‘Tokyo Drift’ jumpstarts film series

In theaters

“THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT,” directed by Justin Lin, written by Alfred Botello, Chris Morgan and Kario Salem, 105 minutes, rated PG-13.

The last time we visited the “Fast and Furious” franchise, it was with John Singleton’s “2 Fast 2 Furious,” the location was Florida, and audiences were given a rather jarring education about exactly what it means to be too fast and too furious.

For instance, we learned that it went beyond merely having the right muscle car or, for that matter, the right muscles. Apparently, there’s a dress code involved: Miami-tramp contemporary seemed to work best for the ladies while cabana-boy casual worked for the men.

We also learned that regardless of gender, hair should be tipped, teased and tousled, as if you just hopped out of bed – preferably somebody else’s. Tattoos and implants were encouraged, as were body piercings and sun-kissed skin, the latter of which was necessary to best show off one’s bleached orthodontia.

In the series’ latest offering, “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” the necessity of possessing an individual style still proves true, though it’s with a pop Asian twist and it’s never the most interesting part of the movie.

From director Justin Lin, the film is a fine, slick break in form from Singleton’s dreary, disappointing take, which tragically decided it needed to be about something meaningful, thus putting the sugar in its own gas tank.

Initially, the film appeared as if Singleton was going to continue the fun, cartoonish ride offered in the first movie, but by the film’s midpoint, he lost his way in a silly drug cartel plotline taken so seriously, the film lost the giddy spunk that made its predecessor so enjoyably dumb and over-the-top.

“Tokyo Drift” brings back the muscle, the stupidity and the camp, embracing the idea that this series should only ever be about fast cars, faster car races, fast women and lobotomized, testosterone-soaked men, with just enough menacing villains glowering in dark rooms to make things entertaining.

The plot is beautifully uncluttered – 17-year-old Sean Boswell (played by 24-year old Lucas Black) can’t stay out of trouble in the States, so he’s shipped to Tokyo, where his estranged military father lives in what is best described as a hovel.

There, it doesn’t take long for Sean’s passion – racing fast cars and getting nailed for it – to get hooked up with an underground circuit of young men and women who “drift” dangerously through the busy streets and winding hillsides of Tokyo. Essentially, drifting is a skill that allows a driver to make impossibly tight turns, win races, look wonderfully cool while doing so, and of course, get the girl.

In this case, the girl is secretive Neela (Nathalie Kelley), whose boyfriend, DK (Brian Tee), happens to have one of the most powerful uncles in the city, Yakuza boss Kamata (JJ Sonny Chiba). Since DK isn’t about to give up Neela, all of this builds to a street racing war between them, with Sean’s newfound friends, Han (Sung Kang) and Twinkie (Bow Wow), occasionally paying the price for their friend’s reckless pride.

As was the case with the original “Furious,” “Tokyo Drift” is essentially an homage to the hot rod films of the 1950s. It has no pretensions, which is a relief, and it courts plenty of cheap melodrama, which is a release. As such, the movie delivers precisely what its target audience wants – great-looking cars and car races first, great-looking, one-dimensional characters second – and it does it well. Very well. On those terms alone, the movie succeeds.

Grade: B

On video and DVD

“ULTRAVIOLET,” written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, 88 minutes, rated PG-13.

Mirroring “Tokyo Drift,” Kurt Wimmer’s action fantasy, “Ultraviolet,” is exactly the movie it set out to be. It’s slight and kinetic, a silly yet diverting film patterned after a wealth of other movies backed by more substantial budgets.

It’s a video game made for the big screen, more than happy to stick within the boundaries of formula and never break from them. Few coming to this movie will seek greatness, though they will expect fringe, underground entertainment that comes through with well-choreographed action. For the most part, “Ultraviolet” delivers.

The film follows brooding Violet (Milla Jovovich), a chameleon-like powerhouse infected years ago by a man-made virus that now has turned her into a Hemophage. Essentially, she’s part-vampire and part-human, with the sort of superhuman powers that help her take out hundreds of armed men when the need arises. In “Ultraviolet,” that need arises often, particularly since there is a government-run plot afoot to kill all Hemophages, whose toxic blood poses a deadly risk to the human race.

As the film begins, Violet is charged by a superior, Nerva (Sebastien Andrieu), to enter a maximum-security facility and retrieve what she believes is a weapon designed to rid the world of Hemophages. Instead, what she finds is a boy named Six (Cameron Bright), who might just hold the key to curing Hemophages of the deadly toxins coursing through their bodies.

Since the evil Vice Cardinal Daxus (Nick Chinlund) wants Six back, a war between him and Violet ignites, with Violet essentially turning into a Cuisinart as she whirls about the screen in an effort to protect Six from Daxus’ henchmen.

What ensues is a film best enjoyed on a visceral level. Klaus Badelt’s driving techno score and William Yeh’s slick editing give the movie added life, which is a good thing since too often it recalls better-known films, “Blade” and “The Matrix” series chief among them.

Grade: B-

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays in Discovering, Fridays in Happening, and Weekends in Television. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.