It's been a good weekend for cinema going - two visits. Been a long time since I've done that. First up, Fast & Furious 6. This series has cheese written all over it. But, it's a series of films that is also a lot of fun to watch. Fast 5 changed the format of the films by moving away from the street racing scene and instead moving the series into action heist territory, but still firmly focused on the cars. It was a good move, as it has seriously reinvigorated the series. Thankfully, the 6th instalment keeps this new take and is perhaps more exciting that the 5th.
Minus some members of the 5th film's ensemble, we have the major players back for some more frenetic car chases and stunts, and some funny banter between the characters. There's plenty of action in cars and out of, with a few hard hitting fight scenes. Gina Carano, from Steven Soderbergh's 'Haywire', joins the cast, and has a nice little biffo with returning cast member Michelle Rodriguez. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is also back, and looks bigger than what he did in Fast 5. The man is beyond beef cake...he is frankly, fucking huge! He's a great addition to the cast, and I hope he sticks around for future instalments.
And of course, we have Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. You've gotta love these two. The characters they play are perfect for them. They're well and truly solid mates now, after being on edge with each other in previous films.
Yes, the film is ridiculous. The last action scene will raise at least one obvious question - I won't say what, but if think about how long the scene is, and where it is set, the question is pretty clear. But, aside from whatever you think of these films, this is an exciting film and you must leave your brain at the door. Throw logic out the window, and just enjoy the ride.
Fast 7 is due out same time next year. A new director (James Wan - 'Saw','Insidious') is on board now though, so it will be interesting to see what he brings to the franchise. The standard of films 5 and 6 has certainly set the bar high.
Next up, a film that has been pretty much panned by most reviewers - After Earth. In some ways, I think some of the criticism is purely because of the director behind it - M . Night Shyamalan. He's the man that burst onto the film scene in 1999 with The Sixth Sense. He then did Unbreakable and Signs - both were pretty good. But, his form since has been not so good. Most reviewers have not liked films like The Happening, Lady in the Water and The Last Airbender. I have to say, I have liked them, but I doubt I would watch them again. Next to what he started out with, they're pretty mediocre. This unfortunately means that films with his name attached are more prone to being savaged. Sure, the quality of the film plays a part, but, his name plays a bigger one. Notice the lack of visibility of his name in the promotions for this film. The studio is aware of the public perception.
So, how does he fair with this film - well, it's better than his last few. It's a bit difficult to compare this film to something like The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable, as the genres are very different. Thing is, with those films, they're quite memorable, and ones you'll likely watch again. This one, although it is good, again, is probably not one you'd watch again. When I say good, it only just makes it to that status - it could be because I'm a Will Smith fan.
The film is set 1000 years after humans have abandoned Earth, because it was pretty much left uninhabitable. The situation is that humans destroyed the planet, and we left it to exist somewhere else. Will Smith and his son Jaden (playing father and son onscreen as well) have crash landed on Earth. It's now considered a very dangerous place for humans. The story is essentially a survival tale. The special effects are good, but you know they could be better, the action scenes are ok, the acting is ok. Will Smith is not the lead here, his son is. He's an ok actor, but has a long long way to go before he gets anyway near having the charisma and presence onscreen like his dad. Good luck to him.
There are some tense moments, but perhaps some more story elements were needed to really amp up the excitement level. Perhaps if Will Smith had some more screen time and action scenes it may have been better. It is worth watching once, but I doubt you'll take anything memorable away from it, and therefore you probably won't watch it again.
Ratings:
Fast & Furious 6 - 4 out of 5.
After Earth - 3 out of 5.
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