SPOILER-FREE MOVIE REVIEW
I was really excited for this one.
Coming off a franchise high in the shape of Furious 7 (2014) which earned a whopping US$1.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales, I was really keen on seeing where the filmmakers would take the series next.
Fast 8 is directed by F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Straight Outta Compton) and features an ensemble cast of the usual characters from previous films in the series (minus the late Paul Walker) along with the major big-profile addition in the form of Charlize Theron who plays the film's main antagonist, Cipher.
Another welcome addition for me is in one of my favourite up-and-coming actors, Scott Eastwood, who plays Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell)'s protégé. I'm a huge fan of his (and not just because he's the son of my favourite actor of all-time, Clint Eastwood).
Who would've thought that EIGHT instalments in, they'd still manage to come up with something fresh to bring to the table.
The movie kicks off in explosive fashion with an exhilarating race sequence in Havana, Cuba. I had no idea of the significance of the location until I watched an episode of Top Gear recently where they explored the rich racing history of Cuba - and the exact road they used in those races is featured in the opening of Fast 8 which I thought was pretty cool.
That explosiveness never really lets off after that apart from character introduction scenes, and that's exactly what you'd come to expect from one of these movies.
In terms of the whole scale of the action sequences scattered throughout the film, I was really impressed with 75% of them, with the only slightly underwhelming one being the big climactic finale. I felt that some of the prior sequences had more oomph than the last one overall, but it's just a minor nitpick.
A bigger issue would be the CGI used in these mega action scenes.
I admired how ambitious they were trying to be with the action, but if the scene requires so many post-production visual effects, they should have at least ensured they put a lot of the film's mega budget into it.
Instead, the CGI feels really cheap at times, and when you look at a scene and can immediately tell that it was computer-generated, that's not a good sign. As I write this, I'm at home and London Has Fallen (2016) is on TV. That movie is a prime example of some of the worst CGI I've seen in a modern Hollywood film, and some of the CGI in Fast 8 is sadly comparable to that.
If they had kept the action sequences more grounded, realistic and less outlandish, there'd be less of a need for much CGI as everything could be achieved with practical effects. However, I do also understand that this is, at the end of the day, a Fast & Furious movie and hence all the action is deliberately meant to make zero sense whatsoever.
One hell of a unique franchise, this. Perhaps it's time I watched all the movies from the start (I had only seen Furious 7 up to this point).
On to the positives, and where else can I start but with the terrific chemistry of the ensemble cast.
These people work so well together, and what makes it even more impressive is how the new additions manage to capture that spark and chemistry so quickly.
Truly commendable stuff from the terrific cast.
I also appreciated how self-aware the film is, knowing fully well that it is a completely crazy and mad action movie. It may not seem like much of a big deal but there are very few things worse than a movie that tries to be what it's so far from.
Gotta commend the plot too. It was gripping, full of suspense and kept pulling rabbits out of hats just when you thought the obvious was going to happen next. Some excellent twists here and there.
On a technical level, the movie does all right. The vehicle sequences are filmed well but they're nothing spectacular or groundbreaking. Comfortable territory for director F. Gary Gray who's known for directing action.
All in all, Fast 8 was a thrilling new entry into a franchise that continues to come up with the goods whenever doubt is cast upon what they can do next that's not done before.
The action is suitably over-the-top and extravagant, and although the CGI is poor at times especially during these action scenes, the huge scale of it all makes up for it.
I had a ball of a time with this movie and the fact that it completely shattered the worldwide box office opening weekend record set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) goes to show just how in-demand these movies are.
If they continue making them like this then I'm on board, all right, unlike the dreary and frankly unnecessary Transformers franchise which apparently has 14 more sequels planned? Honestly, who the hell wants 14 sequels let alone one?
Let's hope this beloved franchise doesn't fall into that category anytime soon.
7.5/10.
Coming off a franchise high in the shape of Furious 7 (2014) which earned a whopping US$1.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales, I was really keen on seeing where the filmmakers would take the series next.
Fast 8 is directed by F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Straight Outta Compton) and features an ensemble cast of the usual characters from previous films in the series (minus the late Paul Walker) along with the major big-profile addition in the form of Charlize Theron who plays the film's main antagonist, Cipher.
Another welcome addition for me is in one of my favourite up-and-coming actors, Scott Eastwood, who plays Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell)'s protégé. I'm a huge fan of his (and not just because he's the son of my favourite actor of all-time, Clint Eastwood).
Who would've thought that EIGHT instalments in, they'd still manage to come up with something fresh to bring to the table.
The movie kicks off in explosive fashion with an exhilarating race sequence in Havana, Cuba. I had no idea of the significance of the location until I watched an episode of Top Gear recently where they explored the rich racing history of Cuba - and the exact road they used in those races is featured in the opening of Fast 8 which I thought was pretty cool.
That explosiveness never really lets off after that apart from character introduction scenes, and that's exactly what you'd come to expect from one of these movies.
In terms of the whole scale of the action sequences scattered throughout the film, I was really impressed with 75% of them, with the only slightly underwhelming one being the big climactic finale. I felt that some of the prior sequences had more oomph than the last one overall, but it's just a minor nitpick.
A bigger issue would be the CGI used in these mega action scenes.
I admired how ambitious they were trying to be with the action, but if the scene requires so many post-production visual effects, they should have at least ensured they put a lot of the film's mega budget into it.
Instead, the CGI feels really cheap at times, and when you look at a scene and can immediately tell that it was computer-generated, that's not a good sign. As I write this, I'm at home and London Has Fallen (2016) is on TV. That movie is a prime example of some of the worst CGI I've seen in a modern Hollywood film, and some of the CGI in Fast 8 is sadly comparable to that.
If they had kept the action sequences more grounded, realistic and less outlandish, there'd be less of a need for much CGI as everything could be achieved with practical effects. However, I do also understand that this is, at the end of the day, a Fast & Furious movie and hence all the action is deliberately meant to make zero sense whatsoever.
One hell of a unique franchise, this. Perhaps it's time I watched all the movies from the start (I had only seen Furious 7 up to this point).
On to the positives, and where else can I start but with the terrific chemistry of the ensemble cast.
These people work so well together, and what makes it even more impressive is how the new additions manage to capture that spark and chemistry so quickly.
Truly commendable stuff from the terrific cast.
I also appreciated how self-aware the film is, knowing fully well that it is a completely crazy and mad action movie. It may not seem like much of a big deal but there are very few things worse than a movie that tries to be what it's so far from.
Gotta commend the plot too. It was gripping, full of suspense and kept pulling rabbits out of hats just when you thought the obvious was going to happen next. Some excellent twists here and there.
On a technical level, the movie does all right. The vehicle sequences are filmed well but they're nothing spectacular or groundbreaking. Comfortable territory for director F. Gary Gray who's known for directing action.
All in all, Fast 8 was a thrilling new entry into a franchise that continues to come up with the goods whenever doubt is cast upon what they can do next that's not done before.
The action is suitably over-the-top and extravagant, and although the CGI is poor at times especially during these action scenes, the huge scale of it all makes up for it.
I had a ball of a time with this movie and the fact that it completely shattered the worldwide box office opening weekend record set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) goes to show just how in-demand these movies are.
If they continue making them like this then I'm on board, all right, unlike the dreary and frankly unnecessary Transformers franchise which apparently has 14 more sequels planned? Honestly, who the hell wants 14 sequels let alone one?
Let's hope this beloved franchise doesn't fall into that category anytime soon.
7.5/10.
Comments
Post a Comment