First Take: Fast & Furious 8- yes, it’s a different title for British audiences

Spoiler free as usual. Because epic car chases deserve a big screen.

SYPNOSIS: 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.

With 7 films in the bag, the Fast and Furious franchise has had one of the biggest holds in Hollywood since the original film came out in 2001. Now, Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray is in charge of arguably one of the most anticipated films of 2017- and considering the hype, he has delivered.

Gray’s direction is a lot more slick and stylish compared to the first 7 films, and with his pacing up to scratch, his depiction of the script penned by franchise regular Chris Morgan is very much unlike any Fast film so far, as the cars are more of a tool in the epic action setpieces, rather than being used for the racing that defined the franchise. However, some of the twists in the film’s narrative are a little far fetched, and could be seen as a deliberate ploy to set up a 9th installment of the series, something which could put more hardened critics and cinemagoers off this film.

Performance wise, we have some good work from the regulars, including Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris and the man better known as The Rock, but where this film comes alive is in the work of Charlize Theron as the new villain Cipher, alongside what can only be described as Vin Diesel’s most radical performance as Dom, as he turns to evil for the first time in the series. The technical pedigree is great too, with Stephen F. Windon once again behind the camera delivering some bigger shots than ever, and once mixed with a healthy Brian Tyler score, this is a true big screen experience.

THE VERDICT

This is without question one of the craziest films to be released this year, and that’s not just because of the now infamous submarine sequence seen in the trailers- the action, performances and plot within this film are still good, but it does feel like the engine of this franchise is starting to backfire.

Rating: 4/5