We've fallen a long way from simply boosting cars

Rating: 5/10 (13 April 2017)

CIA agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) returns and asks aid of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew in taking down a ex-military mercenary who plans to steal a microchip capable of ruining an entire country.
Following on from the previous installment Fast Five, director Justin Lin hasn't let up his intention to give this series some sort of conviction. Most of the characters return (the film even begins with a montage of all the previous films) yet for all of its efforts to make a malleable universe, we are still dealing with the most uninteresting, good-looking people. For example, Tyrese Gibson just eats stuff and laughs, while my favourite character Han still just talks about "going to Tokyo", it is actually getting insulting now; these films only exist as prequels to the third film so they can include him yet his only characteristic is "I want to go to Tokyo".
Even Michelle Rodriguez returns (due to fan outcry) yet the writers couldn't think of any better excuse to bring her back than the tired "selective amnesia" fall back; she doesn't remember the love of her life, but she can still drive and tune a car. Don't even talk to me about the villain I have no idea what his motivations really were, and he was never threatening when up against Diesel and Johnson
The film does do some things right compared to the deplorable Fast Five. Some things. The chase sequences here are better, specifically the chase through London and a race between Dom and Letty. But for every good race there's a over-the-top, nonsensical scenario. The crew face off against a tank. Yes, a tank. Why? Because the villain needs the microchip that is (for no good reason) stored inside the tank, inside an armoured transport. Or the final encounter that involves a carrier plane and the longest runway in the world!
The film isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't good either. I have no idea why it is praised as highly as it is, but it can only be for the action sequences, fight sequences alone, which are at times impressively far-fetched. The dialogue is terrible too; all of Dwayne Johnson's lines are metaphorical nonsense: "To catch a wolf, you need wolves. Let's go hunting!"
The series is a nonsense now.