Review: FAST AND FURIOUS 8

Family, Family, Family! Has Sooraj Barjatya Gone Rogue?

2.5 stars

Mini Review:

A beautiful but villainous Cipher blackmails Dom with a secret (obviously from his past) and he turns his back to his new wife (they’re on their honeymoon) his team and begins to steal for the villain who is flying around the world in an airplane that cannot be spotted by any radar. The team is blackmailed by unknown police agency into delivering Dom. Many vehicles blow up, there are many wisecracks and fans come away having consumed lots of popcorn with cheese.

Main Review:

  

We know their faces, fans know their names. We have seen umpteen re-runs on TV and we know they drive fast cars and steal fast cars and cops chase them but can never catch them. Fans know who drives which car and know who has a girl and who doesn’t and why they are the way they are. Each film adds a ‘cool’ character as either an opponent or as a team member and everyone hears Dom give thanks for the family.

But Sooraj Barjatya’s family obsession was never more evident than in this film. I will do anything for my family, including betray them. But we know Dom can never turn on his family, but the family has to believe that he has betrayed them…

So the story makes you wish this was a great heist movie or a movie with some bad guy selling cars or something that justifies explosive action and car chase sequences the fans love. ‘The dying for my family’ bit is too much to swallow. But it relieves Vin Diesel any responsibility of acting. He just has to be stern faced to hide his emotions.

Action, alas does not come fast and furious. Now the war is between good guys typing at breakneck speeds on keyboards and Cipher and her guys typing even more furiously on their keyboards.

The film has been shot beautifully and you feel as if you were the part of the action. The car race in Cuba is a standard beginning of the franchise and you love the fact that Dom is going to give you gyaan at the end of the race. You look forward to the action bits and those parts do not disappoint. Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson make for great love-hate partners. Helen Mirren is a great addition to the team, and you wish you know more about her. Charlize Theron again is a great baddie. Would have been fun to see her drive, though...

Only when the action movies to New York where they steal ‘Nukiller’ codes, do you begin to sit up and take notice.

(WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICANS?! WHY DO THEY INSIST ON PRONOUNCING NUCLEAR AS ‘NUKILLER’ ?)

The action bits are awesome and the last forty five minutes are fabulous and full paisa vasool. The witty dialog adds to the fun too. The audience enjoys the popcorn because it come with so much cheese. But isn’t that what such action movie is all about?