Fast and the Furious without Vin Diesel is like cheese without crackers. Alcohol without regrets. Skydiving without a parachute. It simply shouldn’t work, yet 2 Fast 2 Furious attempts to soldier on without main man Vin. His departure from the series has little, if any effect on proceedings, as Paul Walker picks up the pieces alongside Tyrese Gibson. Immediately setting itself out as a product of its time, with its bright pink clothing, sleek silvers, and horribly dated soundtrack, the best 2 Fast 2 Furious can hope for from contemporary viewers is the chance to create a time capsule piece that will drag us back to the early 2000s.
Having the late John Singleton direct this one does indeed feel like a step in the right direction for the series. He manages to flesh out much of the necessary detail, the bumps, bruises, and backstory that was brushed over in the freshman outing. If the aim of 2 Fast 2 Furious was to prepare for later instalments of the series, then that’s a job well done, congratulations all round. But I don’t feel that was the case, and the story here falls apart rather rapidly.
There are some rather obvious issues, most of them being that this is a Fast and Furious movie. Not necessarily the most awful film, it is rather forgettable and, as far as popcorn blockbusters go, this one isn’t all that special. Not quite engaging, nor too horrid to leave a sour taste, the balance of mediocrity is found rather early into the running time and stagnates until the credits begin to roll. Fast car action is simply not enough to bring this one over the finish line, though, and the performances really make for underwhelming moments in a story that has nothing of interest.
Feeling much like the early Need for Speed games, it’s surprising how fun 2 Fast 2 Furious is. It’s a complete waste of time from an artistic level, and will do nothing to cultivate your mind, but there’s something rather fun about the poor acting, forgettable storylines, and fast, horribly dated CGI cars. It’s everything you could want from the series, minus knocking back coronas with La Familia, Vin Diesel, and a functioning narrative. A slight improvement over the first entrant into the series, with a colour palette and wardrobe that will test your mental strength. An affront to God Almighty, but well worth the time it takes to slog through this one, especially if you’re watching it with the family, like I was.
