Fast & Furious 8 (The Fate of the Furious): Movie Review

Over-the-top is a word that has been linked to the "Fast & Furious" franchise ever since its inception sixteen years ago. The eight film, "Fast & Furious 8" (also known as "The Fate of the Furious") re-threads this theme and blows it way out of proportion. This is visual and aural bombardment at its highest form. But, same as the seventh film before it, almost all parts action does not instantly make a great film.

Now that Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are now married in Cuba and living a happy life. But when Dom is seduced by a mysterious woman named Cipher (Charlize Theron), he is forced back into the world of crime and a sudden betrayal of those closest to him - his family. From the streets of New York City to the icy Russian plains, the other members of Dom's gang will crisscross the globe to stop Cipher from unleashing chaos on the world and to bring home the man who made them a family.

Is it possible to get bored even with all the bombastic action happening on-screen? We found out the answer with "Fast & Furious 8" and we found it was. Now don't get us wrong. Audiences should find the film entertaining enough. Everything about this film was crazy but not all f it turned out to be good. From a giant wrecking ball to cars raining down in a busy downtown area or even a submarine chasing down a Lamborghini, it's amazing on how creative they got in conjuring action scenes. On this regard, the film does not disappoint. But that's pretty much about it. In for a film that's expected to be all action, even "Fast & Furious 8" stretched the bounds of believability. Dom (Vin Diesel) never gets broken bone or even nary a scratch even when he jumps from a speeding car twice. Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) was even worse. He was literally a superhero in a non-superhero movie. The story had a great premise especially why Dom betrays everyone he loves but it had a lot of loopholes. How Dom was able to contact a specific person, for example, is never explained. It just happens and it's a pretty crucial turning point in the story. Finally, we hated how the story revolves around the A-list celebrities instead of the other way around. "Fast & Furious 8" is a further devolution for the franchise. It will sell for now but if they don't change gears, who knows for how much longer.

Rating: 2 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- the action sequences are crazy

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the plot was full of loopholes
- even we had a hard time believing what was happening on screen