You know the influence of games is powerful when everybody associates Rio de Janeiro with Call of Duty. Dudes with guns running in the favela does not a Call of Duty reference make.
It's hard to discard mental associations though. Rio de Janeiro will forever be linked to memories of multiplayer slaughter.
And maybe Fast Five.
Simplicity is underrated.When things are simple, it's hard to screw up. This is the principle behind Fast Five.
It's not a terribly complex story, but it works in the movie's favor. It's about fast cars and explosions, character depth is unnecessary by design, so try to ignore the forced relationships, shallow characterization, and empty dialogue. You'll enjoy the movie a lot more that way.
I enjoyed the movie, even though it still suffers from frenetic Hollywood shaky cam syndrome. If it weren't for the nonsensical "gritty" screen shaking, one could actually appreciate the complexity and composition of the stunts. Alas, the world of action movies is forever tainted by the Bourne Supremacy.
Curse you Paul Greengrass.