That being said, I'm not going to be giving my full thoughts on each one, as that would be more than the amount of thought that went into making these movies, so this will be a pretty quick-and-dirty rundown of them all (which is probably appropriate, in a way). Also, I was planning on including F9, but it got delayed, so I guess I'll watch and review that next year.
Talk about an accidental period piece! This thing really does scream MTV circa-2000. The plot is pretty dopey, but I guess expectations for this series have to start somewhere. It's also obvious that the money went to the car chases, as some of the other scenes are barely TV quality (especially those with the other cops!). What I didn't expect is how much I would like the soundtrack! Sure, it has its aggressive, bass-driven rap (which wasn't bad, per se), but it also included trance, house, and big beat, which are genres I definitely like! Still, it has some decent stunts, and doesn't completely fall apart until the end.
Wow. The first one was dumb, but it worked on its own level. This one can't even build up any momentum! I get that this is just about the car chases, but everything in-between is absolutely cringe-worthy! All the actors are stiff, all the dialogue is atrocious, and the pacing is all over the place! Again, some decent stunts, but this one is a real stinker, as far as I'm concerned.
Initial D, the movie! Well, okay, not really (though there is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference in there). While the logic of the characters' actions gets a bit thin, and the plot does tend to bend over backwards to put our hero in the right place at the right time, this one is definitely better than the last one. It definitely feels different, though, as it has very little connection with the previous two films (though seeing Dom at the end was pretty fun). Also, what is up with the fishermen criticizing the guy's drifting? (Yes, I know its a cameo, but I mean, like, in universe!)
Okay, here's a shift in tone. While we're still dealing with gangsters and fast cars, this one takes a few levels in melodrama as it shifts from its sensationalized world to focus on the characters. In order to do this, the first half really blows through a bunch of stuff to establish the new status quo, but once we get into it, things settle into a standard action-film groove. It's not amazing (and the scene where Dom discerns the make and model of a car just by looking at tread marks on the road will challenge anyone's suspension of disbelief), but it does feel like the best parts of the previous films put together into something that holds its own and carries through to the end.
Okay, we've gone full Avengers now, if we're pulling that many characters from the other films. To be honest, it makes sense as the film has completely shifted into action territory. Car racing almost seems like a non-entity, as shown by a scene where they set up a race, and then the next scene is the heroes driving up in a car they won. If this was one of the earlier films, that race would take up a third of the movie! Overall, I think these movies are getting better! I guess I'll have to keep wearing my thunderwear for the rest of these.
Man, if the last one wasn't tying continuity together, this one certainly does! Granted, the action set pieces are just getting more and more ridiculous, between the tank, the plane, and the ridiculous plot that tries to hold it all together. It mostly works, but we're definitely wandering into roller-coaster territory now. Any plausibility is gone and the heroes might as well be wearing spandex for all the plot-armor they have. Well, except for Gal Gadot's character, but she got to go be Wonder Woman instead. Overall, these movies are actually working now! Sure, it's not smart, but it doesn't have to be when you have this many explosions.
These people should be dead several times over now. While the series has been ridiculous before, it definitely crossed a line with this one. All the main cast have thicker plot armor than Tom Cruise in a Mission Impossible movie. Speaking of MI, Kurt Russel shows up, acting like Nick Fury and pretty much enrolls them in a spy thriller that's honestly pretty dumb, even by F&F standards. Just when I thought the series was building momentum, this one just falls all over itself with contrivance after contrivance. Sure, they get some thematic weight by giving Paul Walker a great send-off, but otherwise, kind of a disappointment after the last two. Also, not enough Tony Jaa.
Now it's full-on Call of Duty. Hackers, former Soviet bases, nuclear codes, zombie cars, double-crosses and betrayals. And The Rock teaching a girls' soccer team the haka. Seriously, they've gone so far into ridiculous it's practically impossible to really feel any sense of danger or stakes. Granted, they try, with a villain that tries to up things as far as she can, but in the end, all she can do is run away from Jason Stathem and a baby. For what it's worth, I think this one is slightly better than the last one, but they're jumping sharks multiple times a film now, like it's an Olympic sport.
Why is Deadpool in this? No one told me Deadpool was going to be in this. Seriously, though, this one just takes things further into ridiculous town. Now we got cyber-augmented super-soldiers with transforming motorcycles powered by a shady voice looking to use biological weapons to shift the weak from humanity, and all it takes to beat it down is two hotheads breaking the laws of physics (oh, and teamwork, I guess). There are times where this is painful to watch, mostly because of the macho banter, but the action scenes are pretty solid (if completely preposterous). So of course I want a sequel.
So that's the whole she-bang. I don't know if it ever really reaches MCU levels of quality. The continuity nods are cute, but often left in the sidelines for an escalating series of action films that have raised the bar in the amount of stupid and ridiculous nonsense that can go into a movie and still be entertaining, mostly. However, I'm on board now, and I can't deny that these movies do have their share of fun. One can only wonder what lines will be crossed with the movies to come.
As for more articles, I'm slowly working on a few. I'll let you know when I've got something together.
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