Family no more.

Fast and Furious 8 stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood and Kurt Russell.

While on his honeymoon, Dom is approached by a mysterious woman who gives him a reason that will mean that he betrays his team, his family. The team must come together, with a former nemesis, to stop Dom and the criminal woman, where they face trials they thought they would never face, let alone without their leader.

I believe that they Fast and Furious 7 was a great place to end the series with the great sending off for Paul Walker, it felt like a natural place for the franchise to stop, however when it made $1.5 Billion at the worldwide box office it was inevitable that the franchise would continue and so we have Fast and Furious 8 and however many more films until they stop making money.

Positives. The action is a massive part of this franchise, especially from 5 onwards, and this film continues the great (over the top) action we have come to expect and enjoy in this franchise. The New York scene was a particular highlight of the movie, seeing the team go up against their former team-mate and friend, in a way they never thought they would. The final fight, featuring the submarine, felt like the plane scene from Fast and Furious 6, but is still unique enough to feel fresh and enjoyable.

Negatives. The first act. The big film was quite messy. It jumped from place to place and didn’t really feel like the Fast and Furious that we knew. That with poor dialogue and poor acting, in the first act of the film, is where this film suffers most. I know that you don’t necessary watch this film to get the best dialogue, but it just didn’t feel as natural as it should have been. The opening scene in Cuba, felt like they needed to add a street race into the film because they needed one to be in the film, it has a small effect on the rest of the film and could have been done in a better way, where it felt more natural.

I hadn’t spoken about the cast yet because they are a mixture of positives and negatives. Jason Statham was the big standout in the film for me, he was funny (particularly towards the end), it felt like a good progression for his character from being the antagonist in the seventh installment. I hope he continues to be in the franchise, perhaps taking over the Paul Walker role. Charlize Theron’s character and made for a different type of antagonist that we haven’t seen before in the franchise and made a good change. Tyrese Gibson was normally someone I enjoyed in the films, but this time out, he was given too many one liners which didn’t feel like his character, he definitely provides some laughs but not all worked as well as they should. Kurt Russell was clearly too busy filming Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 to have a big role in the film, so they give him smaller parts and have Scott Eastwood takeover the role. When Kurt Russell appears, it feels out-of-place and his only purpose was to come in and say some exposition before leaving again. With Vin Diesel, playing an antagonist for the team, The Rock steps up in his place and leads the film. As much as I love The Rock, for whatever reason it just did not work as much as I wanted it to. I would be glad to see him take a back seat again if he returns for the next installment.

An enjoyable installment into the franchise but we have had better.

What did you think of Fast and Furious 8/The Fate of the Furious?

How are do you think they are going to get nine into the title of the next film?

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