(director)
02 Arena (studio)
(length)
19 January 2018 (released)
22 January 2018
The popularity of the Fast and the Furious franchise has long eluded those who solely view it as macho escapist fantasy. Lifting the hood of this $5 billion dollar film series reveals an action adventure that knows what it is; a frenetic orgy of automotive eye-candy with a theme of ‘family’ tacked on like a sentimental bumper sticker.
The 02 Arena welcomes Fast and the Furious Live, the brainchild of Rowland French, one of the film series stunt directors, who deftly saw the potential in delivering vehicular performance in real time. Somehow, Rowland managed to convince studio executives that such an idea wouldn’t crash and burn before the finish line.
A paper-thin storyline connects the action scenes together. Characters Sophia and Agent Dawson team together to hunt down an elusive cyber-criminal/terrorist. It’s only through replicating the series’ set-pieces that they can defeat the villain.
Starting off with a truck heist directly lifted from F&F1, the action soon escalates with the appearances of nuclear submarines, police chases and a tank – a showreel of all your favourite action scenes.
Behind their tinted glass windshields it’s the drivers who are the real stars of the show. The 02 Arena, although a large space, is a hardly the autobahn and the confinement adds to the creativity and precision needed for careful stunt-work.
It’s by no means a perfect show. As the smell of burnt rubber fills the air, some of the segments did drag on a bit. For example, the ‘create your own car’ interludes in which the creation of the hero’s vehicle relies on a cringe ‘red pepper / green pepper’ voting system lifted from Ready Steady Cook.
F&F Live’s attempt to mould performance art and car tricks is admirable in its novelty. Such a show would never have seen the light of day without the blistering success of a franchise that’s nine films in and still enthralling audiences across the world.
