Slap on some baby oil and prepare for a wild ride.
In the Fast and Furious franchise, with Fast Five representing the pinnacle as far as I’m concerned, each sequel has seen fit to go bigger than the last. Look up. See that image of flashy cars driving across the ice, a nuclear submarine breaking through just behind them. That’s where we’re at now. If this is a visual that thrills you, strap in for a enjoyable ride. If not, F8 may not be for you.
Synopsis:
The latest exhilarating installment of the nitro-fueled blockbuster action franchise features a gripping new storyline, the most outrageous collection of vehicles yet, and an all-star cast of fan favorites and series newcomers. From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, the close-knit crew criss-crosses the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing world chaos — and to bring home the man who made them a family.
Now that Dom (Vin Diesel, XXX, Riddick), and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez, Avatar, Resident Evil) are married, Brian and Mia have retired from the game, and the rest of the crew has been exonerated, the globetrotting team seems to have found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Snow White and the Huntsman) lures Dom back into the world of crime and convinces him to betray those closest to him, the crew faces new trials that will test them as never before.
The film starts off well with a vibrant sequence which takes the franchise back to its roots, a thrilling car chase in Havana initiated by Dom’s need to protect his cousin and family honor. Because Dom is great, and gracious in victory, respect is the true winner, with some minor disrespect to the laws of physics in the process. Sure it veers into a cloying finish and frames Dom Toretto as some kind of folk hero, but at least it’s a race. This then gives way to the F&F current remit, dealing with some world shaking event. Something personal at street level ain’t good enough for the family anymore. In this instance, a cyber-terrorist named Cipher recruits Dom into her organization, using good old emotional leverage to make him turn his back on his crew, starting with helping her steal a EMP device from under Hobbs’s (Dwayne Johnson) nose. She then deploys him around the globe to further her agenda. In response, the returning Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) brings together Dom’s crew, a band of street racers that are now a crack espionage unit, or some kind of NOS-fueled A-Team, and pairs them with some less friendly faces to bring in Toretto and Cipher.
Theron’s Cipher is the big new addition this time round, and with a team brimming with testosterone, a female villain should have offered some great conflict and ideas for the film. However, she’s largely wasted, sitting around pressing buttons or telling people to press buttons. Nothing solidifies her as a threat. She’s also portrayed s some kind of shadowy menace, although her actions here are contradictory, thrusting her into the limelight. The returning Statham actually provides a great addition to the crew, shaking up the dynamics and adding some entertaining conflict, but you just can’t reconcile his presence with what the #JusticeForHan movement represents. It’s an odd turnaround for the series and just doesn’t jive well at all with his history and past misdeeds. Both these clunkily handled characters represent where the films have lost their way. Character on character, retcon on retcon, they’ve pushed themselves into a corner and are struggling to not only keep so many plates spinning, but add more, and change the plates as they’re on the go. Compounding the imbalance, the moral center that Paul Walker provided is lacking; now we just have the brooding alphas and the comic relief taking it in turns on center stage. There are muddled tones and disparate pairings, missions, and motivations. Even the flirtations of Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) with Nathalie Emmanuel’s Ramsay seem forced and just done out of obligation than through any real organic pairing and growth.
Singular moments impress. A prison break sequence is thrilling, as the aforementioned presence of Statham adds some needed character, especially with his comedic pairing with Hobbs. Action sequences are impressive, if utterly ludicrous at times, and mercifully, it’s rather well paced. The real thing to commend is that it continues what the franchise has always done, embracing diversity both on screen and behind the camera (Fate of the Furious is the first billion-dollar movie from a black director). Despite this applaudable aspect, this remains a film that is brooding when it should be more fun, suffering under the weight of its own legacy as well as its efforts to up the stakes. Watching these characters with looks of anguish across their faces make you yearn for earlier days when it was a grin, fueled by the revs of an engine.
The Package
This Blu-ray showcases one of the best looking transfers I’ve seen on release so far this year. A sharp, vibrant image, colors pop, detail is superb. The opening sequence in Havana is a scene to show off the visuals of any new home entertainment system. That said, some of the later scenes that are overly reliant on CGI do look a little muddy.
Special features include:
- The Cuban Spirit — As the first major studio motion picture to shoot in Cuba in decades, the country’s effusive spirit permeates the making of the film.
- In the Family — In The Fate of the Furious, family ties are put to the ultimate test. Get an inside look at the family divide.
- Car Culture — It’s time to put yourself in the driver’s seat of the supercharged vehicles showcased in The Fate of the Furious.
- All About the Stunts — Go behind the scenes to witness how The Fate of the Furious accomplished the most epic stunts in franchise history.
- Extended Fight Scenes
- Feature Commentary with Director F. Gary Gray
Overall it’s a pretty stuffed release. In fact some of the behind the scenes footage shows off some of the camaraderie between the cast that is often lacking in the film itself. The choreography of the fight and car scenes are also documented pretty well. Gray’s commentary is also rather informative and entertaining, giving the impression making the film was too.
I will take umbrage with one thing regarding this release: its inclusion of a Director’s Cut accessible via digital code only. That’s right, no version is included on the physical media itself, only via digital.
Studios. Stop it. If we buy physical media, it’s because we want a tangible copy of the film we so cherish, to adorn our shelves and be instantly accessible even in times of no internet. Dangling a ‘web only’ extra is becoming more commonplace and is as annoying as hell.
The Bottom Line
For the people who were part of the family from the beginning, there will likely be some disconnect with this latest entry, a muddled affair that puts spectacle before soul, or sense. It’s a dumb as a post, and showcases how far the series has lost sight of its roots. Even so, you can’t help but admire the films commitment to big, brash, and colorful moments, all while drawing strength from a diversity in front of and behind the camera, that more productions should take lessons from.
The Fate of the Furious is available on Blu-ray and DVD from July 11th