2 Fast 2 Furious

When even a soulful director like John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood, Shaft) can't lend a street-racing movie an ounce of personality, it's abundantly clear that the trendy genre never had much to offer in the first place. This carbon copy sequel has one enjoyable B-movie scene--a midnight drag race punctuated by behind-the-car camera shakes and cheesy close-ups of revving tachometers. But sideswiped by an imbecilic plot, 2 Fast 2 Furious simply crashes and burns. Wonder Bread pretty boy Paul Walker (who can't even call someone "bro" without sounding as if he just got off the bus from Wichita) reprises his role from The Fast and the Furious as a now-disgraced cop (and tricked-out-car speed demon) who is offered a clean slate if he and a pal (Tyrese Gibson) help the Feds bust a drug smuggler who hires the boys to make a delivery. Why would the smuggler trust millions in cash to two strangers? Why does he need to make the delivery at 120 mph? If you're likely to ask such questions, you're way 2 smart 4 this movie. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen versions, DVD extras include three menu modes: “Suki's Car” with Suki exclusives “Spotlight on Devon Roki” (2 min.), “The Ride” (2 min.), and “Driving School with Devon” (2 min.); “Brian's Car” with Brian exclusives “Spotlight on Paul Walker” (2 min.), “The Ride” (4 min.), and “Driving School” (3 min.); and “Roman's Car” with “Spotlight on Tyrese” (2 min.), “The Ride” (3 min.), and “Driving School” (2 min.). Main extras include an “Animated Anecdotes” fact/trivia track, audio commentary by director John Singleton, the option of viewing the film with a six-minute “turbo-charged” prelude connecting 2 Fast 2 Furious with the first film, a 10-minute making-of featurette, six minutes of deleted scenes with an intro by Singleton and editor Bruce Cannon, three minutes of outtakes, the three-minute featurette “Tricking Out a Hot Import Car,” the five-minute featurette “Supercharged Stunts,” the five-minute behind-the-scenes featurette “Making Music with Ludacris” on Ludacris's “Act a Fool” music video for the film, a brief promo for The Fast and the Furious video game, cast and filmmaker bios and filmographies, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a whole lotta extras for a film that's--as Shakespeare says--mostly sound and fury, signifying nothing.] (R. Blackwelder)