank: High Voltage

Director: Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
Starring: Jason Statham, Amy Smart & Dwight Yoakam

An entertaining sequel that takes the first film’s, already implausible, plotline and amplifies it considerably. It is louder with more action, more insanity though its weaknesses as well as strengths are exaggerated too.

Crank was an unlikely cult hit upon its release. Filmed on a low budget and based on premise that was implausible even for the action genre, it nevertheless entertained many fans of the genre in its unapologetic embrace of action films, coincidences, unstoppable heroes and ever growing action set pieces. However, since the first Crank did eventually end with its hero, Chev Chelios (Statham) dying after falling from a helicopter, it was assumed that there would be no room for a sequel featuring this character. Not so. With a maneuver that resurrects Chelios in its opening scenes that is more implausible than the first film in its entirety, Crank: High Voltage sets the standard for an action film where anything can, and does, happen.

How much enjoyment you get out of Crank: High Voltage depends upon how much realism you expect from your action film. If the answer is not much, of that it doesn’t matter if the action is entertaining, then the film will certainly entertain. Chev Chelios survives his ‘death’ at the end of the first film when Chinese gangsters replace his heart with an artificial model that requires and electrical charge to keep working whilst his own, original, heart being donated to aging kingpin. With the artificial heart only designed for temporary use, Chelios escapes capture and must now locate his heart before his replacement breaks down, a situation that can be delayed through regular electrical charges. This, of course, leads to many humorous moments where Chelios must attach cables from car batteries, power stations and electrical boxes to maintain his artificial heart and even resorting to the static electrical charge from rubbing himself against strangers or having sex with his girlfriend Eve (Smart) in a public place, yet again.

As humorous as some of these situations are, they are made more humorous by the absolute conviction with which Chelios accepts this reality and in the tongue-in-cheek jokes at the plot’s implausibility that is made by several of its other cast members (a TV News Reporter makes a few appearances to report on the events of the day with a wink to audiences). Crank: High Voltage even goes so far as to insert dream sequences and hallucinations experienced by Chelios while super-charged. A flashback to his youth, presented on a TV Talk Show, is extremely amusing by its casting of Chelios’ mother whilst one hallucination has Chelios sees himself fighting as giant in a power station that recalls battles from Godzilla films.

However, while the action sequences the bigger and more implausible, yet also entertaining, the weaknesses of the first Crank are also carried over and exaggerated in Crank: High Voltage too. Whilst the dialogue in Crank: High Voltage is not expected to be particularly insightful or original, it does rely on racial stereotyping and racist language far too often. Sometimes this language can be used playfully, generating a chuckle, it more often quite offensive. On top of the frequently offensive language is the, too frequent, reliance upon stereotypes, particularly racial stereotypes. One character, played by Bai Ling, is frequently annoying in her performance but more so by her dialogue which, aside from a funny joke involving Kevin Costner, stands out as enforcing an unpleasant stereotype. Crank: High Voltage also portrays women as little more than sexual eye candy (prostitutes, strippers and damsels in distress).

Overall, Crank: High Voltage is sufficiently entertaining in its embrace of its ridiculous premise with action sequences that entertain in their originality as well as in the humor that can be found in them, however now every crazy character or situation works and the frequently offensive stereotypes and dialogue threaten to distract from the film’s entertainment a little too frequently. Fans of the first Crank should enjoy the film, though it isn’t for the easily offended.

Rating: 3/5

Let The Right One In

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson & Per Ragnar

An excellent horror/drama from Sweden that develops a touching childhood relationship whilst also proving there are still new depths to explore in vampire myth.

With the vampire mythology, particularly in film and television, becoming more mainstream in recent years whether it be as the subject of teen romance (Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight novels and 2008 film adaptation), action and adventure (the Underworld films) or straight attempts at horror (2007’s 30 Days of Night based on a popular comic book series), it makes it more difficult to find new stories to tell involving vampires. Fortunately, Sweden’s Tomas Alfredson brings us Let the Right One In, based on a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, which tells the story of a touching pre-teen friendship where vampirism is used to explore themes of alienation, violence and childhood innocence.

Set in the early 1980s, Oskar is a 12 year old boy suffering with feelings of loneliness. Oskar’s parents are divorced with Oskar’s time spent between them and Oskar faces problems with bullies at his school with no one he can turn to for support. In the midst of winter, Oskar meets Eli, a 12 year old girl who has recently moved in next door with an older man, only comes out at night and, like Oskar, seems to feel alone. Over a series of evenings, Oskar and Eli build a friendship and keep each other company whilst Eli advises Oskar to stand up to his bullies. While their friendship develops, the local residents are worried by news of a serial killer working in their neighbourhood who drains his victims of their blood, the killer who may be the older man living with Eli. As it becomes clear that Eli is a lot older than she appears and that the purpose of the murders occurring locally are connected to Eli, Oskar nevertheless finds himself drawn to Eli because of their friendship.

Let the Right One In, whilst involving vampires and vampire lore, focuses on the friendship between Oskar and Eli and on the themes of childhood friendship and innocence than on themes of horror, though scenes of horror are also present. Despite their obvious differences, Oskar and Eli find much in common in their feelings of being alienated from the world around them and the support each provides the other (Eli finds a friend that accepts her despite what she is while Oskar finds a friend he can talk to about his problems and can give him support and advice). The secrets they trust one another with demonstrate a more touching sense of intimacy than a sexually driven relationship could accomplish. That there is much more implied to Eli’s nature than just her vampirism (one brief, and explicit, shot raises more questions than it does surprise) and that Oskar’s acceptance and their friendship continues is a more insightful statement of the innocence of children and of love between friends than any encountered recently in American cinema.

Let the Right One In also explores certain aspects of vampire lore that have seen little development in cinema. Explored in the film are the effects of eternal youth on a vampire such as Eli who has lived longer than most but not allowed to grow up and also into the rule that a vampire cannot enter a residence without an invitation and what the consequences could be if they should cross the threshold without permission, hence the film’s title. Finally there is exploration into the effects of violence with parallels running through both Eli and Oskar’s lives. Eli witnesses and lives with the consequences of the violence committed to ensure her survival while Oskar’s attempts to fight the violence of the bullies he faces, at school, with violence escalates towards a confrontation at the film’s finale that will remain one of the film’s most memorable sequences.

The performances in Let the Right One In are driven by its two child actors. Rather than cast older actors, Alfredson casts newcomers Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson as Oskar and Eli, both of which are the age of their characters and deliver very impressive and believable performances. Leandersson in particular is impressive as Eli who manages to infuse Eli with an air of experience and weariness of someone much older than her outward appearance would initially suggest whilst also maintaining an even balance of childlike naivety in regards to interacting with the world around her.

Overall, Let the Right One In is an impressive film. Touching and intelligent, filled with subtle and insightful explorations of several themes all within the trappings of a vampire film. Featuring strong performances from its lead actors and a level of believability enhanced by its low budget look and natural exploration of its characters, Let the Right One In is a very rewarding film and should rank highly amongst the best vampire films.

Rating: 5/5

Fast & Furious

Director: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker & Michelle Rodriguez

An entertaining sequel that, whilst not adding anything particularly original to the franchise, is still enjoyable due to the return of Vin Diesel.

In 2001, The Fast and the Furious was an unexpected Box Office success which rocketed actor Vin Diesel, just coming off a notable performance in the low budget Sci-Fi/Horror Pitch Black in 2000, to stardom. Despite a fairly bland plotline which bore similarities to 1991’s Point Break, it still entertained audiences because of its effective high-speed race sequences, which were impressive for the film’s low budget, and on the charisma of its lead actor Vin Diesel.

It is now 2009 and, after a brief cameo at of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (the third film in the series), Vin Diesel returns to the film series he helped launch. The timing could be good for Diesel as, following a series of Box Office failures, he needs a success and the popularity of the Fast and the Furious series of films in Diesel’s absence should reward him with success in his return to the series. However, Diesel is not the only actor returning to the franchise. Also joining Diesel is his co-star from The Fast and the Furious, Paul Walker who went on to appear in the series’ first sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003, and original cast members Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez. However, while an improvement over the second and third films in the series, the return of the series’ original cast has not resulted in a film that equals the entertainment value of the first film.

In Fast & Furious, dropping the “the”s from the title, Diesel’s Dominic Toretto returns to Los Angeles after the end of the first film to investigate the death of a close friend. The investigation brings him to a smuggling ring using high-speed drivers and also brings Toretto into conflict with FBI Agent O’Conner (Walker), his former friend who’d been undercover to try and capture Toretto in The Fast and the Furious. Forced to work together and go undercover to break the smuggling ring, O’Conner looking for arrests and Toretto looking for revenge, and also having to engage in high stakes and high speed driving to maintain their cover. The storyline is fairly straightforward, as before, though has some added emotional weight for Diesel’s Toretto this time around but audiences are mainly going to be drawn to the film for the action sequences, particularly the race driven action sequences. In regards to the action sequences, Fast & Furious certainly entertains and makes the most of the developments on CGI effects since 2001 to deliver even more unbelievable yet enjoyable race sequences. However, whilst the boost in effects pushes the limits of what can be achieved in race sequences it also adds a feeling of disappointment to several sequences too as the presence of CGI is obvious enough that the action not only looks unbelievable, but feels it too. One sequence in particular uses CGI in an effort to insert GPS maps into a race which not only fails to make GPS look exciting but also distracts from the race itself.

In regards to the performances of its cast, Fast & Furious mainly survives on Vin Diesel’s efforts. After an unwise decision to sideline the enjoyable Michelle Rodriguez in the first act, the remainder of the film rests mostly on Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Jordana Brewster and her character are rarely seen throughout the film and the cast comprising the film’s villains and O’Conner’s fellow Agents are mostly forgettable, one-dimensional characters. While Paul Walker is enjoyable, though offering nothing particularly memorable in his performance, Vin Diesel does manage to entertain. Bringing his physical presence to the film, Diesel’s return brings an intensity that the previous two films in the series has lacked. The ground Diesel may be covering in Fast & Furious is familiar but it is still enjoyable whenever he is on screen.

Overall, whilst lacking anything original in plot or performances, Fast & Furious is still enjoyable based on the presence of Vin Diesel and the action sequences are also entertaining despite an over-reliance on CGI this time around. Fans of the series, or even just the first film, should enjoy this.

Rating: 3/5