The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift: Review By Corey

What makes a great sequel? That's the real question that strikes attention from all movie buffs. Some agree that sequels need to have a point to being made while others just enjoy seeing their favorite characters once again. But, the thing is, with "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift", not only does it not have much of a point but it doesn't have any original characters in it either. So, do the fans love or hate this middle breather to the actual storyline behind the "Fast and Furious" saga? Well, the movie might have seemed pointless when it came out back in 2006, but now we understand how it fits in with the franchise. We'll get that later in this review though...

Three years after "2 Fast 2 Furious", sequel to the 2001 hit "The Fast and the Furious", some were unsure if another film would even be put in to the series. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I can honestly say that I wasn't too thrilled with the idea. New characters with a new storyline just made this into a whole other movie, so I didn't really like the idea of this having "The Fast and the Furious" in its name. Sure, it had the same premise: Fast cars, hot girls, and unbelievable action. But, it just didn't seem like it'd have the same joy that the first two had. I was mad enough when I found out Vin Diesel's character Dominic Torreto wasn't going to be in the predecessor's sequel. Can you imagine how I was when I found out this would have no one from the first or second installment?

What brings this apart from the other "Fast and Furious" films is not just the films setting which takes place in Tokyo, but this one mixes in high-school students as its main characters. So, instead of shotguns blazing and drug kingpins being brought down, we get the wonderful joys of high-school drama instead. Yippie! Starting off in America, we meet the film's main character Sean. After a terrible opener (a over-the-top race) brings him to the hospital, Sean is forced to move to Tokyo with his estranged father. Oh, man. There, wouldn't ya know, Sean finds more illegal racing in his life. He just can't away from the pedal to the metal action, can he? Not being so good at drifting, however, he learns from the best and does what he can so he can beat the oh so terrifying Drift King. Throwing in a little romance as well, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" packs in enough of just about everything to keep it as fast and furious as the first two installments.

It was when I saw "Fast and Furious", the 2009 sequel to the series that reunited all the characters from the first two films, where I learned that "Tokyo Drift" is actually a sequel to the fourth film that takes place a little after "Fast and Furious". I'm not sure what the point of misplacing the film was for, but I was happy for the answer to why "Tokyo Drift" was even made in the first place. While it isn't as good as the first or second installment, the movie does remain entertaining from start to finish and I was glad that it focused on more racing than anything else.

Justin Lin takes over the franchise here with "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift". I think he does best here though than he does with "Fast and Furious", however. His shots of Tokyo, Japan and work with awesome colorful abstract on the nighttime racing scenes are fantastic! The art direction on the film is the best thing that comes from it and Lin's work here makes me wish he was the director from the start. At least he didn't just give up here though and he continued with "Fast and Furious" and "Fast Five". While I wasn't too pleased with his work with "Fast and Furious", I do look forward to see how he does on "Fast Five".

The performances brought from the movie are actually much better than I was first anticipating. You'd think Bow-Wow staring as one of leads would be a complete nightmare, but he manages to actually do pretty decent as Sean's newest ally. Lucas Black does a swell job here as the lead Sean, and I actually grew to liking his character toward the end of the movie. I wish we could see more of his story in the newer installments. We might see his character sometime in the future though. Who knows? Some fans may be against the idea of wrapping up Sean's story to the franchise a little better, but, I'm all down. Other performances by Nathalie Kelley and Sung Kang also keep the movie at a decent level acting-wise. As for the performances brought from the movie, none of them are as bad as some would expect.

The only thing about "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" that really bothers the eyes are the cars. The first film in the franchise was truly the only one that stood by all muscle material. Since the second movie we've seen pieces of plastic that look as if they've been stolen from the garage of the cast of "Pimp My Ride". The character Twinkie's Hulk Hummer is one of the ugliest cars in the movie and it's only in the beginning of this film when we see a beautiful classic. As for the rest, we see just a bunch of "pimped-out" pieces of plastic crap. Man, do I miss the oldies.

With a decent script and structured plotline, the film can at times be quite the rush. Starting off a little rush and in desperate need for a mechanic, this ride starts to fly at a fast, energetic pace and never slows down once it really kicks in. It may not be the best of the franchise, mostly because it has little to do with the rest of the films, but I can proudly consider it one of the "Fast and Furious" flicks. It lacks with the giant engine roars the first two held, but it's still well worth the watch if you're into movies like this...or even if you're just looking for a fun time.

Thanks for the read!

-Screeny