Fate of the Furious

So, if you've read my blog for a long time, you may remember that I once wrote an editorial on the Fast and Furious franchise early last year. If you remember that editorial, you'll know now that I can channel Chris Stuckmann and say that I've grown up with the franchise and love it endearingly. I know that they've gone a complete 180 on what the franchise started with being about, but now they're just a damn good time wrapped up in a goofy package. But, you can't not admit that it's been on thin ice for some time now.

Since the death of franchise co-founder and star Paul Walker, many people wondered what the future of the franchise would be like. Could they find a replacement, would they even dare to? Could the family survive and still work together with such a vital link gone? The eighth installment would be the true signifier to answer all these questions, and now it's finally here, and while it does work on most senses, there's still something missing...

If you're expecting a good story from these movies, you're going in for the wrong reasons. That being said, it seems like this one actually tried to make things different for once, tying in unknown forces from Dom's past and former enemies turned friends. There's something decent brought in here that definitely makes it feel fresh, and since director F. Gary Gray says that this is the beginning of a new chapter, I'd say I'm glad it's here to stay.

The "familia" seems to be doing well even without Walker, they still have fantastic chemistry all the way around, even though they're hella goofy. Even newcomers like Scott Eastwood prove brilliantly, and Charlize Theron is a welcome addition as the franchise gains a more "serious" tone with a Blofeld-esque main villain. But...well, you know what.

Look, I can laud the fact that the movie is goofy and fantastical, but if you read that editorial, you know I won't. But the main issue I have with this movie is the lack of Paul Walker. And it's not just the fact that he's not there, that's more of a personal issue that can't be fixed, it's the ham-fisted way of which they handle his absence. 

At first, I thought it would be okay, as the first mention of him was with Dom using an old handy technique of his to win a race. But then they clod it up by saying that, "Brian would know what to do," and in the end it gets even worse. It's these things, these hints to his existence in the story, when in-universe it makes no sense, it just doesn't work. In future installations, I really hope to see that gotten rid of in future installments. We know he's there...we don't need to be reminded every few minutes.

Look, maybe I'm just crazy, maybe it's not that bad. But otherwise, even though that one key seems to be missing and isn't that well taken care of, the rest of it seems to be doing solidly well without Walker, and it makes me happy to see that the Furious franchise can last much longer nowadays. I think I'll give Fate of the Furious a 6.4 out of 10.