The Fate of the Furious Movie Review

By: Lynn Barker

In The Fate of the Furious, Dom (Vin Diesel) and his new wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are on their honeymoon, Brian (the late Paul Walker’s character) and wife Mia (Jordana Brewster) are retired and the rest of the team are living semi-“normal” lives. Enter a mysterious, evil woman (Charlize Theron) who has been watching Dom’s every move. She forces him to turn “baddie” and work with her because, well… she has something of his that he would kill for. Can the crew reunite and even work with some enemies from the past in order to bring in their ex-leader before he helps super-beyotch destroy the world? What do you think?

Key Furious team members wonder how to get Dom backCourtesy of Universal

Honeymoon in Havana

Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon in Cuba where Dom races a stripped down old clunker vs. a hot old muscle car to make sure his cousin has wheels. The race ends in mutual respect for both drivers. Soon after, a hot blonde pretends to have car trouble to lure Dom to her side where she shows him something on her cell phone that makes him agree to help her work toward a world dominance plot and against his own team!

Letty and Dom are on their honeymoonCourtesy of Universal

Bring in the “Furious” Team

Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) has retired to spend more time with his daughter whose soccer team he coaches and revs up with Samoan war chants. He will have to get the team together to get back a big voltage, stolen EMP (electro-magnetic pulsing device). During the retrieval of the device, it seems evident that Dom has “gone rogue” and is fighting against his own team which is using a cool giant wrecking ball with a smiley face to wipe out the baddies’ cars. Dom forces Hobbs off the road and grabs the device. Hobbs is assigned to bring Dom in.

Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in prisonCourtesy of Universal

Frenemies

In jail (cuz he lost the EMP?) Hobbs is reunited with enemy Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), that special forces assassin Hobbs helped put in jail before. They hate each other bigtime and you know that means they’ll be best bromance buds soon. Petty (Kurt Russell), leader of a covert govt. ops team, wants the two to work together to bring down mega-villain, super hacker Cipher (the Charlize character) who now has the EMP thanks to Dom. Letty knows her Dom wouldn’t do any of this unless there was an amazingly good reason.

Deckard (Jason Statham) is onboardCourtesy of Universal

Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) worries about DomCourtesy of Universal

Can the “Family” Get Back Together?

While Dom helps Cipher gather up more high tech devices and weapons, his team is given the coolest new cars…and a tricked-out tank to get them back and stop the new evil duo at all costs. We find out why Dom has joined the dark side. Deckard and Hobbs learn to cooperate and, when Cipher starts remote-controlling masses of cars and even a nuclear submarine, it’s up to the new team to stop her and get Dom back to his “family” where he belongs. Of course, many things race, blow up and crash in the process.

Dom is working for Cipher on her high tech planeCourtesy of Universal

Wrapping Up

The Fate of the Furious boasts the usual “Furious” trademarks; exotic locales, impossible stunts, mega-hot cars, a fun “family” vibe among the lead characters etc. However, the Charlize Theron Cipher character is straight out of an old James Bond movie. Villains in previous “Furious” films were overblown but somehow “possible”. This one takes “remote control” possibilities of new cars that can “decide” to stop or lane correct on their own and transfers them to remotely driving a submarine. Okay, maybe cool but the film takes this franchise much farther into the fantasy zone than ever. The macho “if it moves, jump on it” attitude ups the testosterone level bigtime! If my above synopsis makes no sense… well, neither does the movie.

Dom (Vin Diesel) aids a mystery woman (Charlize Theron)Courtesy of Universal

Nothing in the film is really logical except the human emotions the team/family, thankfully, still displays. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are a hoot and could be starring in their own movie with funny, machismo banter and action tailored just for their talents.

Tyrese Gibson is back as RomanCourtesy of Universal

Stunts are fun and creative for sure but you can’t help but wonder why such elaborate means of stopping a car are used when just shooting out the tires would work. When the Jason Statham character launches an entire, elaborate martial arts fight while holding a baby in a carrier, there are certainly “cutesy” moments but….really? 

Remote-controlled sub bursts through the iceCourtesy of Universal

A cameo appearance by the great Helen Mirren as Deckard’s cockney mom is wonderful fun and cute Scott Eastwood ups the young hottie quotient in a thankless role as a govt. operative “newbie” who has to prove himself to Dom’s team.

Scott Eastwood is called Little NobodyCourtesy of Universal

Overall, despite a crazy plot, unbelievable stunts, a really over-the-top villain etc., if you love gorgeous, fast cars and are an adrenaline junkie, this movie will fill the popcorn-chomping bill. For pure mindless entertainment value, we can go four stars.

The Fate of the Furious Movie Rating: 

The Fate of the Furious Movie PosterCourtesy of Universal

See The Fate of the Furious in theaters Friday, April 14^th!

Have Your Say

Are you a big fan of Fast and Furious movie action? Do you love the characters despite crazy plots? Do you think enough is enough with this movie franchise? Lay your own skidmarks with a comment!