Review- Fast and Furious 8



Fast and Furious 8 (or Fate of the Furious, no one knows which) is the next joyfully absurd installment in the increasingly ridiculous Fast and Furious franchise. If the franchise is known for one theme (explosions don't count as a theme) it would be family but this film seemingly flips things on their heads as Vin Diesel turns his back on his family for Charlize Theron with white person dreadlocks. To get him back, the gang must fire harpoons, beat people up and race nuclear submarines because hey, these films haven't quite got to the level of being set in space yet. One day. Anyway, the plot is largely silly and pointless and has a few twists you will probably see coming with some moments of emotion that you definitely won't see coming. Let's just say that Vin actually has a legit reason to turn on the people he loves. Who am I kidding though, you aren't seeing this film for the plot and they know that so don't expect anything extraordinary.

Again, the acting is not what you're seeing this film for but they still all do a decent job with it. Vin Diesel is the "star" and he is fine enough being gruff and attempts to deal with emotional moments fairly clumsily. There is a fairly big cast so I'm not going to go over everyone as most people just do the same things as they do in other films (Tyrese and Ludacris, I'm looking at you) but I will list some highlights. My hero Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is just as amazing as ever and hearing him swear at people makes me very excited for Baywatch. One prestigious actress makes a cameo that you may have heard of but I won't ruin in case you don't know who it is. Needless to say, she is fantastic as she chews the scenery in her few scenes. The absolute best person in this film though, and I'm as shocked about this as you are, is Jason Statham. Honestly. He gets much more to do in this film than last time but he is superb, kicking ass every time he appears on screen and causing some of the biggest laughs of the film. It's a great cast and everyone has fantastic chemistry which really pulls the film along.

What you're really here for though is the action and you are not going to be disappointed by it, not one bit. There are four main action sequences (maybe five depending on your definition) and none of them disappoint. From the first drag race to the New York chaos and the already infamous submarine chase, the action is big, incredibly unbelievable and a delight. I know I'm someone who hates Transformers because the action is big and dumb and while Fast and Furious action is big and dumb too, it has heart and is self aware of that stupidity. Like, this is a film where the biggest stunt of the film is a chase with a nuclear submarine, the people behind these films know what they're doing and delight in delighting us with spectacle after spectacle after spectacle. It has to be seen on the big screen because otherwise, you can't appreciate the insanity.

If you don't like the Fast and Furious films, this won't convert you because it is more of the same. If you're already on board however or if you're open to a series of films that know exactly what they are, this is a dream. It is big, it is dumb and that is exactly the point. Just sit back, let it wash over you and enjoy a film I happily give an


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