Cars. Fast cars. Faster cars. Exploding cars. Fast cars exploding. A submarine. What more could you want?
If this sounds like your cup of tea, strap in for what is now unquestionably the biggest action franchise of the 21st century, with Oscar winners Dame Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron joining the fray for round #8.
It may be absurd to reckon that a series which started out with street racers nabbing VCRs from the backs of trucks turned into an international super-spy saga that would make James Bond blush, but absurdity is the currency of a story and characters we’ve come to know over many, many confusing films, and they’re not running out of steam anytime soon.
This time around, hundreds of self-driving cars chase the gang through downtown New York after Charlize Theron’s super-villain ‘Cipher’ tells her gophers to, quote, “hack them all,” which they proceed to do with some furious typing in a matter of seconds. There has been no scarcity of commentary out there explaining how this feat, and the countless times the laws of physics have gotten slapped in the face by Vin Diesel and co., are not possible. If this is your first and only impression of the series, respectfully, you are missing the point.
There are a lot of things in this latest chapter that even the most hardened of sceptics might reluctantly enjoy. Who could resist watching Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock face off against Jason Statham, or Vin Diesel vs Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju) from Game of Thrones, or Vin Diesel vs a heat-seeking missile? And for those craving just that bit more than cars doing really ridiculous things cars really shouldn’t do, the series, as on full display here, is still very much about family; with a few less action-driven moments shared between companions and a brief, touching acknowledgement of Paul Walker’s tragic passing, too elegantly handled in the last entry.
Fast and Furious 9 may very well be set in space, or better yet, Australia, if some of the reports are to be believed. For the meantime, enjoy the latest instalment in a series which has absolutely no intention of slowing down.
The Fate of the Furious is in cinemas now
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