FAST AND FURIOUS 6 is an entertaining action sequel that doesn't thrill like the last one and it doesn't have any action sequences that stand out like the vault chase in FAST FIVE. The post-credits sequel shows where FAST AND FURIOUS 7 is going as this trilogy comes full circle to the ending of FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT which takes place after these last three movies.  This film closes up the trilogy begun with FAST AND FURIOUS and continued into FAST FIVE with the conclusion being FAST AND FURIOUS 6.   This latest entry in the long running action series has DDS Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) recruit the team he was originally tasked to track down in FAST FIVE to bring down a criminal gang led by former British Special Ops solider Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).  Hobbs entices Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) to stop Shaw because Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) may not be dead after all as was reported in FAST AND FURIOUS.   Most of the old crew is back from Brian (Paul Walker), Han, Gisele, Roman, and Tej while Dom’s sister Mia remains behind with her and Brian’s son.  Owen Shaw is gathering components for a military weapon and soon Dom and Brian learn Shaw is playing his own game when he allows you to get close because he wants you to.

 

FAST AND FURIOUS 6 has a good blend and humor even though it doesn’t match the greatness of the best entry in the series (FAST FIVE).   Luke Evans is great as Owen Shaw while it is good to see Michelle Rodriguez back from the dead again (she was brought back from the dead for the last RESIDENT EVIL film too).  The film is ultimately about Dom trying to put the family back together and Brian realizing how sometimes he can’t let his past decisions haunt him.   The new film does add some great kick ass female characters like Shaw’s other female on his crew and Gina Carrano (who plays Hobbs partner) It closes a few doors while opens up new ones and set the stage for FAST AND FURIOUS 7 next summer (which the production is on hiatus due to Paul Walker’s untimely death).   The car chase sequences and the plane climax are great and over-the-top like the Fast and Furious series is trying to combine James Bond and Batman in a Fast and Furious film.   I just hope the quick turnaround to make the next one won’t harm the quality of that sequel (which won’t be directed by Justin Lin who has left after directing the last four movies in the series).   I love the madcap action and the humor in what is one of the perfect popcorn movies for the summer movie season.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Extended version is the same length as the theatrical (and exclusive to the blu-ray), but it does feature some footage different from the theatrical version.

 

Three deleted scenes amount to over 1 ½ minutes of deleted scenes that don’t add anything to the film and look to be cut for pacing reasons.

 

TAKE CONTROL is 19 minutes of interviews (and behind-the-scenes footage) with some of the cast and director Justin Lin as they talk about the whole FAST AND THE FURIOUS series and moments in this movie.   Vin Diesel gives the interesting fact that Dwayne Johnson’s character was originally designed for a Tommy lee Jones type of character. This featurette looks like it was originally envisioned to be part of an enhanced viewing mode while watching the movie.

 

THE MAKING OF FAST AND FURIOUS 6:

THE FASTEST OF THEM ALL- talk about how they decided to up the ante with the action sequences for FATS AND FURIOUS 6

REUNITING THE TEAM- this featurette focuses on the core team of characters

LETTY’S RETURN- talk about how they planned since FAST AND FURIOUS to bring Letty back and Michelle Rodriguez being happy to play Letty again in addition to discussing her role in the FAST AND FURIOUS 6

THE MASTERMIND AND THE MOLE- the focus is turned on the main villain (Owen Shaw) and his mole

 

PLANES, TANKS, AND AUTOMOBILES:

THE LONDON CHASE- a look at what went into making the London chase sequence from filming in Glasgow, digitally replacing building to make it look like London, and the car stunts

HIGHWAY HEIST: THE CONVOY ATTACK take the viewer behind the scenes of the highway sequence with the tank which Justin Lin originally wanted to do in London (but London said no)

THE ANTONOV TAKEDOWN- behind-the-scenes of the climax which combines real elements, practical effects, and CGI for a sequence they wanted to include since the fourth FAST AND FURIOUS film (but they didn’t include until they finally figured out how to make it fit into the movie)

DOM AND LETTY RACE AGAIN- a look at the race sequence which was filmed over two nights as they had to stop traffic to film a take and then let it go through again while making sure to have the cars go without crashing into the bystanders who were watching the filming of the sequence

 

IT’S ALL ABOUT CARS:

ON THE SET WITH VIN- behind-the-scenes with Vin Diesel on the set

GEARHEAD’S DELIGHT- a look at the various cars in the movie

THE FLIP CAR- a featurette that all focuses on the car designed for FAST AND FURIOUS 6 which actually could flip police cars to Justin Lin’s delight

 

HAND TO HAND FURY- behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the fight coordinator, the director, and cast as they talk about the fight scenes in addition to showing behind-the-scenes footage of the actors training for their fight sequences

 

Also included in this limited edition steelbook set is the movie in standard definition on DVD with some of the blu-ray extras (deleted scenes, THE MAKING OF FAST AND FURIOUS 6 featurettes, ON SET WITH VIN featurette, and the director audio commentary) and a code for the digital HD copy of the movie to stream and download for TVs, computers, tablets, and smartphones.

 

FINAL ANALYSIS:   FAST AND FURIOUS 6 is a fun action ride with heart as it sets the stage for the next film (which hangs in limbo due to the untimely death of Paul Walker) and brings the last three films full circle to the first film and FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKOYO DRIFT which takes place after FAST AND FURIOUS 6.  The extras were fun to watch as it reveals how they made key scenes and what could have been if they planned some scenes as originally written (like the tank in London sequence).

 

The blu-ray review is ©12-13-2013 and the movie review is (c)5-29-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com and check out http://enterlinemedia.com/tumblr  and http://www.facebook.com/enterlinemediaweb for additional content and news.