2 Fast 2 Furious Blu-ray delivers stunning video and reference-quality audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Speed--it's easy to get and it's as close as the nearest set of high- performance wheels.
Brian O'Connor, now a disgraced cop, fell victim to it--and now he's paying the price. As far
as his bosses and the FBI brass are concerned, the hothead undercover officer threw one of
their largest investigations ever. After losing his badge and any chance of redemption along
with it, O'Connor is given one last chance when the feds in Miami need his help to collar
Carter Verone, a flashy businessman whose using his import/ export business as a cover for
an international money laundering cartel. Cutoms has had Verone under intense surveillance
for over a year with nothing more to show for it than the kingpin's link to illegal street
racing. With their backs against the wall and time running out, officials put out a call for
O'Connor to do what he does best--talk the talk and push the metal. But the rule-breaking
loner has his own demands before taking on the job. He insists on recruiting his childhood
friend and ex-con Roman Pearce as his partner. The Feds and Agent Markham offer Pearce,
an accomplished criminal with an aptitude for barrier- shattering speed, a deal--work with
O'Connor and his impressive rap sheet will disappear. Now, it's last chance for both, ex-con
and ex-cop, and their ticket out of disgrace is bringing down Verone. But the lines become
blurred once again for O'Connor with the appearance of undercover agent Mónica Fuentes,
the key to entering Verone's world who may herself be in bed with the shady entrepreneur.
For every Aliens, for every Terminator 2, there
are dozens of 2 Fast 2 Furious. Sequels to films like The Fast and the
Furious are a tricky business; fans expect more of the same, but at the same time
demand
something that spices up the franchise, takes it a step further, and ups the ante in the action.
2 Fast 2 Furious succeeds in that regard, but it also dismisses the more abstract qualities
that made its predecessor such a fine movie. There's no heart to this picture and no real reason
for
it to exist outside of the movies-as-business world. It neither sees any growth of the character(s)
that make a
return appearance nor does it purposefully expand upon the world in which they exist. 2 Fast
2 Furious
delivers all of the superficialities of the first film and does one-up it in that regard, but
at the expense of the film's soul where instead lies a vacuous space yearning to be fulfilled. Get
James Cameron on the horn.
That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.
Former undercover L.A. police officer Brian O'Conner (Walker) is no longer in the law enforcement
business. He's moved to Florida where he earns his keep by winning street races against
opponents eager to wager thousands of dollars on their skills behind the wheel and their
investments under the hood. Soon, O'Conner is recruited by the authorities to infiltrate the
world of crime boss Carter Verone (Cole Hauser, Pitch Black) and
feed information back to the law. O'Conner recruits his friend and parolee Roman Pearce (Tyrese
Gibson, Four Brothers) to act
as the second driver in the operation with the promise that both their records will be wiped clean
upon completion of the mission. They'll join U.S. Customs agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes,
Hitch), herself already
deep undercover and posing as Verone's girlfriend. It will take Walker's background as a law
enforcement officer, Pearce's street smarts, and both of their driving skills to convincingly
infiltrate the crime ring to complete their mission and come out alive.
2 Fast 2 Furious is a classic example of a sequel that doesn't do much to differentiate
itself from the original. While it introduces new characters and deletes some old favorites, the
crux of the story remains the same, centered around the world of street-racing and undercover
infiltration into a criminal organization. Of course, the action and the racing scenes have been
elevated in style and intensity, but the story has taken a large step backwards. The characters
are particularly dull, often reciting bland and sometimes laughably predictable
dialogue. Walker's character remains the best of the bunch; he carries over much of the same
charisma he brought to the role in the first film, but his weaker supporting cast and a lackluster
story fail to elevate the performance. Tyrese Gibson is intriguing as his pal Roman; he brings
plenty of energy and wit to the role, but otherwise, the remainder of the supporting players fail to
elicit much of a response. 2 Fast 2 Furious delivers exactly what is expected of it; it's not
meant to be anything more than a popcorn-munching good time. Unfortunately, it just
never captures the magic of the first, a film that, in its own right, is a loud and adrenaline-packed
romp through the world of high-speed and high-stakes racing, but that film
manages to pack a good story and even better characters into the action. 2 Fast 2
Furious just has too much of a generic feel to it, playing as a rehash of the original with but
a
few new tricks up its sleeve.
2 Fast 2 Furious pulls into Blu-ray with an excellent 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The
print is crystal-clear, free of any blemishes, with a thin layer of film grain enhancing the image.
Detail is extraordinarily sharp and colors are equally vibrant, jumping off the screen in most every
scene. The image is sufficiently rendered so as to offer an eye-catching "popping" effect that
allows
the image to come to life in many of the brighter daytime sequences. Like its
predecessor, the action often shifts between bright, sun-drenched outdoor daytime sequences
and dark nighttime segments. Both are equally good, with the darker shots offering deep, inky
blacks and plenty of visible detail in the darker corners of the screen. Flesh tones also appear
accurate throughout the picture and in every lighting condition.
2 Fast 2 Furious races onto Blu-ray with another hard-hitting DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless
soundtrack from Universal. Similar to the first, this track is highlighted by tremendous levels of
bass and sweeping sound that maneuver effortlessly all across the soundstage to great effect.
Bass is positively punishing at reference volume, no matter its source. The crunching of fenders,
the clanking of metal, and the squealing of tires during the film's most intense racing scenes all
come through with clarity and precision. Surround speakers are used to great effect throughout;
the listener becomes positively engulfed in the film's raucous yet amazingly clear sound
design. Topped off by pitch-perfect dialogue reproduction, 2 Fast 2 Furious makes for
another reference-quality Blu-ray soundtrack.
2 Fast 2 Furious comes to Blu-ray with a long list of extras. First is a commentary track
with Director John Singleton. The director delivers a rather dry track, spending much of the time
recounting the on-screen action with the occasional insight into the background of the characters
and the making of the film. Fans will enjoy this one, but it's not an essential listen. Fast
Females (1080i, 7:54) features a look at the roles of the girls of both The Fast and the
Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Hollywood Impact (1080i, 13:23) looks at
the role of automobiles in movies. Prelude to '2 Fast 2 Furious' is the same piece found
on the previous The Fast and the Furious disc. Inside '2 Fast 2 Furious' (480p,
10:02) is a
bland piece that offers all the expected interview clips of the cast and crew talking up the movie
and their experiences making it. Actor Driving School (480p, 6:38) showcases three
actors -- Tyrese Gibson, Paul Walker, and Devon Aoki -- in-training for the more demanding
driving scenes scattered throughout the film. Tricking Out a Hot Import (480p, 3:21) is
a condensed version of the feature of the same name found on the previous The Fast and the
Furious
disc. Supercharged Stunts (480p, 5:28) looks at the making of some of the film's most
impressive stunts. Making Music With Ludacris (480p, 4:59) examines the making of
the
music video tie-in for the film. Actor Spotlights (480p, 6:58) and Car Spotlights
(480p, 9:15) allow viewers to dig deeper into their favorite stars and cars from the film.
Furious Afterburners (480p, 3:23) is a pair of scenes. Also included are a
series of deleted scenes (480p, 6:06) and outtakes (480p, 2:43). Finally, this disc includes D-Box functionality and BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0)
interactivity. Also included on disc two is a digital copy of the film. It looks
good for what it is,
featuring bright colors, solid detail, and visible but not distracting blocking. The sound
is also fine, with effects and music that spread out well over the two small headphone speakers.
Flashy but tedious, fast but not all that furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious makes for a decent
standalone movie but it also pales in comparison to its predecessor in heart and soul, the two areas
that count the most. The flaw in this film stems not necessarily from the absence of Vin Diesel, the
addition of any other characters, or even the story, but from a lack of meaning. 2 Fast 2
Furious is sort of like a fast food meal; it does all it needs to do, satiating one's hunger in both a
short amount of time and for a relatively small amount of money. Nevertheless, it lacks in
nutritional content, is wholly unoriginal, and is completely forgettable only hours later. There's
nothing wrong with that, and 2 Fast 2 Furious does what it does well enough, but it's
nevertheless a major letdown next to the first film. Universal's Blu-ray release, however, is
top-notch. Delivering a high quality 1080p transfer, a dynamic lossless soundtrack, and a solid
assortment of extras, fans of the film should race out and pick up a copy.
Amazon's current Blu-ray Boxed Set of the Week is for The Fast and the Furious Trilogy (comprised of The Fast and the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), which can now be had for $29.99 (70% off, or $10 per movie). The price history ...
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'The Fast and the Furious', '2 Fast 2 Furious', and 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' to Blu-ray on July 28th, day-and-date with the Blu-ray release of 'Fast & Furious'. Originally only ...
In an announcement to retailers, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has
disclosed that they will release 'Fast & Furious' on Blu-ray on July 28, day-and-date
with the DVD. This will be a two-disc special edition with a digital copy included. The film will ...
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