Fate of the Furious, The (2017) [Blu-ray]
Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller

Tagline: Family no more

Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Michelle Rodriguez lead an all-star cast as the global blockbuster franchise delivers its most action-packed, high octane adrenaline rush yet in The Fate of the Furious. Now that Dom (Diesel) and Letty (Rodriguez) are married and Brian and Mia have retired from the game-and the rest of the crew has been exonerated-the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman (Oscar winner, Charlize Theron) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can't seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before. From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world's stage... and to bring home the man who made them a family.

Storyline: Now that Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game-and the rest of the crew has been exonerated-the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime he can't seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before. From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, the elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world's stage... and to bring home the man who made them a family. Written by harpreet phamber

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, July 11, 2017 It doesn't matter what's under the hood. The only thing that matters is who's behind the wheel.

And therein lies what has made the Fast and the Furious films so immensely popular. That's why when Dominic Toretto races a jalopy at the beginning of the movie the sequence works so well. It's his knowledge of and passion for cars, not to mention his guile that gets the vehicle into makeshift racing shape, that are the true keys to winning a race, not a bunch of high-ticket fancy parts and a slick paint job. That's always been true of the films, though it's a truism that's evolved over time and why a seemingly innocent movie from 2001 about an undercover cop and some fast cars evolved into one of the all-time highest grossing and most popular movie franchises of all time. It's the people, not the cars. It's the drivers, not the speed. It's the fate of the characters, as this film's title suggests, not the ferocity of high-octane energy that keeps the movies rocking. Even as the effects get bigger, the stunts more dangerous, and the stakes ever larger, the films zero in ever more closely to that core asset of family, which is put to the ultimate test -- and the ultimate danger -- in this eighth film that may not be the franchise's best, but that encapsulates everything the franchise stands for.

Vacationing, meeting with family, and racing cars in Cuba is just another day for Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). But his vacation is cut short, and much of what he holds dear is put in jeopardy, when he's blackmailed into joining forces with Cipher (Charlize Theron), a nefarious hacker who forces Dom to steal an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) device and a foreign powers' nuclear football. With Dom rogue and the fate of the world hanging in the balance, DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) assembles a team, which includes Letty, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Ludacris), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), to prevent disaster and stop the suddenly and inexplicably rogue Dominic at all costs and by any mans necessary, which will, of course, involve no shortage of fast and pricey cars.

The Fate of the Furious, much like the past several films in the series, maintains that unique identity that sees it maintain its position as a more serious, character-driven story while endearing itself to audiences with both over-the-top action and light underlying humor. Perhaps more than any other Action film or franchise, F&F has mastered the "popcorn" movie formula. And while Fate doesn't reinvent it, it does add to it. The filmmakers continue to expand the scope and increase the hazards, this time dealing in everything from massive remotely-controlled mayhem and pile-ups on city streets (which includes cars skydiving out of multistory parking garages) to a nuclear submarine tucked away in one of the world's iciest and most remote locations. There's nowhere that's off-limits for a few fast cars, armored vehicles, and willing drivers. The story is fine, again as much a simple framework for the action as anything else, but the filmmakers have injected it with enough character development, advancement, drama, and doubt to keep audiences invested. Fate sees them further evolve, some of them, anyway, while others just maintain the status quo. But it holds onto that critical core of family, friendship, and togetherness, straining it at its strongest point amidst crashing and exploding cars, high speed pursuits, and a few more tricks that the franchise always seems able to pull out of its sleeve.

Still, the movie doesn't take any substantial risks. For as dramatically dark as it can occasionally be, that imaginary safety blanket that tells audiences "everything will be OK" remains firmly wrapped around the viewer. Risks are more in the moment, less, if not entirely nonexistent, in the larger franchise framework. The movie works very well as an entry and offers some terrific moments both in terms of action and characterization, but it's never pushing any boundaries in either direction. Indeed, comfort overrides all else, and behind every car crash, flip, swerve, and every time that needle and those engines are pushed to the brink, the audience always knows it'll work out in the end, some how, some way. That's the fatal flaw of most every movie these days, but the series, and Fate in particular, captures and carries enough forward momentum to mask its core shortcomings and engage the audience in the moment, adding in a few occasions of character-enhancing detail and only easing up on the accelerator long enough to build the rapport between the family on the screen and the family that's grown to care about them out in the audience.

The Fate of the Furious finds itself more comfortable than innovative. The film is still very good and highly entertaining, offering everything one could possibly want at this point in time from the franchise beyond any serious plot or character turns that aren't quite so transparent as what this film has on offer. Still, it satisfies in all areas: cars, speed, action, and building on, albeit more slightly than emphatically, the core characters. One could easily see the word "stale" slapped onto the next film if it's not careful in what it has to show and say, but with Fate the franchise proves, once again, its viability, even if it's less innovative and more "as expected." Universal's Blu-ray is unsurprisingly excellent, offering top-tier video, a superb DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack, and a few quality extras. Highly recommended.

[CSW] -2.8- The action is non-stop. The plot is somewhat complicated, but it didn't need to be. And, overkill is the rule of the day. A prime example is hacking every car possible so they would be clogging the streets and falling out of the buildings so that the carnage was incredibly expensive. After this movie, you can add Cipher (Charlize Theron), who was always thought to be an organization and not a person, to the list of the most psychotic villains in movie history. More along the lines of the James Bond type villains wanting world domination, strange rationale for why world domination is the only way to go and always with a heart that belongs to the Devil. Theron's villain is too good for only one go-around. The whole cast was good. Combine a totally watchable series of unbelievable but spectacular special effects with equally unbelievable but spectacular action and you have a fun movie that is still utterly forgettable two minutes after it's over. It is not quite as mindless as the earlier movies of this franchise but still worth seeing for the impossible action and it even has some action eye candy.
[V5.0-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box really enhances this movie.


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