"The Fast & the Furious" was the beginning of something big back in 2001, despite being completely unrelated to the first movie by the same name and nearly stealing the plot from "Point Break." Michelle Rodriguez's insistence that she wouldn't be the cheating type, and the ensuing creation of Mia Toretto, was part of what helped "F&F1" separate itself from the Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze classic. It was still a cheesy film with borderline anime acting, but it was enjoyable enough to spawn a sequel which would be the first of many.
Having broken away from its simplistic origins, despite nearly all of the muscle-bound cast having been turned unintentionally into superheroes (they should be dead by now, considering the stunts they've been walking away from), "Fast And Furious 8" only proves there is still some NOS left in that 16-year-old engine.
With the 'F8' box office earning a record of $532.5 million, 'Star Wars' is left playing catch-up
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" was a fan favorite, earning better reviews than the standard sequel "The Force Awakens," no easy feat for an anthology film. However, the Force was still not strong enough with it to outperform Vin Diesel and his crew as they raced back into theaters on April 14. Having been released just prior to the Easter Holiday, compared with the "Force Awakens" release around Christmas, "F8" managed to drift right past the story of how Rey came to meet the original cast, including her teacher-to-be Luke Skywalker. The record held by "The Force Awakens" was $529 million.
This could easily be attributed to the fact that most people were still shopping for those hard-to-find gifts (like the NES Classic Edition), and not just baskets, candy, and colored plastic eggs.
Critics might not find it so amusing that a franchise for which you largely need to turn off your brain outdid a film from a classic and beloved franchise.
Of course, the lack of critical acclaim didn't stop "Transformers: Age of Extinction" from topping the charts, thanks to Chinese audiences. It also didn't stop "Resident Evil" from lasting for six entries, the last of which hit last year.
Film critic Rhianna Dhillon opened up on why audiences love the 'Fast and Furious' series
It isn't often to find a critic praising a franchise like this, but Rhianna admitted that the series actually hits a lot of the same nerves as the Oscar-nominated "Mad Max: Fury Road." It's a form of "pure, unadulterated escapism ... people of all ages can enjoy." She adds that what drags movies like "Avengers" down is the convoluted plot, which "Fast and Furious" movies don't bother putting much thought into.
What did you think of "Fate of the Furious"?
