Weekend Preview: Is it still Furious?

Unless they are all driving hybrid station wagons, I'm pretty sure it's still fast. But is it still furious? The original film "The Fast and the Furious" came out over eight years ago in June. Eight years is a long time, the world has changed. Since the last film came out, the economy blew out all of it's tires, a new President was elected, the 9/11 attacks occurred, and Vin Diesel went from promising action God, to weakling SCI-FI wanna be actor.

Let's be honest, these movies are based on pure thrills. They are basically racing video games with actors. But as time changed and video games and media has gotten better, where does a film like this fit into society. One can play the "Burnout" series and see spectacular crashes. Hell, you can even play "Wheelman" starring Vin Diesel himself.

The success of this film depends on it's ability to deliver new thrills. When I saw the first one in the movie, it felt like a car race film for my generation. All the cars were souped up street racers, not old school muscle cars, the drivers were young. Here's hoping that 8 years has nott changed anything and that those "original parts" haven't rusted in the face of history.