2 Fast 2 Furious - Review

Oh my goodness, this film is laughable. I mean, it's really bad. However, it's one of those films where you can still enjoy it because of how silly it is, how dated this film has become and how serious this film thinks it's being. Now, although the first The Fast and the Furious film wasn't winning any Oscars, you could tell that it was written by somebody who knew how to tell a cohesive narrative and at least have some stakes. Sure it was dated and a little dumb, but there was still a compelling (I'm using that term loosely folks) story. Here, you can clearly tell that they were more focused on making Need For Speed: Underground into a movie. This film is an example of a film that has not aged well whatsoever. This film was definitely more focused on cramming in things that were cool at the time. Having lowered cars with spoilers and neon light kits, having all the characters dress all hip and stylish at the time, and having all the characters talk like their the most badass drivers on the planet. With that, it completely takes away from the story, if you call this movie's plot a story. Before I get into the story however, I know I was only 8 when this film came out and I didn't know what was truly popular for people in their late teens and early adulthood, but are you seriously telling me that having jean shorts that stopped between your knees and ankles, a shirt with so much sparkle on it and wearing a visor both upside down and backwards so you could show off your frosted tips was trendy? Jesus Christ dude. Although let's be real, my kids will probably look back on my generation and think, "Dad, why would you wear that?" But I digress. The story is so bland and forgettable, it's not even worth talking about. Add in a villain who is quite frankly just terrible at acting and you have yourself a stinker that thinks it's the most badass movie ever simply because of all the "cool" stuff in it. So why did I give this film a higher rating than the lowest possible score imaginable? Well, Paul Walker is charismatic even though his tone is as dry as the desert and Tyrese Gibson is having so much fun on the screen that you can't help but be engaged whenever he's on screen. He is so funny, in a good way. All of his jokes had me laughing out loud. That's why I kept watching this movie, I found it hilarious. Obviously, when Tyrese Gibson is acting funny and telling jokes, I am laughing, but I was also laughing at everything else. The cheesy special effects, how dated the movie is, and how laughably stupid the plot is. It's all so funny. Add in some fairly entertaining car sequences and one stunt that had me dying on the floor laughing, and you have yourself one entertaining time. I can't justify giving it a higher rating than I already have because it's entertaining and funny for all the wrong reasons. So for that reason, I can only recommend it to people who like these movies and actually take these movies seriously, or people looking to watch a film with their buddies and some beers and get hammered drunk while watching it to be entertained. If you are looking for a dramatic story or anything remotely intriguing, then this is definitely not the film for you.