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‘The Fate of the Furious’
(Universal Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
“The Fast and the Furious” movies have attracted worldwide appeal since the series began in 2001 spawning a huge cast of characters and incredible action. Sometimes you don’t have to think about anything to enjoy these films, because overthinking destroys the fun. With new director F. Gary Gray (“Straight Outta Compton”) and all the hype surrounding the series after the billion-dollar success of “Furious 7,” the eighth film, “The Fate of the Furious,” attempts to pull out all the stops to maintain all the fun and energy audiences have come to expect.
While honeymooning in Cuba with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Dominic (Vin Diesel) runs into cyber-terrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron), who blackmails him into working for her. Meanwhile, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) leads his team — Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) — to steal a nuclear bomb from enemies. But out of left field, Dom steals back the bomb and Hobbs gets arrested. Fortunately, the mysterious Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) and his new associate Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood) bring the team back together for a new mission.
Cipher intends to use the bomb to level cities and bring chaos to the world. For extra help, Hobbs reluctantly agrees to add in his previous foe, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), who had connections with the cyber-terrorist. With time running out, the team will have to use their resources to not only stop Cipher, but to try to bring some sense back to Dom. It all leads to a spectacular car stunt show in New York City and a battle on icy waters in Russia.
There’s no doubt the enduring appeal of these movies is still as strong as ever. Gray understood the appeal, having directed the 2003 “Italian Job” remake, which also starred Theron and Statham. He’s able to keep his eye firmly on the action no matter how insane it goes. Again, it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy it all. But if you’ve been around this series since the beginning, you’ll once again be happy with the execution.
Much like the successful previous entries, there’s also a level of drama with the characters, which makes them all the more relatable. When Dom reveals the reason behind betraying his team, it offers a more unexpected but welcome drama that keeps the action series afloat. There’s also a higher level of comedy, courtesy of Gibson’s Roman. It gets a little too cringe-inducing at times and may annoy some viewers. It’s nice to bring some humor to add levity, but it can also be too much of a good thing.
The actors are once again great to watch in this long-running series. Diesel in particular has given the best performance in these movies. His greater range solidifies himself both an action icon and a great actor. Theron plays a credible villain with a believable performance. She proves she can be a tough girl whether she’s heroic or evil. Without the late Paul Walker, someone else has to play the good-natured hero opposite Diesel’s hard-edged persona. Eastwood has that potential, but he has yet to achieve that.
You may have already decided to see “The Fate of the Furious,” which is a very wise decision. It’s very likely we’ll get two more entries and celebrate two decades of fire and speed. Until then, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for prolonged sequences of violence and destruction, suggestive content, and language)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
