THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS REVIEW

When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of terrorism and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.

Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris

Directed by: F. Gary Gary

Written by: Chris Morgan

  Topping the opening record and beating the recent Star Wars movie is definitely shocking. Yes, the Fast and the Furious franchise does well in the U.S., but it’s also driven by success overseas. With these kind of numbers, there may never be an end to them. However, did these huge numbers mean that “The Fate of the Furious” is any good?

  Well if you have a formula that’s working why change it right? First and foremost, it’s about the cars and the action, and there’s plenty of it. It must be a challenge at this point to find a new way to flip a car, or cause some destruction. The movie starts with the usual race, and this is definitely a fun one. The destruction hits big time with the good use of a wrecking ball. Later, they introduce autonomous cars to make an even bigger mess in a very creative way! To finish it off, they put the cars on ice, and throw in a submarine, which will be hard to beat next time around.

  The family is back driving these cars with each having their usual contributions to the group. Hercules, or rather Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is clearly the brawn of the group, as he manhandles everyone in his way. There’s great tension between him and the ninja Deckard (Jason Statham), before and after they take on an entire prison. Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) continue to provide the humor, and still are waiting for a date with Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). Not family, but they add a newcomer, Owen (Luke Evans), who quickly becomes a target for many of their jokes. And back only to be a love interest is unfortunately Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). 

   Of course the leader of this family, Don (Vin Diesel), is the center of the story. Watching trailer after trailer the curiosity really set in. What could motivate him enough to turn his back on family? Without giving it away, lets say it makes plenty of sense, and is a good driver of the story. Cipher (Charlize Theron) turns out to be a pretty good villain, who pushes Dom to the limit.

  

Maybe not worthy of the record, but “The Fate of the Furious” does enough to make it worth movie goers money. As usually there’s a lot of unrealistic, but really awesome car tricks. The family is back, some funny and others way over the top. Turning Dom against the family becomes a very good way to go with the story. It sets up some interesting twists and turns all leading to another crazy finish. With that, I give it 3 stars, and look forward to more car chases in the future!

HorrO

FURIOUS 7 REVIEW

Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for the death of his brother.

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson

Directed by: James Wan

Written by: Chris Morgan, and Gary Scott Thompson

  When “The Fast and Furious 6" ended, the crew was looking forward to some well-deserved family time. Toretto (Vin Diesel) looked forward to making up for lost time with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), while Brian (Paul Walker) settled down for family life with his wife and son. However, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) has some other plans for them, as he seeks revenge for what they did to his brother. Enter flying cars, gold women, and exaggerated action scenes... yes another chapter in “The Fast and Furious" franchise.

Not since the last "Transformers" has there been so many flying cars in a movie. After six movies, it’s apparently time to take the cars to the friendly skies. In one action sequence, several cars are dropped from a plane with the intent of landing on a mountain terrain. In another sequence, an absolutely beautiful car is destroyed as it goes airborne from one building to the next. Yes, more completely larger-than-life action scenes from this series that makes it so fun to watch. 

Don't worry, there's plenty of action on the ground too! The final action scene of the movie takes to the streets of L.A. in an intense high-speed chase. The cars aren't the only ones doing the damage though. Any movie with Jason Statham needs to have some good fight scenes, and this one starts off with a smash mouth fight between Dwayne Johnson and Statham. What's surprising is that the best fighting actually takes place between Brian, and his new foe Kiet (Tony

Jaa).

After six movies the audience can see the cast have fit comfortably into their roles. Diesel is good for the action, but still awkward when it comes to romantic moments with Michelle. Michelle does a great job playing the tough girl, including showing toughness in a great fight with another woman. With Toretto being more of the point man, Paul doesn't get many stand-alone moments, but still does a solid job. As usual, Tyrese and Ludacris are terrific bringing in the comic relief. Dwayne doesn't have a lot of screen time, but he certainly makes the most of it by being completely over the top.

The ultimate respect goes to how they dealt with the loss of their friend Paul Walker. Vin Diesel and him made this franchise, so it was only fitting they end it on a high note for Paul. They set up a scene that pays tributes to many of the great moments in the series he was involved in. Each cast member also got a chance to say goodbye still within the framework of the movie before he literally drives off into the sunset.

  If you’re a fan of the series, there's no reason not to be a fan of "Furious 7" as well. While it's a story of revenge, there are a few nice twists and turns along the way. The cast does a great job of jumping back into their characters. And the action is as extreme, fun, and unbelievable as it always seems to be. They top everything off with a great send off for Paul Walker. With that, I give this movie 3 stars!

  HorrO

R.I.P. Paul Walker… you will be missed.