To Watch Or Not to Watch: Fast Five

Alright, here's my dilemma. It's a dilemma I've had since day one with this series. Should I bother watching Fast Five? I probably will.... eventually, but not after a heavy dose of moaning and mixed frustration. You see, after each viewing of the Fast and Furious franchise I've walked away with roughly the same mindset. That same mindset when you walk out to the car in the morning and shuffle around in pockets one last time. It's that "something is missing" feeling.

After the original The Fast and the Furious I kept thinking it was missing that real sharp edge that defined the film it so blatantly walks the line with, Point Break. The sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious was out and out missing just about everything. The plot was weak, the characters uninteresting, the driving redundant. I had to wash my eyes out after that, and I promised I wouldn't go down that route again. Then game Tokyo Drift. Now I would normally be inclined to run away from this film but it hit a couple of weak spots for me. A want to see Lucas Black have an earnest Hollywood career, and amped up Asian fanboy lifestyle. So I went in and was pleasantly surprised by what I came out with. Don't get me wrong, it was a far cry from being quality, but it got by just fine on style.

Then came Fast and Furious - the most original thing since a sequel to sliced bread - and I figured it would be worth a go (even though by this point I'd completely given up on the careers of much of its premier cast). And much like the 2nd installment, I was left wanting. It wasn't quite as trite as that John Singleton nightmare, but it did its best to play up the sort of egotistic idiocy I find unbearable. Not to mention the marketing campaign for each passing film serves as a constant reminder that I am part of a demographic marketed to as if they were drunken sexually starved orangutans (don't ask me how I know that).

So here we are now, Fast Five. To watch or not to watch? Judging by the reviews it may be the first film to actually offer what I've felt the previous films lacked, but I can't rightfully say that. Nor do I want to deal with another Saw series where each installment feels like a consistent letdown. I know they're meant to be mindless entertainment, but I'm not one to lower my mental output to meet a film's level. Which inherently implies no matter what, the way this series is orchestrated, I'll always be left out in the cold. Not a place I care too much to be either.