Afterthought: Fast Five

I just finished watching Fast Five. I liked it quite a bit. I loved to see Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel together on the screen. It gave a lot of anticipation. The final action scene was heart pumping. One of the most exciting shot was when Dwayne Johnson first met Vin Diesel in a foot chase. That was really awesome.

However, there were quite a few rants about this movie. The first was Dwayne Johnson's presence. When DJ first appeared, it was fantastic. But as movie progressed, his presence became less and less important. Because he ceased to become a threat at all. I was most disappointed when DJ and VD fought in close quarter. I kept praying, please let VD lose this fight. But no, he still won in the end. What a joke DJ's character eventually became? He lost in a fist fight with VD, he was stupid enough for being forced to retreat by VD. And although it seemed he looked into Reyes, the Drug lord of Rio, DJ's character did not mind him at all! DJ's character had look, had initial oomph, but the film maker failed to identify his position in storyline! He was a vase for Vin Diesel just like all other characters in the movies. Even, the bad guy in the last movie in series were better than DJ's character. Simply because that bad guy was more defined. I totally understand how hard it was to put two action stars in front of the same camera. But if you could not whip DJ's character into shape, then it was a missed opportunity to bring the movie into next level! I feel sad for Dwayne because he has the look, the personality, and will to become great. But he just kept missed so many opportunities! The other problem from failure of defining DJ's character as a real threat to VD was the plotlines. There were basically three sides in the movie which could actually became something really nice. The result was a huge dismay simply because, the side DJ was on did not matter at all to the plotlines. DJ's story line was an accessory, not a necessity.

The other problem was that too many characters, who were generic at the best. What's more, because of so many characters, the movie was dragged on. Compared to Ocean's Eleven, which had many characters as well. But most of the characters were flushed out nicely. Most of them were well defined. It's just not the same here. Two African Americans, whose roles could combine as one; two Spanish speaking characters, who could also combined as one; one Asian American, who by the way, did nothing at all, not even come close to the Asian dude in Ocean's Eleven; and finally two girls, who had no impact to the storyline at all. And I have to say, please, if it's not absolutely necessary, do not bring a love interest for the main character! A vase still need screen time, and dialogue. But nobody really cared about a vase in the background!