…and it’s a mess. We should probably go out on a limb and say that the Fast and the Furious series has been anything but cinematic gold since its inception back in 2001, but the trailer for its eighth chapter (seriously) is suggesting that the series has hit an all-time low.
In addition to the inevitable CGI and overelaborate stunts, it’s become an ongoing series of Dodge commercials since the fourth movie, with each character in the opening scene driving matching modified Challenger Hellcats. It’s a nod to the original’s opening featuring a trio of black Honda Civics highjacking a semi-truckload of 22-inch tube TVs and DVD players (which today, may be worth a grand total of $278.12).
Like with any F&F film, Fate of the Furious (aka, F8) is jam-packed with action and out-of-this-world car stunts, and a subpar storyline. This latest installment has left us confused and bewildered. Evidently Vin Diesel’s character, Dominic Toretto, is under some kind of mind control or found himself in a very sticky situation with Charlize Theron’s character and he has turned on his extended family, running them off the road, undermining their mission and apparently, leaving Letty for this new female lead.
The star vehicles include a pro-touring ’71 GTX, ’67 Corvette and a peek at a few other muscle cars, including a jet-powered ’68 Charger. The producers keep leaking in more diversity in the cars, from Bentleys and Lambos to the aforementioned late-model Hellcats, and everything in between — almost completely eliminating the pocket rocket imports the launched the series to begin with.
We’ve been fans of the franchise for its automotive eye candy and action, and obviously for a good laugh but even we can’t stomach how bad this new one appears to be, vehicles notwithstanding. Whether we actually review Fate of the Furious is still up in the air, but the next trailer better have something to bring us to convince us that we should.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of AutoCentric Media, the parent company to Timeless Muscle Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the magazine’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next round modifications for his own cars.
