Velozes & Furiosos 8

I'm not really a fan of the "Fast And The Furious" movies, having only seen about two of them before watching this one. I have still noticed they have become better with most new entries. I admit this wasn't as good as "Fast Five" but it's still a good movie. It's hard to get used to a new franchise especially one with so many characters in it. Still, I recognized most of the actors which is good enough for me. Anyway, of the ones that I have seen, this is the most insane and ludicrous of them all. Well, it makes sense as it literally has Ludicrous in it. This film features Dom (Vin Diesel) being forced to help a villain named Cipher or else she'll kill his family.

Cipher's plan is to gain access to nuclear launch codes to well, cause a massive war. Yeah, it's pretty over the top even for this franchise and it does seem like the series is changing to a traditional James Bond movie. Still, the action scenes in this movie are tons of fun and the characters are interesting enough to keep you hooked into the story. I admit a lot of it gets really silly and it can be predictable, but I mean, this is just a great movie to watch for the awesome and quite creative action scenes. Unlike the "Transformers" movies which became repetitive, these films have found new and innovative ways to entertain viewers. ***

What started as racing franchise has now shifted gear into a mix of old James Bond flick and shade of Marvel blockbuster. It may feel zealously exaggerated, and with high level of adrenaline and testosterone, it is indeed excessive. However, fueled by staggering amount of star power and crowd pleasing scenes, it's undoubtedly s fantastic spectacle.

Story doesn't veer much from the already established formula, another new threat that tries to divide and conquer, giving ample opportunities for the myriad of action heroes to fight, as well as collaborate, with each other. For the better parts, this works in creating a minimal drama even though there's bound to be slight disbelief concerning the plot, or just disregard of simple physic in general.

The script consists of war cries from video games and old school banters from decades ago. It's not without the humor and charm, it might even be distracting if they sound too flamboyant seeing the action is downright the stuff of superhero movie. There's the same amount of fists thrown and flying cars, and any other unbelievable shenanigans in between, in glorious slow motion and less glorious CGI.

It's nearly infectious in the delivery, almost looking like collection of scenes deemed to be too absurd and until now was buried in action movie vault yet they are so gleefully pompous, one can't help being dragged around by its pace. The action stars collide in battle royale style, even if one scraps all the other parts of the movie, there's an inevitable hook in the concept of The Rock, Vin Diesel and Jason Statham trading actual and verbal jabs.

It also helps that choreography for fights look convincingly fast and brutal enough to suit each character. The transition between grand locations, or towards another scuffle, is accompanied by good cinematography and equally vibrating soundtracks. While it may screech towards certain parts, the actors contribute in their own way, either it through surprisingly good acting or fitting humor.

There's enough in the production tank to keep the excitement rolling. Sure, it can be campy at times, but there's no denying that it's a high velocity spectacular action entertainment.

Vin Diesel and the rest of the street-racing crew (with the exception of the late Paul Walker for obvious reasons) return for an eighth installment of two hours of car crashes, explosions, and over-the- top action set pieces. Like the previous entries of the popular franchise, this brisk action thriller is more about action and explosive special effects than character and plot development. As you expect from a movie dealing with non-stop car chases, this movie delivers just that. For those hoping for an action flick with a thoughtful story and firmly constructed character, this film will more than likely to be a diminishing disappointment. But for those who could care less about both aspects, this one is a whole lot of fun, if not without a few blemishes. And the new director behind this entry is F. Gary Gray who last spawned the biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'. This film follows Dominic Torretto (played by Vin Diesel) and Letty (played by Michelle Rodriguez) on their honey moon in Cuba. During their vacation, Dom is coaxed by a mysterious hot computer hacker Cipher (played by Charlize Theron) into joining her on a diabolical operation to steal an EMP weapon supplemented nuclear launch codes. With their once-loyal friend turning against them, Luke Hobbs (played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) must reunite with the crew along with their former enemy Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham) to stop Cipher's heinous plan and solve the mystery behind Dom's betrayal.

This movie deliver just about everything fans would come to expect from a 'Fast and Furious' outing, from the bombastic car crashes, to the explosive street racing, to the close-up shots of scantily clad women (although the last one is a bit toned down). While the globe- trotting adventure shows little interest is constructing a powerful story or inspiring characters to feed off of, most of the cheers go to the street- racing scenes which exhibit our favorite characters engaging in frenetic, adrenaline-fueled car crashes that more often than not result in an excessive amount of property damage with cars blowing up and building torn with smithereens. Like the previous entries, this film shows no interest in obeying the laws of physics, or even engaging in authenticity. There's a brutal brawl in a prison, there are hundreds of cars dropped from buildings, there's a prolonged chase sequence on an icy field with Ryrese Gibson cruising across the ice on a car door, nearly every absurd stunt you can think makes it way on screen. As for the story, there is nothing special here aside from a few dark twists and surprises sprinkled along the way. Most of all characters we've come to know and love make their way back, and are charismatic as ever. Each of the cast take their stab at some humorous one-liners, particularly Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham when are two are bantering at each other. The performances are fine, but nothing that stands out especially if you have a hard time buying Charlize Theron as a computer hacking maniac with a sinister demeanor. At the end, the characters offer a predictable message about never turning your back on family, which has become a staple in the franchise after the countless times Vin Diesel's character preaches about family.

The Fate of The Furious is a loud, over-the-top action festival that is solidly entertaining for those willing to turn their brain off and enjoy the extravagant action material. While this installment doesn't quite add anything new to the franchise, it serves as a firm memo that the series still has energy in it's fuel tank.

Furious 7 had one the best conclusions for a film series ever. I and was perfectly happy if the series ended there and continued with spin-offs or hell even a Netflix TV show. But the almighty dollar wants these films to continue. I really had my doubts going into this film. I didn't think the series had any fuel left. The story arch in the last 3 films was complete. What else can we tell now that the main antagonist was no longer in the series? Well, I was wrong, really wrong, I was very surprised by this movie, surprised to the fact that I was very entertained and had as much fun as I had with this series since Tokyo Drift (yes I liked Tokyo Drift). The main driving point of the story (which the trailers express) of Dom going rouge was a valid plot point and with a twist to the series that worked.

What I liked about the film was the main plot device and of course the action. All the action scenes were all fun to watch (personally, I like the opening sequence best) But this movie delivered on what it promises and that's over the top action. At one point our anti- heroes seemed like superheroes who drive in their own "Batmobiles" and ride to the rescue.

What I didn't like was fact that a couple of action scenes were fun but very ridiculous and somewhat didn't work for me. And one of the characters in the film has an arch that just betrays the last two films and makes you question the motive of others. But on the downside, the franchise will run out of fuel soon and start to get that "been there, done that" feel to it that will make the next films seem boring. You somewhat feel that in the climax of this film but it's the main plot point that keeps the action scene lifted because you know it's coming just when and how keeps you invested.

All in all the movie was really good and you will be entertained and I would rank it as well as parts 5, 6 and 7 but the finish line is near and I feel the next films (I read 2 more are coming) will not have enough fuel to make to the finish line. Will the next films kick in the NOS and project us to the finish line...I really do hope so.

The F&F franchise has turned into The Expendables with cars, and like the last film, it gladly embraces its absurd plot and over-the-top action set pieces. It starts off with Dom on his honeymoon in Cuba where he is interrupted by a mysterious woman called 'Cipher' played by Charlize Theron. She forces him to turn against his team in order to do a series of jobs for her taking him from New York to Russia. Theron fits the role perfectly, she is menacing, seductive and manipulative and could play a perfect Bond villain.

Just as it threatens to be gloomy, there is some laughs to be had. Dwayne Johnson and the Stath have a good taunting scene where they shout puns at each from their prison cells. But yet again Tyrese Gibson gives us his best improv yet as he constantly pokes fun at everyone including new comer Scott Eastwood. Director F Gray (new comer to the series) has to deal with a lot of characters here. But he still manages to give them some sort of story arc and does a good job at keeping them interesting. Hobbs coaches his daughters football team in his spare time, there's a love triangle going on between Tejj, Roman and Ramsey. Then there's Letty who is trying to figure out why Dom has betrayed them and Jason Stathams villain from the last film is on a path of redemption.

Another thing that the franchise does so well is give us some breathtaking stunts with minimal CGI (only when needed). The film doesn't disappoint, some of the standout moments include vehicles being flipped left right and centre, cars being driven out of a buildings, an opening race sequence and wrecking ball scene to name a few. However its not perfect, there is a lot of pointless exposition dialogue to keep us up to date with what is going on. Plot device 'Gods Eye' from Furious 7 comes back which is used against the team. One scene involving Dom hiding from 'Gods Eye' so he can have a cuppa with Helen Mirren is laughable. The laws of physics are non existent of course (but its not a documentary) and it is the most implausible entry of the series yet.

Nitpicking aside, don't go into F8 expecting any realism or logic because there is none of it here. Just turn your brain off because its more brawn than brain. Like its predecessors, its filled with exciting, over the top, adrenaline fuelled action thrills; and there's enough harpoon guns to give Batman a run for his money. Just go into it with an open mind and you will enjoy it a lot more, its a great time at the cinema.