I’m what some might call a “Buster.”
I remember my brother enjoying seeing Gone in 60 Seconds and loving the cars in the movie. My Dad would talk about his love of the 1965 Mustang.
Our family had a 1998 Red Trans Am that my brother drove to school his senior year, and I drove my junior and senior years.
I thought it looked cool but couldn’t tell the lovely older gentleman who pulled up next to me how much horsepower it had. I guess I remembered it was a V8, at least.
I may have allowed my high school quarterback to peer pressure me into going over 100 on the highway for a few seconds, but ultimately, I wasn’t obsessed with going fast.
However, when Fast & Furious came out on cable, I started to understand the fantasizing about cars.
The movie glorified cars and made me aware of a whole subculture of gearheads. I started to understand how you could get into collecting and modding all the cars in Gran Turismo.
I accepted the franchise but never saw 2 Fast 2 Furious or Tokyo Drift in theaters. However, when the rebooted Fast & Furious came out in 2009, I was on board.
There is something about how over-the-top these characters are, especially in the later films. These are action films with Mission Impossible-style stunts and superhuman feats of strength. Do I find it ridiculous when The Rock and Vin Diesel team up to body slam a man? Yes. Do I want to see it again? 100%.
I’ve joined my family and friends in rewatching all 10 (yes, Hobbes & Shaw, too) Fast & Furious movies. I have become a bit of a film nerd, but that doesn’t mean I can’t turn my brain off and watch some mindless action. We laugh at the corny parts and quiet when the cars race through the streets.
I laugh when Dom talks about family but is repeatedly willing to leave his nephew fatherless.
Or the gratuitous PG-13-friendly clothing during the race scenes.
Fast X is coming out May 19th, and I will be ready to see a low Rotten Tomatoes score but a high adrenaline score.
