The Fate of the Furious (2017)

Is there any point is reviewing a movie like The Fate of the Furious? People don't go to these movies to appreciate them as they do other films. The plots are thin, the characterization nil, the spectacle ridiculous, the titles laughable. They fail all tests of what makes for a "good" movie and yet, we love them anyway.  We cheer them on while laughing at it and ourselves. It's a different kind of appreciation than we have for most films. And this film series has tapped into a formula that audiences love despite themselves.

As most blockbusters are moving in a different direction, a direction which incorporates film making elements more along the line of an auteur's film, the kind of elements that get award consideration, and aim for critical approval. The Fast and Furious movies eschew that for full on macho bullshit. It unabashedly embraces simplicity, silliness, stereotypes, and shallowness. All in the name of fun. They play to the lowest common denominator by just being bigger and badder with no desire for logic, physics, realistic characters, or plot. It's all fast cars doing impossible things, tits doing impossible things, and celebrities saying cringe worthy lines.

So there is no point criticizing a movie like this for any of that cause that is what it promises to give and it gives it and we pay for it. So let's instead look at the film for what it tries to be and if it manages it.

Sure it does. As I said it's bigger and badder than any of the FF movies that have come before. It's story is about as coherent as it needs to be to carry us through even if it's filled with plot holes.. scratch that, I almost forgot I wasn't reviewing a normal movie. Plot holes are just something to drive a flaming car through in this world. The whole Dom-goes-evil plot is overly simplistic and rather clumsy to be honest but don't worry, the characters continually provide you with spoken plot exposition just so you don't get lost while you're looking at all those hot cars. The FF series is infamous for its ludicrous (no pun intended) action sequences but they have even managed to top themselves with a set piece involving Theron's villain driving hundreds (if not thousands) of cars at once. Just don't let your brain think about it and you'll have a fun time.

Director F Gary Gray delivers state of the art action and Kurt Russel plays the ironically cool slimeball these movies love to have. The cast (as interchangeable and vanilla as ever for such a diverse crew) is perfectly cast to be as crowd-pleasing as possible although the FF series seems to be taking a play out of the Marvel handbook of just throwing as many characters as possible at the screen to build excitement. Charlize Theron adds a dash of prestige here even as she acts like she's channeling Norma Desmond just as she's ready for her close up. More fun is Helen Mirren whose cameo is performed like every one of her performances, impossible not to enjoy.

So yes, if you love yourself some FF action then The Fate of the Furious is for you. You won't be disappointed. For anyone who isn't enamored with Dom and his crew are likely to shake their head in wonder at how this sort of film packs theatres. At least until Fine the Furious, or whatever ridiculous name FF9 will have.

The Fate of the Furious
Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood, Kurt Russel, Charlize Theron
Director: F Gary Gray
Writer: Chris Morgan