I Saw Fast 8 in the Front Row and It was Everything I Hoped It Would Be
The Fate of the Furious has big shoes to fill, coming off of the strongest, and most emotionally resonant, installment that the franchise has offered so far (Furious 7). The first film without the late Paul Walker, the movie had a lot to prove. But from the film’s opening with some gratuitous Cuban butt jiggling to the last pan-out shot, the movie never lets go. It is, quite simply, a very well-crafted blockbuster.
Newcomer Charlize Theron (who definitely pulls off dreadlocks) is a very serviceable villain (non-ironically named “Cypher”) but, when you are surrounded by a cast of villain led by Jason Statham, it is easy to get overshadowed. Her world-ending plot is convoluted at best, revolving around acquiring the most nuclear footballs, Russian submarines, EMPs and other world-ending cliches that she can.
My second favorite actor of all time, Kurt Russell, returns as Mr. Nobody, chewing scenery and bringing his newest trainee, Scott Eastwood (creatively called “Little Nobody” …) With his first appearance, it is hard to be impressed by the acting chops of Clint’s offspring but, by the end of the movie, I was wishing he was playing young Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off, as previously rumored. He is a welcome addition to the “family”.
This movie is not perfect. It suffers from a lack of memorable locations, sacrificing its predecessors’ Tokyo, Spain and Abu Dhabi for Cuba, New York and Iceland. The motivation for Dom’s betrayal hinges around a plot point that, honestly, seemed forced. And the techno-babble showdown between Cypher and Ramsey (Fast 7’s returning Nathalie Emmanuel) is laughable … in not the good way.
But those are just small flaws set against a sprawling landscape, where for two hours, the world again seems like just an open road, where World War III is a fun fictional plot and not something that I get Tweet alerts from the President.
While the entire run-time of The Fate of the Furious might not hit you with that same emotional appeal as the last fifteen minutes of Furious 7, it is a worthy successor to the films that came before it, joining that upper tier of Tokyo Drift, Fast 5, and the afore-mentioned Furious 7.
So, is The Fate of the Furious good? Yes.
Is The Fate of the Furious great? No.
But just see it for yourself. See The Fate of the Furious with old friends and look at each other excitedly every time there is an explosion or 500 cars in New York City become controlled by an evil computer program. See The Fate of the Furious in the front row, clutching a $8 bottle of Corona, playing a drinking game every time someone gruffly says the word “family”. See The Fate of the Furious in a packed theatre on opening weekend, surrounded by two hundred people immersed in big, dumb fun.
Just see The Fate of the Furious.
And after you see it, drive home with a little more pressure on the gas pedal, your heart pumping a little faster, your eye on your rearview mirror in case you go a little too fast.
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