Decent...but

Rating: 6/10 (10 June 2011)

I don't know all the backstory of this franchise, but I enjoyed this movie for the most part. It was action-packed and visually enticing. I am not a guy, but if I was, I think I'd know this movie is tailor-made for me: filled with bravado and a cameraman who apparently can't take his lens of the eye candy and cheesy little one-liners parsed throughout here and there. This is a film tailor-made for the "Fast and Furious" fan.
But while the action and cinematography is appealing and exciting, some areas left a little bit to be desired. I thought the plot was a little weak and convoluted. I found some of the acting to need a little improvement--the cheesy one-liners didn't help. Most of all though, the cheesy romantic components were just sad. If Diesel and the cop had one more long stare at each other, I might have hurled right there in the theater. And the way all the relationships came together at the end and pretty much everyone got their fantastical happy ending was just a bit much and over-the-top cliché. I was actually surprised at how cliché it all was. The over-the-top happy endings left me wondering where this franchise will go from here, if there is a plan for its continuation at all. There are no holes left. How will the next installment come in with all the characters rich and free and in love and whatnot? Hmmm But let not the previous paragraph deter you. This is a fun film worth seeing.