"The Fate of the Furious" movie review

The latest instalment in “The Fast and The Furious” franchise delivers pretty much what viewers have come to expect from the franchise – over the top stunts, a plot which purely works as a thread to bind together the various action scenes, and the general experience of a popcorn flick which delivers a good time if you’re willing to leave your brains at the door. However, I couldn’t shake off a feeling of fatigue by the time the credits were rolling.

“The Fate of the Furious” has Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) going against his crew – sorry, his FAMILY – when coerced into working for super hacker/mastermind Cipher (Charlize Theron). The rest of the family, with a little help from Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the villain of the last movie, must work to stop Dom by jumping from one crazy action scene to the next before Cipher can get what she wants (something do with nukes and world domination, but all that is not really relevant). The movie is intended to be just plain fun, with a lot of action scenes and the witty lines, as long as you don’t focus on anything logical like character motivations and the laws of physics.

Of course, the movie relies on its over the top action set pieces that border on the impossible/insane, and it is these moments that are the highlight. The makers don’t try to change what works and pretty much play to the crowd – fight scenes for the Rock and Statham and bigger set pieces with no let up on extravagance. The problem is that it gets tired towards the end, and it seems the film makers are just trying to compensate for substance with an overdose of ludicrous action scenes (the final showdown with the submarine was overkill and overlong, but that’s just my opinion). It felt like the franchise should slow down and maybe go back to its street racing roots rather than have such high stakes – or atleast make some changes. There is never a sense of danger despite what the characters are faced with, and everything just feels too convenient. The action scene with Jason Statham in an airplane (which in itself is far from grounded) was the highlight for me and got me far more excited than the bigger, crazier moments (though special mention to the “let it rain” scene). In fact, Jason Statham and the Rock were the only ones who seemed to be having fun doing this. Vin Diesel has a lot more acting to do, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

All in all, the movie was a disappointment – in a franchise that has relied more on the surprise and shock generated by its action, it was just a matter of time before it became by-the-numbers and formulaic to the point that it became boring. And though the movie isn’t a total bore, it felt tedious. The franchise has probably reached the finish line – but since this was the first movie in a long time not to mention this being “the last ride”, chances are there will be more to come. Hopefully the makers can add some excitement to the next one.