Fast & Furious 8 - movie review

Fast & Furious 8

Plot: When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of terrorism and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.
Cast: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson
Director: F. Gary Gray
Certificate: 12A (moderate violence, infrequent strong language)
Runtime: 2hrs 16 mins
Release Date: Wednesday 12th April 2017

Eight. Eight films. That's more than Mission: Impossible, Toy Story and now tied with Star Wars. Fast & Furious 8, or as it's known in America, The Fate Of The Furious, (thank God we don't have that title) reunites all of our favourite car junkies to combat another problem that threatens to turn their family apart. If eight films in the franchise wasn't surprising enough, it's even more astonishing when you realise that they have continually increased in critical and financial success as the installments have gone on. With this new entry, all things sensical and physically achievable have been tossed aside to accommodate loud, proud and batshit mental set pieces that entertain tremendously.

It's​ hardly a little known fact that ever since 2001 when we were introduced to the The Fast & The Furious which played out like Point Break with cars, Vin Diesel was clearly the correct actor to headline the franchise. Despite taking a break from two installments, Diesel has a clear love for wanting this franchise to succeed and he'll do all in his power to ensure that. He's always done a fine job as Dominic Toretto (not that the role needed an actor of pristine talent) but, aside from the brilliant ode to Paul Walker at the end of Furious 7, Diesel hasn't exactly given the most range for the character. Whether it be F. Gary Gray at the helm or a possible ray of decent acting sneaking through, I thought Diesel was as strong as he's ever been in this franchise in this eighth installment displaying some real emotion in regards to his reason for turning on his family. From a screenwriting perspective, this twist and revelation was certainly unexpected and I definitely didn't expect I'd ever be saying that a Fast & Furious film wasn't predictable. That being said, the actual plot of the movie is everything you'd expect from this new era of Fast & Furious. To summarise as briefly as possible, Dom turns on the team and starts to help a cyber terrorist (Charlize Theron) who has plans of world domination. It's up to Dom's family to stop him and convince him to come back to the light. I know what you're thinking. World domination?? Wasn't this once primarily a street racing focused franchise? That thought did pop into my head at one point but then Dwayne Johnson pushed a torpedo away from a car and into another enemy convoy and shared the most amazing prison breakout sequence with Jason Statham so I just decided to forget about that and enjoy the mayhem. 

From a critical standpoint, this script is awful. Half of it makes no sense and the story is wafer-thin crammed full of clichés, plot holes and sheer lunacy. However, and this is the most important piece of advice I can give you, DO NOT go into Fast & Furious 8 expecting to analyse everything critically. This film is meant for one purpose and one purpose only; to entertain and by Christ did I have a whale of a time. Constant bombardments of gloriously cheesy one-liners are being hurled at the audience left, right and centre along with the most unbelievable action sequences of the franchise. We've always known that this film series likes to raise the bar constantly. There came a time when we thought Dom and Brian driving a bank vault through the streets of Rio was about as implausible as it could get but ever since then, they have continuously tried to outdo themselves. If you are a fan of action scenes that defy every single law of physics involving cars that know they're physically inaccurate, then you will join me in being hard pushed not to have a smile on your face when either remote controlled cars are hertling from a multi storey car park in New York to when our team is being pursued by an actual submarine. No joke. A submarine complete with heat seeking missiles and torpedoes. Remember when this was just about street racing? To the films defence, there is one scene that pays homage to its street racing roots even if it does have the most improbable conclusion.

FACT: This was the first Hollywood movie to be shot in Cuba.

Family has been the biggest theme in all of the Fast & Furious films and with family comes the dynamics that make this series the jackpot that it's become. Now, it should come as no surprise that the presence of Paul Walker is sorely missed. Brian O'Conner was such an integral part in all of the relationships between every character that this film can't help but have a considerable gap that can never be filled. It's a bitter pill to swallow but the cast are still able to pay their respects in a small and dignified way. Seemingly taking on the mantle of the supporting role from Walker is the man, the myth, the baby-oiled legend; Dwayne Johnson. I've practically said all I've needed to about him in many of my reviews but this film is yet another reminder that Dwayne Johnson is a Hollywood star, possibly the biggest on the planet right now. Since he appeared in Fast Five, I'd go so far to say that he saved this franchise from drifting into calamity. Luke Hobbs is the definition of a modern day action hero and if the rumour about him receiving his own standalone spin-off is true, then I am positively chomping at the bit to see it. At this point, Hobbs and Johnson are one and the same. This time round, Hobbs has a certain someone to share a large amount of screentime with; Jason Statham. It may be a little difficult to believe that the two could work together after being enemies in the previous installment but on the grand scheme of all things logical featured in this film, their charismatic relationship and hilarious banter is the least of our worries. Statham has found yet another brilliant character for him to play in a popular franchise but his best scene involves a plane fight and an unexpected passenger. It is as insane as it sounds when you understand the context but it plays out stupendously delivering the intentional roars and howls of laughter from the audience. 

There comes a point when you sit back and think, I honestly don't care if Transformers, G.I.Joe and even Fireman Sam could be integrated into the franchise so long as the entertainment value is still at an all-time high, I will always be there opening day. The other players in the film all do what is asked for them in role. Tyrese Gibson is still excelling as the film's comedic relief. Ludacris still pulls off the impossible by managing to just about convince everyone that he's a hacker. Michelle Rodriguez does a decent job in acting worried for Dom but I thought they'd make a bigger deal about his betrayal and how it has affected her character but then again, that would involve complex character developments and who has time for that in a Fast & Furious film? As for new/newer additions to this already extensive and loosely titled 'family', Kurt Russell returns and does a good job as Nobody. Seriously. That is his name. Scott Eastwood makes a welcome, if slightly forgettable, entry as Nobody's lackey. Think of him like the one guy at the family reunion who's just there. Doesn't make any negative contributions but then again, little positive ones either. Charlize Theron wraps up the extensive cast as the films baddie. For such a talented actress, she's arguably the weakest link of the bunch by playing a typical and by the numbers villain who's just out for chaos. There wasn't much to her whereas Statham in 7 and Luke Evans in 6 had a reason for battling Dom's team.

Madness. Absolute jaw dropping, instant smile-making and sidesplitting madness. Sometimes, a film doesn't need to be picked apart and reassembled to critique it to the smallest detail. The Fast & Furious series is a guilty pleasure for some but for me, I have nothing to be guilty about. The array of characters, the unbelievable storylines and the even more mind-blowing action scenes all brought a giant smile to my face and if you go in with the right mindset, you'll have a blast too. It may be the most fun I've had in a film this year. As to how it slots in with the other films, I'd say it lands behind Fast Five (which is my personal favourite) and slightly ahead of Fast & Furious 7. The only way they can raise it to the next level for Fast & Furious 9 (yes, 9!!!!) would be to send them to space to fight intergalactic robot dinosaurs.

My Verdict: 9.5/10

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