Fast and Dubious 6

Rating: 6/10 (22 July 2013)

Yeah, well... what can I say. I enjoyed the last Fast movie even with the ridiculous safe towing chase scene. But this one.... not so much.
It was still a fun ride, with all the characters doing their roles well, but I can't help think they tried too hard to top the last one. The focus was very much more on "How ridiculous can we make it and not make people go Huh?" The answer, unfortunately, was that they overcooked it a little.
The tank chase scene is enjoyable right up until the mid-air leap of faith that Dom performs with Letty. Then it was a "Huh?" moment. Mainly a "Huh, why aren't they both suffering shattered bones?" moment, in fact.
Later on, they indulged themselves ever more. The runway sequence went on for far, far too long. I don't mean that it was boring, just that there isn't a paved runway that long anywhere in the damn world! The bad guy drives onto the runway and, thirteen minutes and five seconds later, the chase concludes on the same runway. I'm going to be generous and say they were going only about fifty mph (the drama suggests far faster speeds). That gives a runway length of ten point something miles. Edwards Airforce base's longest runway is seven and a half miles long and it isn't paved. So where this foolishness is supposed to take place I have no idea.
I wouldn't mind, but the runway scene is blatantly overlong. Even knowing nothing about airports or the like, it leaves you wondering about it.
Character-wise, I get that Dom loved Letty and thought she was dead, so he moved on with the Brazilian chick, Elena. But character-wise, is it so hard to think he might find it just a little bit more difficult to dump Elena in favour of Letty again when he finds out she's still alive? I'd have been happier if his character had stayed with Elena. Letty had lost her memory, so she had nothing more than vague feelings to go on to tell her that he was anything special to her. A perfect opportunity to have things work out without making it the usual saccharin-fest, everything works out in the end type of deal that Hollywood is so fond of.
All this ending left me was feeling that Dom had shafted Elena (and not in the fun way, either!). No amount of "She's okay with all this" convinced me otherwise. It all smacks of "Let's get Michelle Rodriguez back in the franchise 'cos it needs a boost." followed by "Wait! What about that other chick Dom was going out with at the end of the last movie?" and then blank looks all around until "We'll hand-wave their relationship away!" Still, I suppose it was better than "Let's kill her off to clear the way for Dom to get Letty back!" All in all, though, a disappointment at several points. In between, it was fun and entertaining. However, it did leave a sense of dissatisfaction due to the nonsense scattered throughout.
Here's hoping they don't try and top the action in this one next time around.
It seems like even numbered Fast movies are not the best of the bunch.