Fast Five: Critic Reviews

A balls to the wall action film, and never for a second does it deviate.

The film is basically Ocean's Fourteen starring a multiculti version of the cast of Jersey Shore.

In a free-for-all like this, where the laws of gravity and dictates of narrative logic are left to eat dust, it doesn't matter when anything takes place or why.

As usual, the film thrives on excess.

For all its absurdity and the family friendly bloodlessness (despite the copious violence), it spins along very smoothly and efficiently.

Who knew the fourth sequel to The Fast and the Furious would not only refuel a flagging franchise, but lead the pack as the best of the bunch?

By shifting into a previously untapped gear, it delivers the most entertaining "Fast and Furious" adventure while also getting 2011's summer movie season off on the right lead foot.

"Fast Five'' is, so far, the most honest Hollywood movie of the year. It's also the most fun.

Now this is how you make a summer movie.

Gets lots of mileage from a combination of high spirits, scorn for the laws of physics, readily renewable energy and an emphasis on family values -- not those of the nuclear family, but of hell-raising, drag-racing outlaws...

The series takes the curious, surprising and rather brave route of ditching the street-racing shenanigans that defined the series in favor of a more standard action-oriented plot. It's an interesting approach, but the series' shallowness remains

The chemistry of the core cast - steered by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker - keeps this outing from running on fumes.

...a film that's custom-built to combine the swift horsepower of characters we like with the stylish chrome of fresh changes is a welcome pleasure.

[Johnson's] skin looks as though it's been slathered in butter; his enjoyment is infectious and keeps the movie speeding along.

What it all comes down to is a skillfully assembled 130 minutes at the movies, with actors capable of doing absurd things with straight faces, and action sequences that toy idly with the laws of physics.

The whole thing progresses to one of the looniest heists of all time. The result is the most exciting, visually jazzy, and absurd entry in the series.

Defying laws of physics, laws of acting, and the law of diminishing returns, Fast Five delivers a ridiculously fun mix of motorized macho mayhem and multicultural bonding.

Here's a popcorn flick strong enough for a man and gentle enough for a woman.

You can't say Fast Five delivers the goods, but it delivers what it's supposed to.

The Fast and Furious roadshow isn't slowing down a bit in Fast Five, by most measures the best of the bunch, combining fresh casting choices, interesting Rio locales and literally smashing bookended action sequences.

Instead of a vroomer, we get a knucklehead "Ocean's 11."

Manages to be more fun than any movie with its outrageous carbon footprint has any right to be.

Something like Ocean's Eleven and its various numerations, except with muscle cars and knuckleheads and without the laughs.

Bold and beautiful in its hard-charging simplicity.

Always preposterous though never actually silly, knowingly funny without ever being self-conscious, Fast Five is a passable action flick that will more than entertain its core audience.