_{Time was when action movies had real explosions and effects. Nowadays movies CGI in all the mayhem, and the action sequences look patently false. Case in point Fast Five, the fifth in the serious of Fast and Furious movies.}

_{I get it, this is not a Coen Brothers film; it’s a dumb popcorn movie that’s meant to be enjoyed and forgotten on the drive home. Maybe I drive the wrong car to be reviewing Fast Five but the film is as vacuous as the popcorn that accompanies it.}

_{Fast Five as directed by Justin Lin (Rob Cohen and John Singleton directed the first two) moves from one action set piece to the next with no sense of wonder or logic. At least this film set in Rio (it was also lensed in Puerto Rico and the Arizona desert) doesn’t sugarcoat the amount of guns and poverty that} exists in Rio de Janeiro like the current cartoon Rio.

_{Lin doesn’t have a real grasp on what makes action choreography work. The car races have the right sounds and logos but the angles suggest a bunch of images thrown together without suspense. There’s too many scenes where we never see the good stuff. For instance the crew goes out to steal cars and in the next scene they return but we never see the actual act of boosting the vehicle. Adding Dwayne Johnson to the mix sounds promising but this usually charismatic actor is more wooden than rock. The worst part is the way this movie teases its audience. The credit roll got the best audience response of any of the scenes in the movie because they add a scene that sets up a sequel. But why didn’t they just make that part of the film since it’s a far more interesting plot point than anything in the actual movie?}

- Michael Bergeron