‘FF8’: A raging race again
There’ s a real beating heart to this money-making machine, a, and one that thank fully the filmmakers cultivate and put on display
The “Fast And The Furious” franchise has become an almost annual event that fans look forward to, much like the now revitalized “Star Wars” and the “Harry Potter” movies of just a few years ago.
The “Fast And The Furious” franchise has become an almost annual event that fans look forward to, much like the now revitalized “Star Wars” and the “Harry Potter” movies of just a few years ago.
Vin Diesel is now on his eighth outing as Dominic Toretto, the speedloving patriarch of the Furious family. After the events of the last movie left everyone free and clear and on the right side of the law, they each head their separate ways. But as fate and a large worldwide audience demand would have it, they’re back together again, drawn in by forces that threaten their world and the world at large, and that only they can stop.
It’s a much-used formula, nothing new or groundbreaking, but a familiar and proven one. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Of course, Dom and his wife, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez, “S.W.A.T.”) and their trusty crew played by Tyrese Gibson (“Transformers”), Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (“Max Payne”), and Nathalie Emmanuel (“Game Of Thrones”) are outfitted with all the best-wheeled vehicles courtesy of one of their newer allies, Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell of “Big Trouble In Little China” and “Stargate”).
Also with them are Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (“Moana,” “Get Shorty”) and Jason Statham (“The Transporter,” “The Expendables”), two of the more recent additions to the cast but who immediately became franchise favorites.
The adrenaline is one of the things that keep people coming back, and this installment has that in abundance. There’s an over-the-top element that the series has always had. There’s a sense of going big or going home, of being extreme at whatever it is that’s happening. While bigger isn’t always better, it certainly seems to be doing something right for the “Fast And The Furious” crew. Reportedly over three hundred cars were built and used, with a quarter not coming out of shooting in usable condition.
Interestingly enough for a film so revved up on high-octane action, the quieter moments in-between the big set-pieces also have their draw. From the beginning, the franchise has been as much about family as it has been about speed, and you see that highlighted ev- erywhere. There’s a real beating heart to this money-making machine, and one that thankfully the filmmakers cultivate and put on display.
The acting won’t win any of the actors awards, or even get them nominated. The plot is typical with some interesting twists, though the script is so-so but does strike a good balance between seriousness and humor.
But for all its faults, I still enjoyed the movie. “Fast & Furious 8 (FF8)” isn’t cerebral, it doesn’t require you to think too much and doesn’t push any particular agenda or world-view aside from loyalty and family first. The people are larger than life, the stunts are overthe-top, but it’s all forgiven because it’s good, clean fun.
It has a good enough track record over the past 16 years that I know pretty much what I’m going to get. The characters are closer to those you’d find in pulp magazines of the past. They’re uncomplicated, they are who they are and there’s a stability in that. They’re tested and tried, and they may be busted up and burnt but they do okay in the end. This movie might not be favored by many critics, but it will surely be the people’s choice.
My wife, the hardcore fan, says it lives up to “FF7” and if my numb fingers have anything to say about it, it is definitely a clutch-worthy, stop blood circulation kind of movie. She recommends it. I do too. It’s worth the adrenaline rush. The question here would be, are you ready to race?