Blu-ray Review: FAST FIVE: EXTENDED EDITION

Fast Five roared onto Blu-ray and DVD this week, and I had the chance to review the special edition disc from Universal Home Entertainment. I saw the film when it was first released in April and became one of the biggest box-office hits of the summer. I thoroughly enjoyed the film then and actually think I liked it more on the second viewing.

Synopsis:

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker head up an all-star reunion of the explosive Fast franchise set in sultry Rio de Janeiro. Former copBrian O’Conner (Paul Walker, Fast & Furious, Takers) and his girlfriend Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster, Fast & Furious,“Dallas”) bust Mia’s brother Dom (Vin Diesel, Fast & Furious, The Chronicles of Riddick) out of prison, blasting across South America to elude the authorities. Finding themselves backed into a corner in Brazil, they assemble an elite team of top racers to help pull off the one last job that could mean freedom for them all. But hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, Faster, The Other Guys) is hot on their trail, and so is a corrupt and powerful businessman who wants them dead.When Hobbs and his strike force launch an all-out assault to capture the Torettos and their team, he can’t separate the good guys from the bad. Instead, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey…before someone else runs them down first.

When I first heard that a fifth film was set for release I was skeptical. Any doubt I had vanished when I fist saw this film in theaters. What I love about Fast Five under Justin Lin's direction is that he has found a creative way to take a franchise and reinvigorate it. Check out our theatrical review of the film HERE.

As a fan of the franchise, I can watch these films any time and not get bored. These are movies that if I am flipping through the channels to see what is on, I will stop and watch if it is playing on TV. Fast Five is the best film of the franchise. Justin Lin continues to push the characters and the cars to new levels. The way that this film ends is like an open road with for the story, the possibilities are endless. Lin has plans to move away from the days of focusing just on tricked-out cars and is now taking the story down the road of heists and survival. Fast Five also is the beginning of what looks to be a global story with even more international locations. All I can say is that I am ready for the ride and am looking forward to more action-packed adrenaline injections.

Let’s take a step back and look at this disc and what makes it awesome.

Special Features:

What makes this disc and all Universal Blu-ray's stand out are it's special features. Let's be honest, that is the big selling point of any disc. Universal Home Entertainment truly has the best Blu-ray’s aside from Criterion for special features.  It used to be that a film would be lucky to have only a handful of features, maybe one audio commentary track. Fast Five has literally hours of extras, dazzling picture and 7.1 surround sound that had my speakers rumbling along with the exhaust of the cars.

BLU-RAY™ EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES:

  • DOM VS. HOBBS:  Watch how the action-packed showdown was shot
  • ON SET WITH DIRECTOR JUSTIN LIN: Go behind the scenes of Fast Five with director Justin Lin
  • INSIDE THE VAULT CHASE: Learn how they filmed the movie’s most dangerous sequence
  • TYRESE TV: Go behind the scenes of Fast Five with Tyrese Gibson
  • NEW!  pocket BLU™ VERSIONS FOR TABLETS AND COMPUTERS, FEATURING UNIVERSAL’S SECOND SCREEN

For my money, I love seeing mini-documentaries on the making of a film. Fast Five has multiple options. I love cars and really enjoyed learning about what went into making the cars for the intense scenes. I really liked Inside the Vault Chase, which takes audiences inside the mayhem of the climactic car chase. On Set with Justin Lin, is a great way for audiences to see what really goes on behind-the-scenes of a film. Dom Vs Hobbs is a cool look at the bad-ass fight.

In Conclusion:

Fast Five has reinvented itself and I can not wait to buckle-up for another ride with these characters. Fast Six is already in production, with filming starting in April, so this disc is a perfect way to tide us over until more.

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