'Fast' franchise finally runs out of gas

The name play with the The Fast and Furious sequels is far more creative than the plot of the latest installment which has a line in it that indicates it may be the prequel to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Fast & Furious is the name this time. Skipped is the beginning “the” and an ampersand replaces “and.” Neither title is as much fun or as inventive as 2 Fast 2 Furious which was light years faster and much more furious than this one.

More cop shop than chop shop, Fast & Furious brings Vin Diesel back into the franchise. He heads home to Los Angeles to avenge the death of girlfriend Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty at the hands of a merciless drug dealer.

He reluctantly teams with ex-friend and FBI agent Brian O’Conner to get the job done.

The action sequences are mediocre. Cut to a headshot of Diesel or co-star Paul Walker’s O’Conner. Flash to a quick shift at the gearshift knob. Next comes slamming down of -- select one: brake or gas pedal. That is followed by squealing, smoking-tires and six or eight quick edits of a car or cars careening down a street or highway, through the desert or in dirt-packed tunnels.

Fortunately there aren’t many of these badly done chase scenes. Unfortunately, that’s why you want to see this movie. Even more unfortunate: What passes for a plot is interspersed between them.

Are you catching my Tokyo drift?

Mr. Movie rating: 2 stars

Rated PG-13 for some violence, language, mature themes. It opens April 3 at the Carmike 12 and at the Fairchild 12.

5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen

4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.

3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.

2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.

0 stars: Speaks for itself.

This story was originally published April 3, 2009 at 5:48 PM with the headline "'Fast' franchise finally runs out of gas."