Fast Five Extended Edition

Written by Jonathan Jacobs

Fast Five, the heart-pounding action thriller has been released on Blu-ray and DVD. Not only is it the best film the franchise has put forward in its ten year history, it is also all-inclusive. All loose ends are tied, and every hallmark character is included to satisfy fans of all five films (especially those who enjoyed Tokyo Drift). Even Han has managed to be resurrected as he has apparently not yet gone to Tokyo to drift into the everafter. Of course, it never hurts to add some muscle and grit a la Dwayne “THE ROCK” Johnson. The Rock is the perfect foil for Vin Diesel as they share a similar physique and toughness. It is like Batman versus Superman, or Pacquiao versus Mayweather, or Rocky versus Apollo Creed. Since Fast Five is 130 minutes long, and is crammed with a hundred million dollars of stunts and explosions, I will spare you the recapitulation and simply tell you why this is the must watch DVD release of the 2011 calendar year to date.

The band is back together and they are all smoking hot. Dominic Toretto (Diesel), Bryan O'Conner (Paul Walker), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Vince (Matt Schulze), and the last seen drifting Han (Sung Kang) reunite in Brazil to pull off a 100 million dollar caper. Unfortunately there are three competing entities dead-set against their success. The first is the hundred million dollar Brazilian drug lord himself, Reyes (Juaquim de Almeida). Reyes is a sleazy character that controls the police, the banks, the women, and the bodyguards in his city, a dilapidated swamp at that. The scenery in Fast Five gives new meaning to the description of "a third world country". Reyes is indiscriminate in his targets and this angers all parties involved, most of all Toretto and the gang.

Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) has joined the fray in search of Toretto and O'Conner on account of their hijacking operation. When the film opened they pilfered DEA cars from a high speed train in dramatic fashion. Hobbs is tough as nails and is ruthless in his approach to capturing or killing vigilantes. His targets are on the run and are plotting the pilfering escapade of the century. In addition to his international team, Hobbs recruits a local police officer that has been widowed on account of the town’s corruption, Officer Elena (Elsa Pataky). She is seemingly incorruptible and thus provides invaluable insight for Hobbs during his mission.

Once the plot crystallizes and the major players are banded together, Fast Five turns momentarily into Oceans Eleven (not 12 or 13 since those two films suck donkey genitalia). Knowing the characters and their personalities makes Fast Five a really cool film. Though their dialogue may be pedestrian at times, it is still lovable and comical all the same. As a team everyone accepts a role that will ultimately lead to the theft of 100 million of Reyes' money from an impenetrable safe located where else but the police station's evidence room.

My favorite parts of the film are Walker and Diesel's humorous chiding, and the familiarity the characters have with one another and all of their unique quirks. The actors are flat out cool as ice and they have brought their A game for this mega-picture. I also adored the fight scene between The Rock and Diesel. They literally tore the roof off. I feel a hint of pathos for Diesel because the Rock’s heaving musculature dwarfs him in a way I previously thought impossible. Throw in my boy Han from Tokyo Drift and we have ourselves a complete and worthy ending to what has been a wild ride, Fast Five. The only grumble I have is the mass destruction of Brazil. The plot is fiction and we already have accepted that, but hundreds of people dead, billions in property damages, bridges demolished, all for the benefit of 10 people at the expense of millions? Now that is harder to swallow than a pint of Guinness when it's not even St. Patrick's Day. Fast Five is the genuine article, a new-age, fast-paced, enjoyable action movie that never let's its foot off the gas, and for that matter why should it?

The Blu-ray Extended Version bonus features include this litany of yummy extras:

BLU-RAY(TM) EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES:
• DOM VS. HOBBS: Watch how the action-packed showdown was shot
• ON SET WITH DIRECTOR JUSTIN LIN: Go behind the scenes of Fast Five with director Justin Lin
• INSIDE THE VAULT CHASE: Learn how they filmed the movie’s most dangerous sequence
• TYRESE TV: Go behind the scenes of Fast Five with Tyrese Gibson
• NEW! pocket BLU™ VERSIONS FOR TABLETS AND COMPUTERS, FEATURING UNIVERSAL’S SECOND SCREEN
• The popular free pocket BLU™ app for smartphones is now even better with newly updated versions for iPad®, Android™ tablets, PC, and Macintosh computers, with features made especially to take advantage of the devices’ larger screens and high resolution displays. And with UNIVERSAL’S SECOND SCREEN, enjoy an innovative and interactive viewing experience, that lets you control, interact and explore Fast Five with groundbreaking new features right on your tablet or computer, in synchronization with the movie on your television screen! While the movie plays, you’ll experience features such as:
• Take Control 2.0: Step inside the movie with Director Justin Lin, as he takes control of your Blu-ray player and gives you an all-access, in-depth look at how the movie was made.
• Virtual Car Garage: Get an up-close inspection of the hot cars, moving models of the cars in a 360 degree view, check out tech specs and more with a touch of your finger
• Scene Explorer: Ever wish you could see how your favorite special effects sequences were created? Select various progressions of the same scene from storyboards to daily cuts right from your couch and see how they pulled off the incredible action of the film.
• Picture in Picture: The cast and crew share stories about the movie right from your tablet or computer, in synchronization to the scene being played.
• The Music of Fast Five: Tap your fingers to find out what song is playing, create your own playlist, and even purchase the songs right from your device!
• pocket BLU™: The groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPad®, iPhone®, iPod® touch, Android™ smartphones and tablets, PC and Mac® to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™ player. Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray™ content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go in a way that’s bigger and better than ever before. pocket BLU™ offers advanced features such as:
• DIGITAL COPY: Now, Users have a whole new way to redeem their Digital Copy of the movie right from within the pocket BLU app! With a simple three step process, the movie begins downloading instantly to their portable device to take with them anywhere!
• ADVANCED REMOTE CONTROL: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease
• VIDEO TIMELINE: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film
• MOBILE-TO-GO: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere
• BROWSE TITLES: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device
• KEYBOARD: Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard
• BD-LIVE™ – Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to access the latest trailers, exclusive content, and more!
• uHEAR™: Never miss another line of dialogue with this innovative feature that instantly skips back a few seconds on your Blu-ray™ disc and turns on the subtitles to highlight what you missed

BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK AND DVD COMBO PACK EXCLUSIVE:
• DIGITAL COPY: In addition to redeeming a Digital Copy of the movie through the pocket BLU™ app, Viewers can also download a digital version of the full-length movie from participating digital retailers to enjoy on a choice of popular electronic and portable devices.

BLU-RAY™ AND DVD BONUS FEATURES:
• DELETED SCENES
• GAG REEL
• DOM’S JOURNEY: Track Vin Diesel’s legendary character from the beginning
• BRIAN O’CONNER: FROM FED TO CON: Follow Paul Walker’s character as he goes from lawman to outlaw
• ENTER FEDERAL AGENT HOBBS: Meet Dom & Brian’s toughest nemesis yet
• FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR JUSTIN LIN