F9 Review

F9

Dir: Justin Lin

Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, and John Cena

2 h 15 m

 

Souped-up muscle cars, motorcycles, tanks, and even rocket-propelled space mods skid, screech, and swerve over every inch of the screen in director Justin Lin's newest Fast and Furious saga entry, now called F9. 

 

In what has become a superhero movie franchise with indestructible beings who taunt the laws of physics every time action is needed, F9 continues the adventures of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his makeshift family unit. It's escapism cinema at its best, a mindless, messy, overindulgent feat of summer popcorn movie fare. That's the strange beauty of these films; they completely understand what they are doing and have crafted a formula that straddles a line of sincerity and silliness that works to keep the absurdity from becoming overwhelming. 

 

Dom Torreto leads a quiet life, living on the outskirts with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his son Brian. The family understands that their life together will constantly be threatened; their past has forged their present. Dom's past returns in the form of his forsaken brother Jakob (John Cena), who worked on a pit crew with Dom for their family racing business when they were young but now is a skilled assassin. Jakob has a plot for world destruction and domination. Dom and his crew reassemble to save the world and each other.

 

Beyond the cars and explosions, the Fast and Furious franchise has always been about family at its chaotic core. F9 handles this feature most appropriately of all the films, displaying the depths that the word "family" encompasses in this world. And Vin Diesel's character is the figurehead that the world revolves around; the compassionate father, the tough older sibling, the loving husband, Dom embraces all of these parts. 

 

F9 focuses on the familial components with returning familiar faces like Michelle Rodriguez, who returns as the always supportive love interest, Letty. Tyrese Gibson and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges provide comedic banter and amusing commentary on how the crew is invincible, not one scratch after all these dangerous scenarios. F9 plays for fan service, so there are more surprises for dedicated admirers of these films.

 

Most of the actors have played these roles for a few years already, so it's no shocker that the chemistry between the cast is achieved from the beginning moments. However, notably, Vin Diesel's Dom is given more character attention with this film than in the past. Dom's story is sorted out with flashbacks featuring a younger version of the character and introducing Dom's brother Jakob. F9 does a decent job of connecting the dots for the film's narrative arc while also providing connective tissue for the entire franchise. 

 

The narrative components have grown better regarding character composition, but the action and adventure pieces have grown duller. With so many films, each trying to outdo the previous, it's inevitable that the action setpieces would lose some of their awe-inducing moments of spectacle. Whether jumping cars off cliffs, using super-powered magnets to induce destruction, or going to space, which plays more for laughs than thrills, the gimmicks here are simply fine, not fantastic. 

 

It's hard to wonder when these films will end; I guess that depends on the demand from the committed viewers who come out for these movies. While F9 may not win any awards for its brand of storytelling, it does represent an element of why movie theaters mean so much; it's a vessel to escape from reality. 

 

Monte's Rating

2.50 out of 5.00

 

Riddick Review

Riddick

Dir: David Twohy

Starring: Vin Diesel, Katee Sackhoff, Matt Nable, and Jordi Molla

There is a brutish yet fun quality that the title character Richard B. Riddick brings to the science-fiction action franchise started in 2ooo. Portrayed by seminal tough guy with a growling voice, Vin Diesel seems tailored for the role. “Pitch Black”, the first in the series, crafts an eerie survival film amidst a swarm of aliens. “The Chronicles of Riddick” banking on the success of the first film, expands the world with a disorganized bigger story that loses sight of the simple enjoyment of the founding film. “Riddick” dials the storytelling back and tightens the focus, that makes for an altogether forgettable, yet fun film.

Riddick is betrayed and left for dead on a barren planet. Hurt, Riddick fights for survival looking for food and water while fending off a few well-designed, man-eating creatures. But, as Riddick seems constructed, he becomes the dominant force on the planet to the extent of raising a young hyena/dog hybrid into an obedient traveling companion. He is looking for a way off the planet and his salvation comes in the form of a group of mercenaries looking to collect a bounty placed on Riddick’s head.

Writer/director David Twohy throws some clever touches into the film, playing with narrative themes and tones, though at numerous moments the film lingers close to the edge of self-destruction. The film begins as a reintroduction of the title character, giving quick insight into the backstory of the second film and into the thoughts of Riddick through a narrative voice-over. While this becomes time-consuming, there are a few good moments. In one instance, emulating a moment from a classic film, Riddick cleanses himself of his old, more compassionate persona and returns to the menacing mentality he's known for. A relationship established with a CGI animal that was impressively rendered but also functioned as Riddick’s sole emotional companion on the desert planet brings a nice element to accommodate his solitude.

Once the mercenaries arrive to track down Riddick, the film shifts tone and focuses on the group of hunters, transitioning the hunted into a secondary character. The mercenaries are composed of the usual archetypes, though they are given more personality than most films offer. The tone shifts to something similar to a horror film; Riddick becoming a predator in the vein of a slasher film. The tension develops surprisingly tight, offering jump scares that are quite obvious though executed with enough violence to remain startling. It's an interesting change in form, but Twohy accomplishes the transition with positive effects.

“Riddick” isn’t a great film, at times it’s not even a good one, but it has some clever narrative switches and fashions a nice atmosphere with some suitable visual effects. Riddick is a simple character that Vin Diesel makes something more than just ordinary. The dialog is terribly stiff and the narrative overly predictable; but the film, once violence and blood ridden dust settles, accomplishes the task of being distractingly, mindlessly entertaining.

Monte’s Rating

2.75 out of 5.00