The Fate of the Furious (2017)

[EvRobert 1684]

Of this new "trilogy" of FF movies (and really has any film series managed to reinvent themselves as effortlessly as the Fast movies have? 1, 2, 4 work as a trilogy...6, 7, 8 work well as a trilogy, and 3 and 5 are obviously in the same world and lead into each the next but are weird little stand alones.) this is obviously the weakest and with

Cypher/Cipher escaping

it doesn't really end. What this really needed was a more...dare I say confident guiding hand. It probably wouldn't be benefical to him, but the series could really use Justin Lin to return.

 

That's not to say that the movie is BAD but it's weak and it's weak from the beginning. Here is what I would have done...

 

 

You're determined to have the Cuba race scene at the beginning? Okay that's cool. But make that scene more then just Dom and Letty. Have the two brothers that don't speak English (who show up for their little cameo in the Statham rescue) there instead of random Cuban cousin. Cipher is watching. During the race, Dom goes rogue instead of during the EMP device heist. As soon as Cipher shows up with the phone and the music swells and so on and so forth and you know she's blackmailing him. And the way everything was telegraphed, I knew it was a kid. I guess that is my biggest complaint, everything is telegraphed. When Dom turns the old Mercury or whatever that car was, into a bomb, I knew it would be something similar at the end. As soon as We see Dom talking to the father and son and the scene with Letty I knew a kid was going to play into it, as soon as I saw helen Mirren (who was fucking great) and all the stuff with Owen, I knew they'd all be back.

 

So basically, I'd want a little more mystery, that was part of the great fun of 6 and even 7 was the redemption of Letty.

 

 

Statham and the Rock were great and I even liked Kurt Russell. I know it's a bit of a troupe now, but the FF movies are big enough they could expand the series into a shared universe. I wanna see Kurt Russell give a job to Hobbs and the Shaw Brothers. Maybe throw in Ludacris but leave out Tyrese (or vise versa). Take time to develop some new characters so that part of the fun is WHO we're going to see in the future movies.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

i think my back was up from the start .. the cuba scene. it was just really boring. especially compared to the openings of the previous movies. even FF4 had a better opening. my main problem was

 

 

 

they sped (speeded?) up the action. i know these cars aren't as fast as the super cars we usually see in these movies but there is no need to fast forward action. it looked terrible. reminded me of

 

 

it showed a lack of confidence in the material by the film makers. either that or it tested poorly at it's original speed and the studio stepped in.

 

and the ending was so cringy ... with the kids.

 

 

[RyanSz 3140]

i think my back was up from the start .. the cuba scene. it was just really boring. especially compared to the openings of the previous movies. even FF4 had a better opening. my main problem was

 

 

 

they sped (speeded?) up the action. i know these cars aren't as fast as the super cars we usually see in these movies but there is no need to fast forward action. it looked terrible. reminded me of

 

 

it showed a lack of confidence in the material by the film makers. either that or it tested poorly at it's original speed and the studio stepped in.

 

and the ending was so cringy ... with the kids.

 

 

 

You mean when the kids encircle Dom and basically worship his awesomeness at almost getting everyone killed with a flaming car?

 

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

 

You mean when the kids encircle Dom and basically worship his awesomeness at almost getting everyone killed with a flaming car?

 

yeah .. it was weird.

 

btw .. i know i sound like i hated it but i really enjoyed the second half and if someone doesn't commission crank 3 with chev Vs the rock then we are all missing out

 

 

statham was basically chev for most of this and it was so much fun having him back

 

 

i'd gladly watch the set pieces over and over again but the script needs to be better and the female characters need to be brought forward and given more to do. i kinda felt that ludacris and emmanuel were playing the same character. hopefully she gets to do more in 9. maybe drive a car at some stage

 

and i agree with the comment about this being the start of another phase in the franchise. it's a readjustment. i just love the previous 3 so much that this was always going to struggle to live up to them. i'm being hyper critical over a fast and furious movie and that's kinda stupid on my part. everyone around me seemed to enjoy it last night and looking online i'm definitely in the minority with my view so i'll leave it there with the moaning.... roll on number 9!!!

[ElieB 238]

Feels like they need to have the right person to direct and helm these projects and though f Gary is great, it didn't seem right. They need a legit action director willing to go to crazy places for the spectacle and also rein in Vinny boy.

[RyanSz 3140]

One other thing that really annoyed me was that when the group is together in the garage after Dom has turned on them and Ramsey says that maybe they need to realize that he went rogue and Letty gets on her ass and says that she's alive because Dom saved her. When I heard that I almost yelled bullshit because in the last movie it was Brian who actually saved Ramsey's life and Letty helped them as they got off the bus before it fell over the cliff. It's like they are retconning shit to make Dom seem like the only worthwhile member of this team.

 

As for F. Gary, I was surprised that he didn't seem like a good fit for this film as his resume is chock full of fun action films (Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen, A Man Apart) and films that have strong dialogue and/or character interaction (Friday/Straight Outta Compton, The Negotiator). I'm really hoping that he can do a better job with the Fast 9.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

One other thing that really annoyed me was that when the group is together in the garage after Dom has turned on them and Ramsey says that maybe they need to realize that he went rogue and Letty gets on her ass and says that she's alive because Dom saved her. When I heard that I almost yelled bullshit because in the last movie it was Brian who actually saved Ramsey's life and Letty helped them as they got off the bus before it fell over the cliff. It's like they are retconning shit to make Dom seem like the only worthwhile member of this team.

 

Dom is the one who escaped with her by driving her off that cliff. And in a grander scheme, he's the one that agreed to take Mr Nobody's job, which was to save Ramsey. So it's not stretching that much.

[RyanSz 3140]

Dom is the one who escaped with her by driving her off that cliff. And in a grander scheme, he's the one that agreed to take Mr Nobody's job, which was to save Ramsey. So it's not stretching that much.

But that's what gets me is that he wasn't the only one involved with it, but the boiling down of everything to just Dom is kind of like saying Mayor Clotch saved New York from Gozer because he hired the Ghostbusters in the first place and we should when there were many other parties involved. The oversimplification of it is insulting to the whole team/family dynamic. Hell if I was Roman I would be pissed because it was his idea for how to take down the convoy in the first place.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

But that's what gets me is that he wasn't the only one involved with it, but the boiling down of everything to just Dom is kind of like saying Mayor Clotch saved New York from Gozer because he hired the Ghostbusters in the first place and we should when there were many other parties involved. The oversimplification of it is insulting to the whole team/family dynamic. Hell if I was Roman I would be pissed because it was his idea for how to take down the convoy in the first place.

I think your Ghostbusters analogy would hold if it was Mr Nobody taking credit. Dom was a major part of the whole thing. He's the one that set out to kill Shaw initially. He was recruited by Mr Nobody, and Nobody brought in the team but only put them to work after Dom agreed to let them go find Ramsey/God's Eye.

 

Also, Roman came up with where to strike in his usual obnoxious way, but Tej is the one that came up with how. And Dom is the one that came up with the escape. So, yes, it was a team effort, but it all started with Dom volunteering the team for the job. I do think it's an oversimplification, but I don't find it "insulting" to the family dynamic. If anything, Letty is the one who hasn't given up on her family. She's the one that still fully believes in Dom, while the rest of the team is either on the fence or ready to kill him.

 

But I also didn't hate Vin Diesel in this and don't think the movie is making him the sole hero. He's always been the head of the family, so it shouldn't be surprising that he's still the most prominent.

[EllenM2.0 412]

I also had a huge problem with the ending, in that they were in New York. I know that they didn't go back to LA because in theory that's where Brian and Mia were but still.

 

After all this talk of family and remembering where you came from, ending in New York really fucked me up.

[ElieB 238]

As for F. Gary, I was surprised that he didn't seem like a good fit for this film as his resume is chock full of fun action films (Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen, A Man Apart) and films that have strong dialogue and/or character interaction (Friday/Straight Outta Compton, The Negotiator). I'm really hoping that he can do a better job with the Fast 9.

 

Yeah he has a great pedigree for this kind of thing. I particularly like law abiding citizen and the negotiator. But I think those benefit from exceptionally clever writing and performances and I don't know how big a role he has played in the former. Script was really lacking here but I don't otherwise think there was anything great about the direction in fast 8. I think the shaky cam fight scenes and level of practical effects are things he could have had direct influence over though and they came up lacking.

 

Mostly he just doesn't have any experience with comedy, at all. Friday is as close as it gets. And you can't helm a billion dollar fast franchise without delivering solid comedic relief. With the exception scene stealing Chelios in this case, fast 8 came up short in this regard.

 

 

That said I did laugh out loud when they reveal Tyrese chose to bring a Lambo on a fucking arctic Russia mission on ice. Real tactical bro. Lol that was a good bit

 

[EvRobert 1684]

F. Gary Gray really doesn't seem to have a good grasp of comedy but he DID direct probably the funniest performance I've ever seen The Rock do in Be Cool.

 

I LOVE the Elmore Leonard novel, and remember thinking Leonard must have been watching a lot of Attitude era wrestling because it features a character that is clearly based on The Rock (large Samoan who is charismatic and does a "trick with his eyebrow"). And for an actor just getting started in Hollywood it was brave of the Rock to portray a character that is gay, that is intimidating, and that is clearly poking fun at himself.

 

 

So it doesn't surprise me that The Rock/Statham scenes are the best. Those two actors don't seem to care as much about their "persona" as so Diesel does (but then Vin did release those videos of him singing karaoke, so who knows)

[ElieB 238]

Holy shit. Gotta watch that. Missed that one. And think I might watch A Man Apart for shits and giggles.

[EvRobert 1684]

A Man Apart, that is Vin is a rogue cop whose family is killed if I remember correctly, yes?

[RyanSz 3140]

Law Abiding Citizen is one of those movies that made so much on the amazing performances of its lead actors, Gerard Butler in particular. The Rock's performance in Be Cool is by far the best part of that film, outside of Andre 3000's role, which are both overshadowed by the horribly marketing of "John Travolta and Uma Thurman dance together again." I just don't know where Gray fumbled with this but it just didn't gel right for me. There were plot issues that were utterly baffling like in the New York scene when the Prime Minister is attacked, his body guard fires a mini-gun from the top of his limo, why wasn't that used when Vin Diesel came charging at the limo a few minutes later, or why for that matter was the other guard in the limo only carrying one clip for his machine gun or why weren't the bullets armor piercing? You would think that for a head of state that the protection would be top notch. As for the comedic/acting chops of Rock and Statham, I can honestly say that I desperately want Statham to read kid audio books similar to Sam Jackson reading Go the Fuck to Sleep.

[EvRobert 1684]

I also want to know why Jason Statham chose the Chipmunks Christmas song to play to baby Dom when it wasn't christmastime.

 

I know it's a minor criticism, but it still bothers me.

[ElieB 238]

Lol the limo minigun was another one of those safe tow/tank assaults where I thought ''Dide there are innocent bystanders in those cars being slaughtered! Wtf bro!"

[RyanSz 3140]

Lol the limo minigun was another one of those safe tow/tank assaults where I thought ''Dide there are innocent bystanders in those cars being slaughtered! Wtf bro!"

That whole time I'm watching that I'm just telling my friend "he's not even aiming at the engine blocks, that dude is straight up murderizing people by vaporizing their windshields, and they literally have nowhere to run as they are all blocked in by the hundreds of other cars."

[IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN 1837]

 

It bummed me out that they haven't used Elena since Fast Five.

 

Do you mean that she didn't do much/could of done more in her parts 6 and 7 cameos???

 

 

And speaking about that... I saw parts 5, 6 and 7 again before going to F8 premiere and in part 7 in the hospital scene Elena is Furious with Dom's question about her well-being (like she somehow knew that Letty and Dom had broken up recently and he was maybe trying to rekindle their Furious 6 affair in Spain for me that was a weird choice because it seemed like they had ended things in a civil note) and she changes the subject suggesting they go se Hobbs A.S.A.P. but a beat later when Hobbs daughter has her line about Luke "kicking Dom's ass once" her attitude changes and she is all smiles... ( My theory when I saw it for the first time was that Letty would not come back after the tombstone scene and that the Rock was going to die and Elena and Dom where going to get back together and raise Rocks daughter) BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT knowing what we know about in part 8 something inside tells me that her attitude toward Dom is had something to do with the things we learn in part 8 and screenwriter Chris Morgan (who has single-handedly wrote every F&F movie since Tokyo Drift) had that part planed all along

[ElieB 238]

Guyz, whhhhhhhhat is happening. The timeline of

Baby Brian

is fucking imposssssssible.

 

 

What people are forgetting is that all of Tokyo Drift happens between films 6 and 7. So if maybe-baby Brian was conceived in film 5, then he has to have been gestating throughout all of films 6, 3, and 7. You could assume that films 6 and 7 occur over very short periods but my impression of tokyo drift is that it takes place over a much longer period of months i believe. Lucas Black literally has to make friends, enemies and learn to tokyo drift, all from the ground up. I would estimate that Elena has to be at LEAST 5 months pregnant by the time she re-encounters Dom at the hospital in the beginning of film 7. Instead she gets blown out of a 5th storey window and appears 0days pregnant. Several more weeks must pass during this film.

 

UNLESS the child is born in between films 6 & 7, during the run time lucas black is tokyo drifting. But why doesn't she fucking tell Dom that he has a kid when they meet in 7?!?! SHE KNOWS HOW HE FEELS ABOUT FAMILY

 

 

 

[RyanSz 3140]

Guyz, whhhhhhhhat is happening. The timeline of

Baby Brian

is fucking imposssssssible.

 

 

What people are forgetting is that all of Tokyo Drift happens between films 6 and 7. So if maybe-baby Brian was conceived in film 5, then he has to have been gestating throughout all of films 6, 3, and 7. You could assume that films 6 and 7 occur over very short periods but my impression of tokyo drift is that it takes place over a much longer period of months i believe. Lucas Black literally has to make friends, enemies and learn to tokyo drift, all from the ground up. I would estimate that Elena has to be at LEAST 5 months pregnant by the time she re-encounters Dom at the hospital in the beginning of film 7. Instead she gets blown out of a 5th storey window and appears 0days pregnant. Several more weeks must pass during this film.

 

UNLESS the child is born in between films 6 & 7, during the run time lucas black is tokyo drifting. But why doesn't she fucking tell Dom that he has a kid when they meet in 7?!?! SHE KNOWS HOW HE FEELS ABOUT FAMILY

 

 

 

Exactly what I was saying, that person ain't family as Dom perceives it.

[EvRobert 1684]

I would assume that Tokyo Drift is happening at the same time as 4, 5, and 6. It doesn't flow QUITE evenly because han is all over 3, but I just assumed he was going back to Tokyo between jobs with Dom and we just weren't seeing it.

[RyanSz 3140]

I would assume that Tokyo Drift is happening at the same time as 4, 5, and 6. It doesn't flow QUITE evenly because han is all over 3, but I just assumed he was going back to Tokyo between jobs with Dom and we just weren't seeing it.

No Tokyo Drift is between 6 and 7 because Giselle talks about him going there as he had never been to Japan. He was doing odd jobs, some with Dom as in the start of 4 and all of 5 and 6, but after Giselle dies, he decides to make a life in Japan with what he's earned from the heists. I would say that the stuff involving Lucas Black's character being sent to Japan and starting his life there could be happening at the same time as maybe 6, but the timeline is so floaty it's tough to say.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

First thought: Does ANYONE actually like a hacker-fight on screen when a scene volleys back and forth between two people pressing randoms keys to accomplish something completely unintelligible to thwart the other, back and forth? It's the fucking worsssssst!

 

Much more to say of course but that shit really got my goat

Does the scene in "Hackers" count where Johnny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie are fighting for control of the tape-changing robot at the local TV station? It may be the most hilariously petty hacker fight of all time.

[EvRobert 1684]

No Tokyo Drift is between 6 and 7 because Giselle talks about him going there as he had never been to Japan. He was doing odd jobs, some with Dom as in the start of 4 and all of 5 and 6, but after Giselle dies, he decides to make a life in Japan with what he's earned from the heists. I would say that the stuff involving Lucas Black's character being sent to Japan and starting his life there could be happening at the same time as maybe 6, but the timeline is so floaty it's tough to say.

 

It's been so long since I've seen Tokyo Drift I just projected my own assumptions on it.

 

You also have to account that Bow Wow KNOWS Han. So figuring in Bow Wow met Han sometime in there too. Plus Han has to set up his garage and make his connections.

 

Yeah, it's a mess of a timeline.