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Here's a look at the first (unofficial) big action release of summer.


Fast Five
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Synopsis: The summer movie season officially kicks off today, but it’s possible that the best action film in the first half of summer debuted on April 29. “Fast Five” might not be deep, complex, or original, but it’s a lot of fun. In 2001, “The Fast and The Furious” introduced a new kind of summer blockbuster. From there, the franchise got lost in the tall weeds for a few years as producers attempted to build films around other character combinations. In 2009, the original cast gathered again for a reboot of the franchise that was a smash hit at the Box Office. It also came with an ending that provided for a ready-made sequel. “Fast Five” is that sequel, returning not just the original cast but popular characters from all four films in the franchise for an epic next installment. This reunites may players from the previous films, including characters played by Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. This is not the kind of movie that you really need to concentrate on to follow. But it doesn’t lack for excitement. Even at more than two hours, the movie seems to fly by because it doesn’t take itself too seriously and it includes a lot of action sequences. Director Justin Lin (“Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift.” “Fast and Furious”) has a feel for this world. Now directing his third installment — the second with franchise anchors Walker and Diesel together — he has a good feel for the pace of the action, humor and big-time stunts. The series has done a great job of building up good will for the three central characters. You root for them to succeed if only to see what they’re going to do next. And this film doesn’t disappoint with its car chase and big stunts — including a somewhat implausible but incredible fun to watch train heist in the first act of the film. “Fast Five” is the perfect kind of summer film, and during a year in which we’ve faced a number of epic failures it’s nice to see a film deliver on what it promises. Hard as it may be to believe, this fifth installment in the franchise might be the best yet.
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, sexual content and language.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

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