Hot Take: Apparently, The Transporter franchise wasn’t out of gas. It had a dead battery. Refueled went nowhere.
The Transporter Refueled wasn’t even the best Audi commercial of the summer movie season (That award goes to Hitman: Agent 47). This isn’t an indictment of the chase scenes dominant throughout the film but it isn’t a ringing endorsement either. For the most part, the car scenes are fairly generic with a glimmer of above average only to be dragged down by terrible dialogue, a lame storyline and some poorly thought out decisions by the characters who tow the plot to it’s destination.
At a running time of just 95 minutes, it’s hard to imagine Refueled running out of gas. This ill conceived revival contained about 20-25 minutes of entertaining chases, overly orchestrated fights and humorous quips from Frank Sr. (played by Ray Stevenson) and 70-75 minutes of pure dreck. Unfortunately, most of the watchable 20-25 minutes were seen in the previews and extended clips littered around the web.
On the other hand, it wasn’t the most unnecessary reboot of the summer (Hello Fantastic Four!). So, it could always be worse.
“Spoiler Free” Pros
- Ray Stevenson As Frank Sr.
Underneath the rubble of this disaster is Stevenson as Frank Martin’s father. It’s the one character with more than half of a personality. - It’s A Great Car Commercial
The Audi S8 is a sharp, sexy piece of machinery. Apparently, it’s dent proof, too. - The Action Is Mildly Entertaining
At the very least, the action is enjoyable.
“Spoiler Free” Cons
- The Script Is So Bad…
The actors seem like they can’t even believe they have to say the lines they are saying. - The Transporter Franchise Relied On Jason Statham And It’s Obvious
Ed Skrein as Frank Martin is not terrible… in a bubble. Stacked up against Statham, it falls way short. - When You See “15 Years Later” Yet None Of the Characters Age
Ugh!