Fast 6

I am always wary of a new installment in the Fast and the Furious series. I always expect just more of the same fast cars chasing each other and crashing. I am always pleasantly surprised each time Julie A. Scharff insists on seeing these films on the theater. Today was no exception. Fast 6 (or whatever they are officially calling it) was great. Does it have a lot of fast cars chasing and crashing? YES. It is on the surface just a fun summertime popcorn action movie. There is nothing wrong with that. But if you look deeper there is much more going on. The makers of this movie brought some real emotion and humor and tied together 6 films that seemingly have little in common except for the cast. With an opening credits sequence that recalls the 5 previous installments and several references sprinkled in as well as a plot that brings them all into 1 cohesive story. Fast 6 is full of holy shit moments and a WTF!? ending that will leave you in shock well after the credits roll. Vin Diesel plays the whole part with a look in his eyes that says he is having the time of his life making this movie even during the most serious scenes. When the people involved in creating the film are that excited about it, it is hard for the audience not to get caught up in that excitement. The film manages to keep things fresh and still give the movie going public exactly what it wants to see. I went in semi-reluctant to pay theater prices for this one and by the end I was impressed. Kudos to director Justin Lin and the entire cast.