Our Favorite Drivers Return with Engines Revving

Charlize Theron and Vin Diesel in "The Fate of the Furious"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com 

The following review is from a guest contributor by the name of Matthew Williams, a friend of mine and fellow movie buff whom I met in Rider University’s Alternative Film Club.

Name your favorite action movies of all time.  Your boy-scout or anti-hero/heroine saves the day.  Okay, now name your favorite action movie franchises.  Why did those come up on your list?  Defined characters whose motivations and personalities are both clear and unwavering?  Movies with a cocky assuredness of what genre it is while still breaking away from that genre’s tropes just long enough to shock you past the clips in the trailer?  Does your list have as much emotion and cheesy moral values as it has scorpion kicks and napalm?  If your list has all of that, 1) good for you, you well-rounded cinephile, and 2) oh boy, do I have a movie for you. 

Without spoilers, the only succinct way to summarize “The Fate of the Furious” (the eighth installment in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise), is that it explores the idea of “family” unlike any sequel/prequel before it.  What happens if a group’s main member leaves it to fend for himself?  The villain this time, a computer terrorist (played by the always-commanding Charlize Theron) is not only threatening the world, millennial-Bond-villain style, but also threatens our favorite team of racers, sort-of officers, thieves, and hackers.  So yes, it’s safe to say that, on a few levels, “This time…it’s personal!”

For all of those who walked out of the theater when leaving “Furious 7” and thought, “Wow, there isn't anywhere else this series can go,” first off, there’s so much money to be earned, you knew that, I knew that, and you better believe that Universal Pictures knows that.  Second off, when you’re in the theater watching this newest excursion around the world, get ready for the white-knuckled New York scene to have you thinking, “Whoa, they did it again.”  This latest installment is from director F. Gary Gray (“Friday,” “The Italian Job” (2003), and “Straight Outta Compton”) and Chris Morgan, the writer of “Wanted” and the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh installments of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise.

The cool thing about these movies (and similar movies, lately) is that since there is so much territory that has been explored, the only way to be impressive is to do more, meaning more jokes (this movie gave me the best laughs in the theater this year), more explosions (if you think that the car chase on the ice was spoiled in the commercials, believe me, there is more to behold there), more martial arts, more espionage, more practical effects, more quips, and more slow-motion.

The best part of watching this movie was the fact that I got to watch it with a truer fan than myself who lauds every one of these movies as Best Picture contenders in his eyes.  Fans like my buddy will be most entertained, as there are so many references to the other films in this series (slight nods, certain vehicles, jokes, characters, and set pieces), and if you blink, you’ll miss them.

The “Fast and the Furious” franchise started all the way back in 2001, which is an achievement of both adaptability and a fan base that has more than shown (at least since “Fast Five”) that people will be in the seats.  From a technical standpoint, it’s an extravaganza for the eyes.  The acting gives you what you expect, such as brooding, deviousness, silliness, machismo, and unpredictability.  There’s also something to be said about the great characterization of its female characters, but that’s another conversation entirely.

Believe it or not, there is a ninth and tenth installment scheduled for April 2019 and April 2021, and given how well this series has been able to outdo itself over the last few films, it’s clear that with their let’s-make-this-one-bigger formula, it’s been working, and working really well.

Final Grade: B+