CulturePulp.: MOVIE REVIEW: 'Fast and Furious'

Longer version of a review in today's Oregonian....

"Fast and Furious" is a serviceable (if occasionally glum) fourth entry in this shockingly durable series of idiot crime-and-car-crash flicks. Director Justin Lin brings back most of the original lead cast (Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez) to infiltrate one of the least-subtle heroin-smuggling rings in movie history. (The ring's audition for smuggler drivers is a public street race that does millions in collateral damage.) It's great to see Vin Diesel back doing meathead action; he excels at it. Paul Walker's a better actor than he used to be. And this time there are as many muscle cars as illegally modded fiberglass imports -- a big plus, to my tastes.

That said, this will personally go down as the flick that really made me realize how much I hate CGI stunts.

The first "Fast and the Furious" (2001) was dumb as a bag of hammers, but it captured a real moment in car culture and it had some terrific, physical stunt work -- most of it with real cars and real human beings. "Fast and Furious" (2009) has a wacky car chase through a secret tunnel between the U.S. and Mexico, much of it computer-generated, and the vehicles might as well be X-Wings zipping through the Death Star.

In 2001, the ridiculous stunts were performed by physical creatures, and made me think of the circus. In 2009, too many of the ridiculous stunts are performed by pixels, and make me think of pear-shaped dudes eating burritos in front of PC workstations. The tension's gone. I feel a loss.
_____

C; 107 minutes, rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references.

'Fast and Furious' (The Oregonian, Friday, April 3, 2009)