# Fast & Furious 6 - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=13930[/img] 
*Title: Fast & Furious 6* 

*Movie:* :4.5stars:
*Video:* :4.5stars:
*Audio:* :5stars: 
*Extras:* :3stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*91




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=13931[/img]*Summary*
It’s rather Ironic that this film should hit home video just days after Paul Walker died in a fiery car crash. It brings us to look at the film a second time and most likely in a different light. Paul was in the very first movie and pretty much the cornerstone (along with Vin Diesel) of the entire series. Like most series they had a great first outing, then only a couple of the original cast came back for the second and the third was just about devoid of ANY of the original cast. Then strangely enough, a fourth film surfaced, but this time the original cast from the 1st AND 2nd film all agreed to have a go of it. Against the odds the series gained new life and new box office records. As the series went on with the 5th film they deviated from the theme of street racing with a little bit of criminal hijinks and revamped the series into a heist movie with some cool racing scenes. Very rarely does a series get BETTER the more sequels they put out, but surprise, surprise the series just kept getting better, until we get to the biggest and most ambitious of the series, adding new characters along the way. With Fast 6 they went international and they went BIG. Not only did they succeed among fans, but Universal was literally ROLLING in Box office records from “Fast & Furious 6”. 

Leaving off from the last film, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) have disbanded the crew and slipped into a life of peace and serenity in a non-extradition country so that Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) wouldn’t be able to take them in for their last heist in Rio. All seems to be going well for the crew when Hobbs shows up with an offer. It appears that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) isn’t as dead as everyone thought she was and is working with an international crew of criminals under the command of one command Shaw (Luke Evans). Shaw is an ex SAS operative who runs a crack crew of men and women who can follow his orders to the T and utilizes vehicles as a weapon of warfare (now isn’t that convenient). Toretto can’t say no to this offer and reassembles the entire crew for one more big job. This time they’re the only ones that Hobbs can count on to take down a highly trained crew in cars. 

Chasing down Shaw isn’t as easy as it seems though. Always one Step ahead of them Shaw pulls off heist after heist in conquest of one particular piece of high tech equipment leaving Toretto and O’Connor just inches from his heels. That changes though, because the one thing that a man who manages everything down to the detail can’t stand, is the one thing that our super heroes do to an art form……improvisation. Leaping through the air with the greatest of ease and doing the most ludicrous stunts possible the men outwit the dastardly villain, only to find out they were being played all along.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=13932[/img]
I was rather disappointed with this year’s selection of blockbusters. “Star Trek: Into Darkness” was mediocre, “Man of Steel” was ok, and “Iron Man 3” had me groaning the whole time. There were only TWO movies that really made me gleefully happy, to the point where I went multiple times in the theaters to see them again and again. The first was, obviously, “Pacific Rim” and the second was again, obviously, “Fast & Furious 6”. I didn’t think Justin Lin could top the awesome levels of cheese and machismo from “Fast Five”, but somehow he managed to pull it off. The Rock is beyond jacked in this one. He was MASSIVE in “Fast Five”, but here it looks like he ate that version of the Rock and added it to his mass. Vin isn’t looking as jacked as he was in his prime (think “Fast and Furious”, or “Babylon A.D.” era), but he’s still got that gravely, “I’m a bad bad man” voice that he likes to use and is impressive as our leading man. Paul Walker has cut his teeth on this series and it remains his biggest starring role to date for his career and you can tell the two of them just love their roles. They fit so smoothly into their characters and effortlessly into the roles that it’s hard to see where their own personas end and their characters personas start. 

If you can’t stand ridiculous action cheese then this isn’t the movie for you. The crew has someone gone from being street racers with some serious driving skills to be able to go hand to hand against trained mercenaries and martial artists and come out on top. Then of course we also have the longest air strip known to man, seemingly 50 miles long and still it continues on. However, none of that can wipe the silly grin from my face after watching it another time. The characters are fun. The stunts are ridiculous, the sheer style and flair remarkable and we get to see one of the greatest tag team takedowns of a guy in cinematic history (when you see it, you’ll know what I mean. It made everyone in the theater wince every time). The series is ridiculously fun, with raw machismo and ridiculously done action sequences. It follows the basics of guy movies, “guns, knives, explosions, fast cars and gorgeous women”… I mean, you really can’t go wrong with that formula.


*Rating:* 

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language


*Video* :4.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=13933[/img]This is Universal’s tent pole franchise and you can be very certain that they weren’t going to gaff this one up video wise. “Fast & Furious 6” looks absolutely stunning in a 2.35:1 AVC encoded transfer. There are a couple instances of ringing and some annoying black crush, but it is VERY minor and I only picked up on it a few times. Otherwise the film is simple gorgeous. Colors are bright and cheerful, with a nice natural look to it. I didn’t notice any wild color grading except a bit of a yellowish hue during the final chase scene involving the tanks (yes you read that right, a tank). Detail is absolutely phenomenal and I chuckled when I notice the stretch marks around Diesel’s arms from when he was REALLY jacked the shaving mishap Paul Walker had that would disappear in certain scenes. You can see every fiber and string in the actors clothing and the individual pieces of debris could be picked out with fantastic ease. Black levels were incredible for the most part, deep and inky except for those few scenes mentioned where there was some black crush. A near perfect transfer that should disappoint no one. 








*Audio* :5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=13934[/img] Now while I loved the film, and adored the video transfer, the audio is really where this bad boy shines. Universal gives us a juggernaut of a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track to enjoy today, with an incredibly immersive track. The film starts with a heist by Shaw and you know from the get go that this track isn’t holding back any punches. The LFE shakes you from the ground up and doesn’t stop till the ride is over. Directionality is spot on perfect with cars roaring and shrieking from all around the listening position and giving the surrounds a lot of screen time. Dialogue is always crisp and clean though, perfectly balanced so that not once did I need to raise and lower the volume to hear the vocals during a loud action sequence or crank down the volume suddenly due to an overabundance of action. This is truly a perfect audio track and one that had my SEOS monsters churning along at full power. 




[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=13935[/img]*Extras:* :3stars:
• Audio Commentary
• Take Control
• The Making of "Fast & Furious 6"
• Planes, Tanks and Automobiles
• It's All About the Cars 
• Hand to Hand Fury
• "Fast & Furious 7" First Look
• Deleted Scenes







*Overall:* :4.5stars:


I loved the movie in theaters and still love it on home video, but Paul Walker’s passing has given in a new look almost, giving me pause to look at it again with a more sober eye and realize that this was one of the last movies that Paul was in. One of the last times that he was having fun with his coworkers and friends and it almost changes the feel of the movie. Paul was never a fantastic actor, but his role in the Fast and Furious series made it what it is today and for that I’m grateful for the many hours of entertainment that he provided and I tip my hat to him. For all of you who’ve seen the movie already I’m sure it’s on your purchase list, but for those who haven’t… it’s STILL a MUST BUY.


*Additional Information:*

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Gina Carano
Directed by: Justin Lin
Written by: Gary Scott Thomas, Chris Morgan
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French Spanish DTS 5.1
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 131
Blu-Ray Release Date: Dec 10th, 2013


*Buy Fast & Furious 6 Blu-ray on Amazon*



*Recommendation: Buy It​*







More about Mike


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Thanks for the review Mike!

I recently picked up the box set on the cheap that contained the first five films, and I will definitely be adding this one in the near future!


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## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

Thanks for the review. I will also get the box set but will wait to see if part 7 is going to be there or not.. I only have seen the first one so I can wait a bit to catch up to the entire series from start to finish.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Thanks for the review Mike. I picked up the steel book version from Best Buy and will be giving it a spin this afternoon. Crazy what happened to Paul Walker. Life imitating art it would seem.


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## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

I own all the previous movies in the franchise and picked this one up yesterday as well. I watched it in theaters and had an absolute blast with it. For the record, I think the runway ends up only being just under 30 miles long, according to how fast the vehicles were going and the length of time. Lol, still laughable, when you stop to think about it, but the scene is pretty entertaining nonetheless.

http://www.empireonline.com/features/fast-and-furious-6-runway-length

Glad to see that it got good technical marks and I look forward to popping this one in!


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Just finished watching this and it was a thrill ride. I was curious how they could bring Michelle Rodriguez's character back into the story but they pulled it off. The audio side was excellent and it really sounded as though I had muscle cars racing through my living room.


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## ericzim (Jun 24, 2012)

Thanks for the review. My copy is on order and should be delivered in the next day or so.


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## Picture_Shooter (Dec 23, 2007)

Awesome review!! Thanks for your input on FF6.

I grabbed the Steelbook edition on release day over @ Target for $21.


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## stinman (Dec 13, 2013)

I kind of dis agree about Paul Walker's acting. I like him very much in his roles. I understand what your saying though. Most part he himself was the character, his mannerisms, his way of speech and other things is what the directors seen. He didn't have to act, just go through the motions the way he does.I liked him in The Death and Life of Bobby Z and also Running Scared.
I wonder how and what they will do with Fast and Furious 7, seems like they could re-do something and make him a exit.If that would even be approiate. Thanks for the review!


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## Savjac (Apr 17, 2008)

Well once again a spot on review, I am amazed at how much I enjoyed this way out there movie. Audio and visuals just lit my room up and from the opening drum smacks to the waves crashing on the rocks and everything else, the commanding score hurt me a bit. I am not sure what a tank sounds like when it hits the highway but I do know the hard slap of a Daytona once the pedal is smashed to the floor. That particular scene brought the biggest smile to my face.

Enjoyed to the max


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I haven't even watched any of this series but hear good things about it. Maybe I'm going to have to get them and watch.


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## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

I watched a few of the extras for this and have to say it was kind of hallowing. There was one in particular that Paul Walker talks about and anticipates the F&F 7. Kind of cool and sad to see at the same time...

Enjoyed this one again thoroughly, though the final sequences, the runway seemed just even just a bit longer than I remembered last time...


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## Greenster (Mar 2, 2013)

This is a movie that I know that I would enjoy. Thanks for the great review on it. It got me pumped up to see it.


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## Jon Robbins (May 15, 2012)

More of the same ol, same ol Fast and Furious action, i actually enjoyed Fast Five more than this one. It will be interesting to see if they do carry on with seven with all the rewrites now with the Passing of Paul Walker.


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