Mike,
Thanks for asking such questions regarding such a powerful film franchise such as The Fast And The Furious. This week's release of of the fourth installment in the series, cleverly entitled Fast & Furious, has confused many people, even more so with the return of most of the cast from the first film so I'll be glad to guide you through the mythology from what I know (I have yet to see the new film).

This new story continues the adventures of the original cast but doesn't take place immediately after the end of the first film. Chronologically, 2 Fast 2 Furious continued the adventures of Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) after the first film & teamed him up with Tyrese (who is rumored to have a cameo in this new film). Next came TFATF: Tokyo Drift and featured not a soul from the original cast, although (spoiler alert) Dominick Toretto (Vin Diesel) did make a quick cameo at the very end of the film to keep it within the same universe. Rumors are that Tokyo Drift actually takes place before the new film.

So that's the jist of this whole charade so far. The film franchise is just another excuse for us to see fast cars defying the laws of physics, women doing things we'd never see real women do and to show how buff Vin Diesel looks in a white T-Shirt and is mostly nothing we haven't seen before (The original film borrows heavily from Point Break). Popcorn cinema at it's best so I'll be there this Thursday at midnight with my brain turned off, my nostalgia compass tuned into the year 2001 and my car lust set to "High".

Mr. Mash:
Thank you for the quick reply and thorough explanation.

There's one detail I'm still sort of hung up on -- Vin Diesel was once sort of what people might call a "bad ass," correct? Yet didn't he get replaced by The Rock in Disney movies? Are viewers supposed to believe that Vin Diesel is once again "cool" and a "bad ass?" Is that the crux of the film?

Further, I regret to inform you that I will not, as noted in my previous correspondence, be attending this a showing of this movie at midnight. I do, however, wish you and your popcorn the utmost best in cinema-going.

Warm Regards,
Michael

Mike,
Oh how the mighty have fallen indeed. Vinny has been making some questionable movies as of late. Although The Pacifier did indeed make a nice dent in the box office when it was released, his action/sci-fi films have been sucking much ass. Pitch Black was actually a good film but the sequel, Chronicles Of Riddick, was horrible and was considered a box office flop. xXx made money but decided to go else where when director Rob Cohen wasn't going to be involved with the sequel. And from there it just went down hill. Yes, Diesel's badassery does indeed play a central role in this carsploitation film (and from the reviews so far, it seems like he's back to true form) but it's only a piece of the puzzle.

Honestly, dude can do sh***y movies from now on or win an Oscar for one of his films (remember, this is the guy Spielberg hand picked for Saving Private Ryan after seeing his short film), he will forever be Dom Toretto to me. As long as he does that role good, I could care less. Now will the audience feel the same way? Who knows. All I do know is that the first two films opened at #1 & the third at #3 at the box office. The original is now considered a classic among the car enthusiasts, even though it pretty much destroyed the underground scene across the country (something I will be writing about this week on Dumb Drum) which most saw as a good thing. It definitely has a built in audience and I don't think the pussyfing of Vin Diesel will keep them away. And those people will be back to see the further adventures of the original gang. At least I think they will but it will be an interesting weekend, nonetheless.

-brodiemash

FRIDAY, APRIL 3

Mr. Mash:
So, might I ask, what did you think of the film?

It turned out to be what I expected for the most part: Horrible dialogue, pretty cars & some decent action set pieces. This entry into the franchise isn't going to be on very many car enthusiasts greatest car movies of all time, which is really the only thing the people responsible for creating could aspire to create without risking turning the built in audience into an angry mob and sinking the franchise. And judging from the crowds at the screening (three screens and they all seemed to be VERY packed) and the burnouts in the parking lot afterwards, this franchise is here to stay. For my full review, head on over here. The Dumb Are Mostly Intrigued By The Drum.

-brodiemash