For a franchise whose sole purpose of being hinges on the age old mantra ‘go big or go home’, Fast and Furious 8 sure does follow the rulebook. But sadly, the fatigue is setting in. A couple of films ago – even three films ago – you’d never have believed it. The series had just witnessed a comeback unlike any other. In that moment, to quote a teen novel of all things, we were all infinite. Dom was in love. The Rock was breaking concrete by stomping on it real hard. Tyrese was yelling. Women were being objectified…

In The Fate of the Furious, our heroes walk away from crashes that would put Captain America on the disabled list.

On top of the clunky dialogue and absurd plot twists, such moments suggest that the franchise – which already has two more installments planned – peaked three movies ago, with 2011’s Fast Five. Even so, Fate gives fans of the franchise exactly what they want, provided they can ditch logic as easily as the movie does.

There’s much to enjoy when cars are flying around the screen, even if logic takes flight with them. Some of the sequences are absolutely preposterous but make for such a dazzling display of destruction, they allow you to appreciate the sheer audacity of the filmmakers to even conjure them up! Traditional for big-budget films today, the plot leaves room for yet another outing, although at this point one wonders how much gas is left in the tank of this franchise.

There’s little to hold your interest in between. You know the reason for Dom’s ‘betrayal’ fairly soon. You don’t know why he shares a kiss with Cipher. You wonder how easy it is to bury a hatchet when fighting a common enemy. And how long you can hold a grudge. Building up a sequel is fairly easy.

Furious 8 fails to be the best in the franchise. With its predictable screenplay, the only thing that works here is Charlize Theron’s sex appeal.

Fans will probably find Fast and Furious 8 mostly satisfying. Non-fans will most likely not find the film as offensive to the senses as they would expect. After all, there are few cinematic moments as oddly eloquent as seeing a WWE pro-wrestler pick up Clint Eastwood’s son like he is an action figure and shake him around.

Despite all the madness and over the top scenarios, F8 is a thoroughly enjoyable film. You have to take it with a pinch of salt, yes. But the heady experience it offers is spectacularly fun. Vin Diesel is invincible, Dwayne Johnson is in Hulk mode, Jason Statham is a merc with a mouth and Charlize Theron has dreadlocks and a badass Darwin philosophy book. Fast & Furious 8 is pure madcap mayhem.

The narrative in fact feels lazy and stilted. Charlize Theron tries her best to look like and act like a venomous seductress black widow but fails . Kurt Russell is wasted here, Scott Eastwood plays officious like a joker while Helen Mirren just about manages to light up a few distinctive moments with her august presence. The script is fatally flawed and the direction seems out of sorts. Frankly there’s not much to hold on to here.

If you are a fan of the franchise, you are in for a treat. The movie is not better than the Furious 7 but still comes among the better ones of the franchise. If you are a sucker of mindless action flick, it will entertain. Watch it for over the top action scenes, Dwayne Johnson’s charisma and Tyrese Gibson’s scene stealer act. Despite its flaws, it is the most fun you are gonna have in theatre in recent times. The film can be best described as an entertaining mess!

There is room for everything and everyone in this baggy after-thought including a cute baby who is part of the film’s climactic stunts. The baby, named Brian after the late much-missed Paul Walker, has a ball.
We do too. We don’t miss Walker. There is no pause for nostalgia here.

Just don’t listen to the naysayers! Fast & Furious 8 (aka The Fate of the Furious) is everything it promises to be and more. The latest edition is indeed bigger and grander than all the previous instalments and achieving that is no mean feat.