"At dusk, they take over the road. Roaring and buzzing like locusts, the swarm of asphalt-scraping Japanese cars, with swooping rear wings and brightly colored logos, merges from the side streets of Uptown Manhattan onto the traffic-congested Henry Hudson Parkway." Those words were written by journalist Kenneth Li in 1998 about illegal street racing in New York City. Over a quarter of a century later, that article is touted as being the impetus behind a successful, multimillion-dollar movie franchise that began with the premiere of The Fast and the Furious in 2001. To celebrate the movie's 25th anniversary, Universal Studios is putting out a new 4K release.
Brian (Paul Walker; Running Scared) is an undercover cop who infiltrates the underworld of drag racing in order to find a group of car-racing thieves who have been hijacking semi-trucks full of electronics. Dom (Vin Diesel; xXx) is a drag racer with a reputation and a beautiful younger sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), but when Brian gets involved with both of them, he gets more than he bargained for. Will he have to blow his cover and risk losing the friends and woman he has discovered he so desperately wanted?
It's almost too incredible that The Fast and the Furious was meant to be a one-off film, based on the legacy it has created and has yet to finish. However, watching this first movie, it's hard to believe they actually made a second one. The dialogue is awful, and the plot is almost a direct rip-off of Point Break, which came out a decade earlier. The racing scenes are cheesy and laughable at times, but the story does give the audience a glimpse into the world of illegal street racing.
Walker is clearly the best of the cast in this first film, and it is a shame we lost him too soon. Diesel is okay, but even Michelle Rodriguez (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) isn't very good at this early juncture in her career. Brewster manages to be decent, but the rest of the cast is forgettable.
The 2160p video quality is hit and miss. Some scenes are clean and sharp with incredible details. Other scenes look grainy and muddy, especially those at night. However, the colors are purposefully bright and flashy, as street racers tend to like their cars very colorful. It is almost as if they are tempting the police to come and try to chase them.
The Dolby Atmos audio is very good on this release, as the audience can hear the cars rumbling and engines revving. Ambient sounds surround the viewer throughout the film, and the dialogue is easy to hear over the engines. The eclectic soundtrack underlays the dialogue and the sound effects, but makes its presence known as if it were a character of its own.
While the 25th Anniversary 4K release has a plethora of extras, only one of them is new. The extras include NEW! Riding a Legacy: 25 Years of Fast (Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, producer Neal Moritz, and Meadow Walker reflect on 25 years of The Fast and the Furious in Cannes), Deleted Scenes (Brian and Mia Walk to Her Car, Tanner and Brian in Police House, Brian and Jesse Outside Toretto's Garage, Trading Driving Stories, Hector and Brian at the Racer's Edge, Brian and Mia at the Beach, Original Edit of the Ferrari Scene, Extension of Race Wars Fight Scene, and Hot Off the Street), The Making of The Fast and the Furious, More Than Furious, Hot Off the Street (Brian and Mia at Lunch Counter, Leon, Jesse and Dom at Toretto's House, Toretto House BBQ, Toretto's Garage Post Race Raid, and Ferrari and Supra Race), Dom's Charger, Quarter Mile at a Time, Tricking Out a Hot Import Car, Multiple Camera Angle - Stunt Sequence, Movie Magic Interactive - Special Effects, Featurette on Editing for the Motion Picture Association of America, Visual Effects Montage, Storyboards-to-Final Feature Comparison, Ja Rule's "Furious" Music Video, Speed News Wrap, and Feature Commentary with Director Rob Cohen.
When The Fast and the Furious was first released, I don't think anyone could have predicted the impact it would have on movie audiences around the world. However, though the tone and characters of the franchise have changed over time, the underlying theme of fast cars has remained a constant. This original movie is very different and, as previously mentioned, poorly written, but it still set off a legacy that will endure for decades to come.
If you are a fan of the franchise, this anniversary edition is worth the price.
Grade: C+
