4k-UHD/Movie Review: Fate of the Furious (F8)

 

The Fate of the Furious is the 8th movie in the "Fast" franchise. The plots of the movies have become crazier and more unrealistic over the course of time, and yes, this movie follows that trend (in this movie a missile is punched by The Rock) and you just have to go with it. If you cannot suspend your disbelief, these movies are not for you as the action sequences, which are fun, could never be pulled off in real life.

This movie sees Dom (Vin Diesel) as the bad guy, seemingly turning his back on the team/family. Of course, not everything is as it seems, as there is a larger plot that plays out throughout the course of the movie. The action sequences are crazy and there is some humor mixed in (including Hobbs and Shaw having to protect a baby while kicking ass). This is the movie that really set the stage for the Hobbs and Shaw spinoff as there are several entertaining sequences that include Jason Statham and The Rock. For the most part, the rest of the main cast returns, including Ludacris, Tyrese, Michelle Rodriguez, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Jordana Brewster does not return as her character, Mia, was written out to be off with Brian who retired after Paul Walker passed away. Kurt Russell reprises his role as Mr. Nobody, and the new cast members include Scott Eastwood and Charlize Theron. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set with just the movie itself on the UHD disc and the movie and all the extras on a regular blu-ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is very good. Probably a tick under "reference quality" video, but for anyone other than a total A/V wonk, it will be fine. The extras include an 8-minute featurette on shooting in Cuba, a four-part featurette about the main characters, a three-part featurette on the car racing culture, a three-part featurette on the stunts, and extended fight scenes. There is a director's commentary on the movie that is included both on the UHD disc and the regular blu-ray. All totaled, the bonus content runs about an hour, give or take. 

Ultimately, if you like the prior movies, you will probably like this one. If you do not like the prior movies, especially the movies after Tokyo Drift, then you will not like this one. It is totally unrealistic and over-the-top, but that is cooked into the series at this point. Charlize Theron is awesome in her role and definitely seemed to be having fun in this role. This was the movie in which the battle between The Rock and Vin Diesel came to a head, with The Rock refusing to do any more of the "main franchise" movies.  If you don't take it too seriously it is a good, fun, action movie.

Blu-Ray/Movie Set Review: Riddick: The Complete Collection

 

This set contains all of the Riddick movies (Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Riddick) that starred Vin Diesel in his other, less well-known franchise, as well as the short animated film, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, that bridges the time between Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. The first movie involves a space freighter carrying both cargo and passengers (including a dangerous criminal on his way to a high-security prison, Diesel's Riddick), encounters difficulty en route, and crashes on a deserted, seemingly lifeless planet with three suns. It then turns into a horror movie as the suns set and the true nature of the plant is revealed. The second movie has some ties to the first movie but is a very different story pitting Riddick against a race of planet invaders called Necromongers. The third movie, is a bit derivative of the first, seeing Riddick stranded on an Alien planet, this time hunted by mercenaries when he activates a beacon on an abandoned ship. Then he has to deal with the mercs and the planet's original inhabitants.

Each of the movies looks very good in HD, with, as you would expect, the A/V quality getting better with each movie. There are extras for each of the movies, including commentary tracks on all three movies, deleted scenes for every movie, featurettes on the effects, making of documentaries for each movie, an extended edition of Riddick, and more. So, if you like watching bonus material, there is a lot there for you.

Overall, the movies are a good blend of action and, with the first and third, horror/suspense. The acting is okay to good. Diesel is what he is, but each movie has a good supporting cast that makes up for his shortcomings. Between the three movies, they include Cole Hauser, Keith David, Alexa Davalos, Karl Urban, Tandie Newton, Judi Dench, Colm Feore, Katee Sackhoff, Keri Hilson, and Dave Bautista. As long as you do not go into them expecting academy-award-winning material, they are enjoyable. The dialogue can get clunky and/or downright dumb sometimes, but the action sequences generally make up for those moments. So, if you like action movies these are good ones to check out.