The 10th instalment of the enduring Fast and the Furious franchise has released to cinemas worldwide.

An adrenaline filled vehicle exploding action film with heart and a star studded cast.

Thanks to Universal Pictures we have been given the opportunity to have an interview with Vin Diesel who plays lead character Dom (and has done since the very first film).

STG: How does it feel to deliver the finale of this beloved and extraordinary franchise?

Vin Diesel: You only attempt that when you know that you’ve earned the trust of your audience. This is a quarter of a century, and the time has come to finally deliver the finale. It’s a promise I personally made to my cast a decade ago, and it’s an incredibly enjoyable process. If there was ever a moment to be this daring, I believe we’ve earned it after all these years; but to truly tell a finale we needed more than just the length of one film.

STG: How has the Dom-Letty relationship evolved?

Vin Diesel: I remember when the first film came out. It was back when I used to read the reviews, and there was one article that said that, as great as the movie was, the biggest crime was that there wasn’t enough of Dom and Letty. Well, little did I know that a quarter of a century later we would still be playing these characters that represent the longest love story in cinema – which is something I’m very proud of. I was just with Michelle for the holidays, and someone was saying to us that we should be in The Guinness Book of World Records for having had the longest love story in Hollywood, which I thought was very funny. One of the things that’s made this franchise so special and relatable for people is that the relationships on and off screen are built out of love. As I got older, I have learned about brotherhood and family, and a large part of that is because of the wonderful person that Michelle Rodriguez is.

STG: And what can you say of the new characters that are joining the franchise?

Vin Diesel: We’re excited to introduce new characters to the franchise. One of them is named Dante Reyes, played by Jason Momoa. And although you all know him, you will never forget the way that he portrays Dante. One of the things that we take pride in is allowing artists to explore their characters in unique ways, and the way that Jason Momoa portrays this character really plays nicely into the mythology. So, we’re very excited for you to be introduced to him. We needed somebody who, at face value, you regard as a worthy and formidable adversary. It is unnerving to portray a character that masks such palpable pain and thinks in a way that’s so scary. That’s a feat by Jason, and it’s what makes Dante so entertaining.

STG: What was it like to have a legend of the caliber of Rita Moreno on board?

Vin Diesel: The Fast and the Furious has been blessed to have probably the largest Latin audience of any franchise. The whole world has supported us, but there’s always been something very special about our Latin audience. I grew up as an actor in New York City, and I was a huge fan of the first female Latin Oscar winner; which is, of course, Rita Moreno. I met her a few years ago while we were both getting an Icon Award, and it occurred to me that we had never worked together and how it would be a childhood dream to work with her someday. And I don’t know if she came up to me first, or if I came up to her first, but the idea very quickly grew, and boy were we lucky! But what character could such an iconic, regal, and incredible talent play? Well, it just so happens that we are casting her as the very important matriarch of the family: the grandmother, the Abuelita. It is a dream come true for me.

STG: Family, whether it’s by blood or by choice, is always at the heart of these movies.

Vin Diesel: By blood or by bond, family is family. In the earlier years of this franchise, we were exploring the concept of brotherhood, cherishing and celebrating family. Then, as the mythology continued and evolved naturally, we were going to end up discussing fatherhood, and in Fast X you will see the representation of parenthood where survival is everything. It’s something that every father and mother in the world can identify with. We all want the next generation to be better than the last – we want our children to be better than us, and that’s represented in the movie. That’s what’s so great about this franchise that I’ve been so blessed to be a part of: how multigenerational it is. Life does at times imitate art and art imitates life, and one of the things I’m so proud of in this film is the fact that the car that’s in the most iconic garage ever – the Toretto garage – is the one I gave my son for his eleventh birthday. Of course, he can’t drive yet, but all he wanted for his birthday was to have a project car to work on with his father. In this movie, that’s exactly what Dom and his son, Little Brian, are doing. And when Dom is explaining the role of fatherhood to Han, he says something that touches everyone and that I think is one of those things that fathers and sons will be talking about on their way home from the theater.

STG: Looking back at the different cars you have used, is there one that has a special place in your heart?

Vin Diesel: People ask me all the time about the iconic cars we have. When I think of the Dodge Charger, I go back to that moment from the first film in the Toretto garage where Dom and Brian are talking heart-to-heart, and Dom is mentioning the relevance of this particular car in his life, as if it were a living, breathing entity – which is why we cast cars like other movies cast actors. So, when I think of that car, I think of the moment that I got a brother in real life: Paul Walker. Each car has a place in this mythology; but, for me, personally, the Dodge Charger always makes me think of my brother Paul. There’s just a special place in my heart for it.

STG: What has a director like Louis Leterrier brought to this tenth film of the series?

Vin Diesel: I can’t say enough good things about Louis. He’s the sixth director to be a part of this mythology, and what he brought was so special. He has a tireless work ethic, and I believe that kindness is his superpower. Louis is just such a sweet and generous soul, and I think that above all, what I gravitated towards was how much he truly loved the franchise. You can feel when a director really wants to contribute and honor the legacy. So, we’re all very fortunate to call Louis Leterrier the director of Fast X. As the godfather of this franchise, I’ve been lucky to have so many great directors be a part of this world. Since the first The Fast and the Furious where it all began, five new directors have climbed aboard, and they all brought something different and unique that Universal and the franchise have benefitted from. And in return, each one of those five directors made their largest box office hits, which I think is a testament to the support we like to give the directors and the fact that we cherish and inspire their creativity. On Fast X we were lucky to find a soul out there in the universe that so perfectly fit into the mythology, like Louis. And one of the things as a producer that I love is how tirelessly he works and how much he wants to honor the franchise. That’s what you hope for when a new director comes on board. So, I’m very grateful to Louis Leterrier for directing the first part of Fast X.

STG: Regarding the action, audiences are looking forward to the Cypher vs Letty fight that takes place in Fast X.

Vin Diesel: Yes, it’s the fight audiences have in essence been waiting for since 2017, with The Fate of the Furious, and wow does it deliver! As a producer, I was especially grateful to see both Charlize and Michelle training so hard with our stunt department to create this electrifying fight sequence that really made the production team and the franchise so proud.

STG: So, how do you look back at the whole franchise now?

Vin Diesel: You know, it never gets lost on me how lucky I am to be a part of this franchise and to be one of the storytellers of a mythology that’s lasted for almost a quarter of a century.

STG: What would you say is so unique about it?

Vin Diesel: What’s unique about the Fast and the Furious franchise is that there were never any inherited fans. There were no comic books, no video games, no TV shows, no remakes of movies, and no Tolkienian authors that gave us a blueprint. Every single fan that’s ever come to adopt this saga as their own has come just by the merits of the films we’ve created.

STG: And now that we are approaching the end of the saga, what should audiences all over the world look forward to when they watch it?

Vin Diesel: We all knew that day would eventually come. With every great story told throughout the history of time, the ending is sometimes the best part of it. And we knew that this saga would ultimately need to have its ending, but it was no easy task because so much has been created in this universe; so, to tie up all the storylines the last film would have to be broken up into multiple parts to pay homage to the myriad of incredible talents that have been a part of our franchise. It’s always bittersweet to think about the end of a journey that’s meant so much to you and has been such an important part of your life. And it’s important for us as filmmakers to honor all of you who have adopted this as your saga, as the world’s saga. So, this film is the beginning of the end of the road. As you know, we make these movies with our hearts and our souls, and we are so grateful that you have always been there with us and always supported us and always believed in us. So, we just hope to make you proud. It’s been twenty-three years since we first started this saga, and we never could have imagined we’d be here today with our tenth film about to come out. Now, we hope fans can just sit back and enjoy Fast X. It will honor the people that have grown up, raised their children, and supported and lived with us for a quarter of a century.

Fast X is now in cinemas and released by Universal Pictures.

The post Fast X – Interview w. Vin Diesel appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – Vin Diesel is a resurrected marine enhanced with biotech to be the ultimate killing machine in this actioner based on the Valiant Comics character.

When Ray Garrison AKA Bloodshot realises that the corporation who gave him his new powers also has control over his mind, he sets out to figure out what’s real and what’s not.

Thanks to our mates at Sony Pictures we have TEN Double Passes to see Vin Diesels newest SciFi action film.

To Enter our Bloodshot Giveaway you must answer this question correctly:

What other iconic Sci-Fi film has Vin Diesel starred in?

A: Event Horizon

B: Riddick

C: Alien

You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Bloodshot opens in New Zealand cinemas on the 12th of March 2020. See below for some excellent Bloodshot fan art.

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a Double Pass ticket redeemable for Bloodshot. Bloodshot is rated M15+ in New Zealand. You must be over the age of 15 years in order to enter this promotion – STG may request age verification. Winner(s) must adhere to the conditions on the Double Pass ticket. Tickets are not transferable. Competition ends on the 8th of March 2020.

The post Enter to Win a Double Pass to Bloodshot! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Let’s be clear, The Fast and the Furious are a dumb series of movies.  

I like to think however, that they’re dumb like the family dog. They’re big, silly, fun and lovable. Comforting in their essential wholesomeness, showing a world where complex issues of international espionage can be solved by a group of people who only need fast cars and family to save the day.

However, like a golden retriever, after 16 years the films are struggling to learn new tricks.

Fate of the Furious begins with a street race, (remember when that was what these movies were about ? Me neither.) It is quick to pick back up where the previous film left off, Domico Torretto (Vin Diesel) is now living happily with his wife Letty (Michelle Rodregez)

However it’s not long before a brand new bad guy, this time in the form of super hacker Cypher (Charlize Theron), comes along and upsets the idyllic life by forcing Dom to turn on his family and work for her. The reasons for this are adequately convincing and the film quickly establishes a solid enough premise.

The team of lovable street racers now have to face their ultimate challenge, facing one of their own, requiring them to call in the services of the last entry’s villain, Decker (Jason Statham).

The strength of the Fast and the Furious franchise has always been it’s ever increasing action, and there’s plenty of that to spare in this installment. The cars are faster, the men are manlier, the furious are even furious-er.

Unfortunately the justification for this action is becoming ever more thin. As the set action pieces get bigger, more strain gets put on the narrative glue which holds them together. I’m all for believing a hyper hacker could take over half the cars in New York city, but just give me a decent enough reason why. Too often things seem to happen in this film purely because holy-shit-did-you-see-how-many-cars-just-blew-up?

Too often the characters respond in unbelievable ways purely to rush through to the next bit of action. I don’t care if your world is cheesy and over the top, but at least be consistent. If the most important thing in the world to these people is family (which we get reminded of in every second scene), why are they so quick to forget about the fact that Decker murdered one of their own last time around?

Fate of the Furious has more of everything fans have come to expect, of both the good and the bad. The highs are arguably higher, but the lows are noticeably lower. With two more sequels and a possible spin-off in the works, it remains to be seen if this series will finish with a super charged bang, or with a poorly scripted splutter.

The post Fate of the Furious (Universal Pictures – 2017) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Anyone who has seen xXx or xXx: State of the Union will understand what the franchise is about.Heroes from rebels, big action, beautiful women, big muscles and a thin plot to tie it all together.  Unsurprisingly xXx: Return of Xander Cage hasn’t strayed too far from this theme and it’s all the better for it.

The film kicks in as Xander, who faked his death, is asked to return from his happy life in a quiet village to do another job for the Government.  This involves finding the device that is able to down satellites at will and get it back ASAP.  He amasses his team involving the sniper Adele Wolff, the highly energetic Nicks and the getaway driver Tennyson Torch to track down those holding the device.  The plot shifts a little throughout the movie enough to keep it surprisingly engaging.

The cast is surprisingly diverse which was exceptional and fit the movie as it brings together a wide variety of characters, some serious, some not so.  Take Ruby Rose as Adele or example. She has a soft edge to her otherwise strong bad ass character, then you throw in Kris Wu as the energetic DJ for a shift in personality and top it off with Rory McCann as Tennyson, the driver who has a run in first, think about it later attitude.

This seemingly odd mix, thrown together with Vin Diesel as Xander, the child in a jacked man’s body, makes for a strange and silly dynamic that’s just fun to watch and that’s what you are there for.  Throughout xXx: Return of Xander Cage, other personalities shine too, including Tony Jaa’s absurd character Talon who dances way more than one wants in an action film, which was cringe worthy, yet entertaining.  DeepikaPadukone and Donnie Yen both bring more serious characters to the story as the villains and this grounding helps push just how insane the other characters are.

The acting is surprisingly solid, some like Tony Jaa and Rory McCann were passable, which may be limited by their characters, but Ruby Rose and DeepikaPadukonewere both outstanding.  Toni Collete who is in charge of the mission on behalf of the government was probably the weakest of the bunch and Vin Diesel. Well, Vin Diesel does Vin Diesel, which is still awesome, but don’t expect any surprises there.

Surprisingly with a few exceptions the movie was lighter on the explosions than I expected.  There is plenty of fighting, shooting and other amazing action scenes, but unlike many other recent movies they managed to tone back the over the top explosions.  Over the top explosions do exist, only there are fewer of them than people may expect.

Looking back on the film, there isn’t much more to say.  I have never walked away from a film that made me cringe that much yet still loved.  It’s cheesy and over the top, but honestly what else would you expect from xXx: Return of Xander Cage?

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