2017 Movie Review - A Tad Underpowered Engine of "The Fate of the Furious"
SYNOPSIS:
When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of terrorism and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.
Please note that the following review may contain some spoilers:
FIRST ACT (THE HOOK):
One of many things that Fast and Furious franchise should be applauded for is their filming location choice of exotic cities around the world (i.e. Brazil, Dubai, etc). The Fate of the Furious, surely enough, serves as another effective tourism marketing video for Cuba.
Having been numbed with previous iterations, I also expect no less surprised by the first plot involving a car race. At a first glance, who would be surprised with a predictable result of Dom (Vin Diesel) as the eventual winner but color me intrigued when he's forced to use an old, clunky car. The logic-defying stunt that he performed naturally speaks the action language of Fast and Furious' franchise that I have come to accept as a "guilty-pleasure" and I thoroughly enjoy every minute of it.
Once we are introduced to Cipher (Charlize Theron), I don't feel attached to her one-dimensional overcomplicated goal. It's something that I never quite figured out from either her greed of power at one point or revenge at another. Plus, if she's capable of hacking into any system, surely she could've found another way to get what she wants without asking for Dom's help. Even though there are some minor quips here and there, I appreciate how she did manage to drive this franchise to the darkest motivational point for our hero through some contemptible actions. Granted, Charlize Theron's acting helps the role in comparison to forced-tears of Vin Diesel's.
SECOND ACT (THE MAC'GUFFIN):
When Dom's flying solo under a command, The Fate of the Furious did suffer from flaws that further accentuate the lack of presence from the departed Paul Walker. It also takes away from the core of the franchise in which teamworks flourishes under any circumstances. At one point, even when Dom's cornered by his team, he transforms into Vin Diesel's another franchise's persona in XXX and once a vulnerable vigilante is now a superhuman with incomparable wits.
I also found the MacGuffins hunt plotline merely there just to drive the promised over-the-top set-piece sequence. The zombie cars army felt grandeur but without any real repercussion to our known characters or any innocent bystanders, I simply prefer other smaller actions established in previous films. Regardless, it is still one solid addition to an extravagant Fast and Furious stunts that we expect no less.
THIRD ACT (THE ENDING):
What is Fast and Furious film's final act without a fun, loud overdrawn set pieces and joking commentaries from Tyrese Gibson's Roman Pearce. They are presented rather fitting yet I would give the MVP shoutout to Jason Statham in his tough-guy persona. The submarine chase sequence half-heartedly delivered a closing remark but at times felt to be driven by the writers on a cruise control with no sense of creativity. While, hand-to-hand combats peppered by sling baby jokes were more kind of a fresh take, interesting spectacle, to say the least.
THE VERDICT (NO SPOILER):
As my marathon of Fast and Furious franchise ends with The Fate of the Furious, I can't help to compare how toned-down its final sequences in relation to the established action groundworks of the past three films. The majority of moviegoers who don't have the luxury of re-watching the previous iterations might have a callback to several returning characters but sadly, the added nostalgia value is missing for my taste. As this franchise progresses further to its eight series, I sadly noticed how Paul Walker's charisma can't easily be replaced by another's. Regardless, the casts' genuine chemistry shines throughout the film and given how I was still entertained watching how much fun they had, I would recommend catching it on a Tuesday-matinee price. My only selfish wish for the future instalment is to not be afraid of speeding up to more than a quarter mile at a time.
