THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS REVIEW (SPOILERS AHEAD)
- May 4, 2017
- 6 min read
It's clear by now that the Fast & Furious franchise is a money-grabber. Even after the sudden loss of one of the series' main stars, Paul Walker, the franchise carries on strong. From Furious 7 being completed with the use of CGI in place of the late actor, to this film, The Fate of the Furious.
The first subject matter I'll address is the film's title. You'd think they'd run out of ideas by now. The fourth film's title, Fast & Furious, was just a shortened name of the original film's title, the sixth film was the fourth film's title with a number attached to it, and the seventh was a rehash of the fifth film's title (Fast Five, Furious 7). Now we have FATE. To be fair though, once you see the film, you have an understanding of why it's titled how it is.
At this point, anyone who has been following the franchise since its earlier days knows that the franchise has changed drastically since the original film. What originally began as a film series about street racing and family, has become a film series about heists, over-the-top-and-incredibly-unrealistic action sequences, and family. At least the family aspect remains, I'll give them that. Although I still find myself enjoying the recent films in the franchise, I think I speak for the old school fans when I say, I wish the franchise would return to its roots. Let's be real, the awesome cars were what drew us into the theaters to see these films in the first place.
As I've said though, I still find myself enjoying the recent films and here's why: they do what they're meant to do! Yes, they aren't films strictly about racing anymore but they're still very entertaining. From the unnecessary Michael Bay-like explosions to the edge-of-your-seat fight sequences, (The Rock vs. Vin Diesel in Fast Five, The Rock vs. Jason Statham in Furious 7) I find myself entertained and wanting more, despite wanting more of a "classic" Fast & Furious film, if you will.
In terms of the latest installment in the series, overall, I enjoyed it. As I said before, the film(s) do what they're meant to do. I didn't pay $13-$15 a ticket and expect this film to be critically acclaimed, I paid that money to be entertained. Although the film included a few things that had me searching for more answers, I can say it wasn't a waste of my time or money to watch. I'd say if you're a fan of action-packed films or you're a long-time Fast & Furious fan, go see this. If not, it's still worth a rental at least once. 7/10.
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT.
QUESTIONS & THINGS THAT BOTHERED ME
1. Han's Fate
As you all know, our beloved Han was murdered in the events of Tokyo Drift AND Furious 7 (These timelines and plot holes are becoming more painful than the X-Men film series). Tokyo Drift was among one of my least favorite films in the series but the character Han was one of the more pleasant things about that film for me. When he died, I didn't think much of it, thinking that this was most likely the final film in the series anyway until Fast & Furious and hit theaters three years later. Not only did they "resurrect" Han, they started a string of films that would eventually connect the dots between Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, and Furious 7. Was it necessary? No, absolutely not. The studio was just looking to to milk the franchise. Was I happy to see Han return? YES! I was very pleased to see his character return. Although, in the back of my head, as many fans were also most likely thinking, we all knew Han would eventually journey to Tokyo and meet his vehicular demise but for now, I'll enjoy as much Han-time as I can. What bothered me about the eighth film, in terms of Han is, THEY MENTION NOTHING OF HIM. It's as if their "family" member never existed. I get the seventh film was originally focused on Han's death and the team's vengeance but switched lanes (pun intended) after Paul Walker's death but I was hoping for more closure of the character once this film came around. Which leads into my next rant...
2. Deckard Shaw's Turn to the Light Side of the Force
Family. This franchise has always been family driven (pun). I guess that wasn't a thing when this film was conceived. Not only was Shaw murdering Han not addressed at all in this film but Shaw's sudden turn to the good side was not convincing, at least not to my standards. The Fast Family spends the majority of Furious 7 tracking down Shaw for the murder of their brother only to be completely fine working with the man in this film? I'm not buying it. Shaw's backstory may have shed a teeny tiny light on him being a decent human and him wanting revenge on the Fast Family for severely injuring his brother but the fact that he quickly found a spot in the Family amazes me. Sure, he helps rescue baby Brian from the grasps of Cypher but is that enough to forgive the man for killing one of their own? I don't think so. On a related note, Owen Shaw returns to aid the Family too. What? I mean, they somewhat explained that Cypher was the one pulling the strings all along but as I've said before, I'm just not buying it. None of these half-ass explanations satisfy me. Maybe I'm just looking too much into this and should follow my own advice and enjoy the movies for what they are? I'm still hoping this issue is addressed before the series comes to a close.
3. The Misuse of Elena
Another rant I'll throw in here is Elena, a character we haven't seen since the sixth installment, returns. I use "returns" as a loose term here. Elena in this film is revealed to be the mother of Dom's son, Bryan, whom he's unaware of until now. This whole plot, leading into the plot of the entire film, seemed rushed and lazy of the writers. Again, family plays a huge part in the franchise but Dom having a secret son? Sounds very corny to me. My main complaint here is, Elena returning to the series only to be killed off in the end. The Family seemed to have brushed this off just like they brushed off Han's death. Sure, Dom makes his rooftop promise to Elena but still, I find myself not satisfied. Sigh. I understand that after Letty returned, Elena really served no more purpose to the series but her being Dom's baby mama seemed like a pretty big deal to me and to have her be killed off and brushed under the rug, seemed a bit harsh. R.I.P Elena.
THEORIES
1. Titles For The Final Two Films
Let's theorize what the titles for the final two films will be! For me personally, half of the reason I enjoy these films coming out is to see what titles the studio can come up with at this point. So for the ninth film, I'll go ahead and say, The Journey of the Furious. This title to me seems fitting seeing as the tenth film will be the final one, a journey leading into the final chapter sounds appropriate. For the tenth and final film, I'll place my bets on either The Finale of the Furious, Fast Final, or The Family of the Furious. The Finale of the Furious and Fast Final do it for me in the sense that those titles make it clear to the audience that the tenth film will be the last of the parent series (I'm not counting potential spin-offs). The Family of the Furious is self-explanatory. Family is everything in this series. comment below and let us know what titles you can come up with for Fast & Furious 9 & 10!
2. What Spin-Offs Would You Like To See?
As of right now, it appears the only spin-off that is likely confirmed will be the Hobbs/Shaw team-up film. The two showed great chemistry in The Fate of the Furious so I'm all for this film to happen. Get a move on it, Universal! With this franchise rapidly growing over the last 16 years, it was only a matter of time before spin-offs were discussed and/or green-lit. Speaking of good chemistry and spin-offs, when it comes to a spin-off that I'd like to happen, the first idea that comes to mind is a Roman/Tej film. The two have showed GREAT chemistry since the fifth film and I'd love to see the dynamic duo grow even further in their own series. What spin-offs would you like to see? Sound off in the comments!
Comment and let us know what your thoughts are about The Fate of the Furious, The Fast & Furious series as a whole, and any other Fast & Furious-related topics!
All rights of The Fast and the Furious franchise are owned by Universal Studios.
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