# Fast Five - Blu-Ray Review



## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=7174[/img]*Title: Fast Five 
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang
Directed by: Justin Lin
Written by: Chris Morgan, Gary Scott Thompson 
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 130 Minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: 10/7/2011* 

*Movie:* :4stars:
*Video:* :4.5stars:
*Audio:* :4.5stars: 
*Extras:* :5stars: 
*HTS Overall Score:*93 



*Summary:* 
Former cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) partners with ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on the opposite side of the law. Dwayne Johnson joins returning favorites Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon and Don Omar for this ultimate high-stakes race. Since Brian and Mia Toretto (Brewster) broke Dom out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he's not the only one on their tail. Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) never misses his target.

In 2001, Director Rob Cohen introduced the movie going audiences to the world of illegal street racing and a cast of colorful characters in one of the year’s top box office draws. 10 years later, Director Justin Lin continues the story of Dominic "Dom" Toretto (Diesel) and Brian O’Connor (Walker) as they continue exactly where “Fast and Furious” left off. [img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=7175[/img]

The Fast and The Furious franchise has seen its ups and downs. I for one really enjoyed the first one, missed Vin in the second and by Tokyo Drift I had all but written the series off. But then in 2009, Vin and company were all brought back for “Fast and Furious” which really resurrected the series. Now we have “Fast Five” and the filmmakers have added another action heavyweight as Dwayne Johnson jumps on board as the relentless federal agent sworn to bring Toretto and Co. to justice. So how did it fair? 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=7176[/img]“Fast Five” takes the series in a whole new direction where the cars are now secondary to what is going on with Dom and Brian. There are still plenty of really cool cars and some incredible automotive stunt work, but that is all part of the action now and less of the attraction of the movie. We saw hints of this in “Fast and Furious” in 2009 where the story took the driver’s seat, pun intended, and the cars were more for eye candy. The action in “Fast Five” is way over the top but in a really good “that’s the coolest but most absurd thing I’ve ever seen” way. The vault sequence in the last act of the movie is absolutely crazy, but there is something really cool about watching a ten ton vault bounce down the road being dragged by two cars. The complete chaos that it generates is awesome to watch. 

Overall I think that this is definitely the best movie in the franchise next to the original and it opens up a whole new world to explore for our favorite band of misfit gearheads. The cast was great to watch and I really got the impression that these actors truly are good friends that genuinely enjoy making these movies together. Director Justin Lin seems to have found his groove after having what I considered a shaky start with Tokyo Drift and I really look forward to seeing where they take the series next. 



*Rating:* 
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, sexual content and language .

*Video:* :4.5stars:

The video was not reference quality by any means however; it's as solid of a release as I have seen on Blu-Ray for this type of action film. Resolution is razor sharp and only softening by design during certain lighting changes. The transfer is clear and perfectly balanced with no noticeable deficiencies such as digital noise or artifacting, etc. Black levels are deep and inky especially in the night scenes when the sky is filled with stars and shadow delineation is about as perfect as one would expect from this type of film. Color reproduction is flawless and only appears faintly muted as a result of the filming process. The beautiful hues of Rio all come to life and the Providencia slums of the city pop right out of the side of the hill. Contrast is hazy in a couple of spots, but as with the resolution this was a result of the filming process and not a deficiency with the transfer. Overall this is a very solid transfer. 






















*Audio:* :5stars:

The DTS-HD-MA is an impressive audio design and one that will impress all who hear it. The bass ranges from forcefully impactful to subtle and atmospheric making “Fast Five" a very dynamic LFE presentation. The surround activity is plentiful and is equally robust and purposeful. Sound designers did not risk filling the individual channels with needless chaos and have instead to go with a clear, balanced and consistent design. Voice reproduction was flawless and never gets lost in the chaos that is unfolding on the screen. Gunshots have the proper amount of force and explosions have a proportionate amount of rumble. Overall a great audio experience that adds to the overall experience without overshadowing the film. I couldn't find anything to complain about with this audio and think it was absolutely great!

*Extras:* :5stars:


Theatrical and Extended Cuts
U-Control Picture-in-Picture Track 
Scene Explorer 
Audio Commentary
The Big Train Heist 
A New Set of Wheels 
Reuniting the Team 
Dom's Journey 
Brian O'Connor: From Fed to Con 
Enter Federal Agent Hobbs 
Dom vs. Hobbs 
Inside the Vault Chase 
On Set with Director Justin Lin 
Deleted Scenes 
Tyrese TV 
Gag Reel 
My Scenes Bookmarking 
BD-Live Functionality
DVD and Digital Copy of the film



*Overall:* :4.5stars:
“Fast Five” is a great ride and enjoyable action movie. I have always been a fan of Vin Diesel, and always enjoy watching him work as I really think of him as one of the great action stars of our time. I think he and Johnson, along with Jason Statham, are the best action stars out there and believe Vin puts a lot of heart in all of his projects. Fans of the franchise will definitely want to go ahead and pick this one up and action film buffs will want to as well. As for the rest of you, you may want to start with a rental, but I am fairly confident that you won’t be disappointed if you just straight out buy it either. “Fast Five” was an early kick-off to the summer movie season this year, and a great shot of adrenaline in the early fall Bluray release schedule. Highly Recommended!

*Recommendation: Buy It!​*



Official Blu-Ray Reviews Scoring


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

Great review Dale. This is a definitely a blind buy for me


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Thanks Dwight, it's what I like to cal "A Keeper"!


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2011)

If anyone has been following the whole franchise, the 5th movie in my opinion is the first true hit blockbuster movie. The fourth one wasn't bad, but Dwayne Johnson really added another element to the story line. Also, unlike the movies before, you don't have to be a car fan to enjoy it. Its just a good movie hands down.


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## Z71SierraSLT (Nov 9, 2010)

Nice, I'll be getting this one too. I missed it in the theaters.


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## gorb (Sep 5, 2010)

Thanks for the review. I will probably pick this up too. Fun movie. Totally over the top and ridiculous which is perfectly fine with me


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## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

Thanks for the review, Dale!! I absolutely had a blast with this one in the theaters. In fact, I think this is my favorite of the franchise thus far. I will be buying this one for sure.


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## BadOrange (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks for the review. I have seen a couple of them but not any of the more recent. May have to check this one out.


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## tylerlovely2006 (Apr 13, 2011)

thought this movie was great i watched it at like 60 volume and my system just took every thing that the move had. I'm so amazed by the sound and video quality of this move defiantly a great movie to ad to my collection!!!


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## Dwight Angus (Dec 17, 2007)

I ended up renting this one but definitely will buy it and add to the collection. Really enjoyed it. Video was good but Audio was top tier.


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## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

Watched this one twice since I purchased the disc and had just as much fun both times as I did when I originally saw it in theaters.


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## HomeTeam (Jan 10, 2008)

gorb said:


> Thanks for the review. I will probably pick this up too. Fun movie. Totally over the top and ridiculous which is perfectly fine with me


I thought the same thing. So crazy and ridiculous but so much fun. It definitely became my favorite movie of the year so far. Great to hear the disc is a must buy, can't wait to buy it.


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## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

I just finished watching fast five. Have to agree with Dale, the audio was well presented. Very smooth and well put together. There were times I was left wanted a little more impact - but overall, a great mix! Same goes for the video quality --- the clarity of the film was great. There were times it looked as if the rock's sweat was dripping into our room!

I thought the story was decent - not great (but everyone has their sweet spots ;-) - but definitely fun and very entertaining. I'd have to agree with everyone that this movie is a good one to put on your list. Not sure if I'll keep it as a permanent resident in my collection ... I think I'll give it one more watch before I decide that! ;-)


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## d12d (Dec 21, 2011)

I think this movie was good. I originally had no intentions of watching this after the last few in the series. However this is probably the best in the series. There are a few things that are a little bit of a stretch in this movie but it is a fun movie to watch. Recommended watch 7/10.


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## kcnitro07 (Feb 15, 2012)

I absolutely love the bass produced by the grenade explosion! Other than that its meh.


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## moparz10 (Sep 21, 2010)

Great review dale ! thanks definitley on my short-list


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