So, I’ve got to admit, the Fast and Furious franchise really isn’t the best one for gritty realism. Or, if I’m honest, realistic at all. It kind of seems like each movie has to outdo itself with really stretching the viewers’ suspension of disbelief.
That being said, I do enjoy the Fast and Furious movies and I did find this one to be really entertaining. I liked the fact that I got to see more of Dom’s history and family life. I think it allowed for a better insight into Dom’s personality and why family is so important to him.
I really like the fact that Brian’s character is still an important part of the movie, despite the actor passing away. I’m glad that Mia made a return to the movie, because it made it clear that family is just as important to her throughout. And some of the actions she took made her stand out independently from the rest of the group.
I found it pretty interesting that there was some flirting with breaking of the fourth wall. I won’t go into details about what happened, but some of the unrealistic parts of what happens to and around the characters do end up addressed. And I really liked that.
There were some pretty good moments of humour in this movie. One particular scene had Ramsey driving a huge van and…well, let me just say that how she was driving was exactly how I would be driving if I ever managed to get behind the wheel of any kind of vehicle.
I have to admit, this movie series does have a bad case of characters not staying dead. As seen from the trailer, Han is very much alive. And there is an explanation provided. The explanation still doesn’t answer all of the questions I had, though.
There was a lot of great action scenes in this movie, but I really couldn’t help but wince at some of the damage that was caused to the general public during the course of some of these chases. It’s like…the good guys are causing huge amounts of damage and huge amount of injuries (and likely deaths) and…it’s not acknowledged? Pretty sure a lot of the cars that were damaged did in fact have people in them.
I loved the bickering/banter between Roman and Tej and it was honestly great to see Ramsey added to the mix. I loved that, although the main focus of the movie was on Dom and his estranged brother, there was still a lot involving the other characters, too. Though I did get a little confused when they split up and there was so much switching between different scenes.
All in all, the movie was good, if pretty repetitive considering it’s the ninth entry in the Fast and Furious franchise. And the younger actors seemed to fit their older roles particularly well. So if you enjoy the franchise, you will probably get some entertainment watching this. But I wouldn’t say it’ll be easy to follow as an introduction to Fast and Furious.
If you do go and see it – there is a mid-credits scene. And if you do go and see it, let me know what you think!
Ink of Blood 