By Travis Johnson
The Fast and the Furious franchise started heading towards greatness when it started wearing its big dumb heart on its big dumb sleeve and making big dumb speeches about the importance of family. You can mock the physics on display all you want, but there’s a rather touching and open sentimentality to the series that is almost impossible to disparage. It is, in fact the reason why Vin and co. were able to give Paul Walker such a send off. It’s hard to think of any other movie that could do that without coming across as mawkish. In Furious 7, it feels heartfelt and genuine.
Which is why that big ol’ twist – Dom turns evil! – in Fate of the Furious is such a shocker. Surely not! Not Dom, the bald, beefy patriarch of this street-racing family of choice! He only just got Letty back! What could bring him to not only turn his back on his bros, but go head to head with them in vehicular combat?
Well, let’s go to this new clip Universal dropped on Twitter:
The game has changed. #F8 pic.twitter.com/vC7ScLKFro
— Fast & Furious (@TheFastSaga) March 4, 2017
“I got no choice!” He roars at Charlize Theron’s villain. We knew it! Ol’ Dom is being blackmailed, coerced or somehow compelled to turn his coat (or unflattering muscle shirt, if you prefer). He’s clearly trying to protect his crew the only way he can. Boy, we can’t wait til the tables are turned and nasty ol’ Charlize gets her comeuppance. Hopefully Michelle Rodriguez pounds the snot out of her, although we’ll accept Helen Mirren delivering a beatdown instead, if we must.*
Directed by F. Gary Gray and starring Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky, Kurt Russell, Charlize Theron, Scott Eastwood and Helen Mirren, The Fate of the Furious roars into cinemas on April 12, 2017.
*Dame Helen is playing Jason Statham’s mother. The world is a good place and worth fighting for.
