Dominic Torretto faces a decision to make for his family in "The Fate of the Furious," bringing a fantastic sequel that propels the franchise forward.
The story isn't a brilliant life altering story, but its a magnificent change for a series that has taken some twists and turns which have been unexpected.
This installment starts with Dom, played by Vin Diesel, and Letty, played by Michelle Rodriguez, on their honeymoon in Cuba.
Both have Disel and Rodriguez have been playing these characters through the series and continue to play them well.
Cipher, played by Charlize Theron, brings a proposal to Dom which he accepts.
Theron is a fantastic villain which adds an element of viciousness which the prior villains of the Fast and Furious franchise had not before. She is an equal to any of the members of Dom's team, but adds a seductively dominant quality that will entice audiences.
To avoid spoilers, Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson, and Deckard, played by Jason Statham, end up in the same prison.
Johnson has a likable comedic element which helps to bring more to his character than just another brute force cop.
Statham is able to explore his character further and bring out more than expected. The parkour moves he does keep his character being highly entertaining.
The rest of the team – Roman, played by Tyrese Gibson, Tej Parker, played by Ludacris, and Ramsey, played by Nathalie Emmanuel – are back as well with Mr. Nobody, played by Kurt Russell and new comer Owen, played by Luke Evans.
Gibson and Ludacris get the best lines and such funny moments that its hard not to think of them as a crucial part of what made this movie good.
What makes this movie worth watching is a spoiler, which I will avoid mentioning, but will elude to.
Vin Diesel takes Dom's character to a whole new level.
Dom's relationship with Letty gets put to the test, enemies become allies and the family dynamic of the group changes.
The cars are amazing as they always are in this series.
Dom and Letty get the bad ass muscle cars which can take a beating and keep going.
Roman gets the flashy cars which help him become a bullseye.
Tej and Ramsey get cars which are high-tech as they are brilliant with technology.
Hobbs gets the large-bulky powerful trucks which go with his personality.
The villain gets the vehicles which can be seen as impossible to take down with a regular car.
The ending, much like the rest of the ending of these series wraps up with an inspirational message.
I give this action film a 4 out of 5 Popcorns. Discussing this movie with my guest to the screening Jessica Cameron, It held its own with the story and the action was just enough to be entertaining but not over doing it. It's an entertaining ride which is enjoyable and adds something new to the franchise, a female villain that is equal in every way to any of the male counterparts. Charlize Theron is one of the biggest reasons to watch this movie, having watched it in IMAX was another great part. It's a movie that benefits from the IMAX experience.
"The Fate of the Furious" is out in theaters April 14.
