[Movie Review] The Transporter Refueled (2015)
Director: Camille Delamarre
Writers: Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Luc Besson
Runtime: 96 min
Main Cast:
- Ed Skrein as Frank Martin
- Ray Stevenson as Frank Senior
- Loan Chabanol as Anna
- Gabriella Wright as Gina
Review: by Mia
The Transporter Refueled had large shoes to fill. I expected plenty of action, impressive fights, state of the art car tricks with plastic wrapped suits scattered like health packs. No Jason Statham meant a serious need to refresh Frank's character. The plot had to be fitting of the Transporter franchise, and it was.
Frank has a few packages to deliver and along the way someone he cares about, his father, is placed in danger. Frank has to break his strict (and inevitably broken) rules in order to save is father. Of course, his kryptonite, a sultry foreign damsel is at the center of the conflict, equipped with three other foreign damsels in case one simply wasn’t impressive enough anymore for Transporter fans. As a unit, Frank and Frank Sr (a retired spy), and The Foreign Four tackle the impossible mission of taking down the leader of the prostitute ring in the city by removing the head.
What I Liked:
Frank still has his stoic charm and lethal combat skills as well as his Audi. As a matter of fact, he has two Audis. He’s younger and more complex a character than the Frank from previous. You get more of a look into who he is, especially with the presence of his father. It gives him a much needed origin story.
Action packed like it’s predecessors.
What I Didn’t Like:
The music/scoring was over done. I’m sure even the sneezes got epic climactic sounds attached. There was nothing left uncovered right from the beginning, which left no suspense and little they’ll beyond watching Frank battle it out with thugs whenever he was out of his car. Said battles weren’t natural. The fighting choreography didn’t impress, which is a big let down from a franchise that once had Jason Statham drawing fans. There’s even an unnecessary fight scene that just doesn’t fit with the character’s efficient personality. There’s also final fight from the boat to the end…No spoilers though.
Summary
Can’t complain about Ed Skrein. He held his own. The father figure was a nice addition to the franchise. He was very reminiscent of the inspector from the other movies. From there on, the movie fell short. Too much was unrealistic and the rest just wasn’t compelling enough to impress an audience. It left room for improvement if the franchise continues at least, simply because up is the the only direction it can go at this point.
User Review
( votes)Images Courtesy of IMDB
