Once again for the tenth time the story evolves around family, both blood and social. Yet this time the main target is Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) son, Brian (Leo Abelo Perry). The villain is Dante (Jason Momoa) whose father was killed with the help of Dom on a long stretch of a highway many years ago. For Dante who has been planning revenge for over a decade he will stop at nothing to kill everyone around Dom but most importantly is his young son, Brian.
The gang is all here and ready to fight, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) the love of Dom’s life, Roman (Tyrese Gibson) the funny man, Tej (Ludacris) the serious one, Uncle Jakob (John Cena), the enemy of my enemy Cipher (Charlize Theron) the good, the bad and the beautiful and for now friend, Aimes (Alan Ritchson) and they all have one thing in common enemy number one Dante. They travel around the globe from Rio to Rome, Portugal to Antarctica with several stops in between but no one is safe in Dante’s world. There are a few cameos in the story along with brief appearances by Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), Queenie (Helen Mirren), Abuela Toretto (Rita Moreno), Tess (Brie Larson), Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood) and several others.
This story is high octane from the beginning to the end and other than characters at times coming and going the direction, writing, special effects, score and amount of mass destruction is off the chain and well worth the well over two-hour film. I felt there were a few holes here and there but most people are watching the amazing destruction from the start to finish so any holes will mostly go unnoticed. Filled with jaw-dropping car chases and a huge oval bomb like something out of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” there is never a dull moment nor much of a quiet one either while watching in IMAX.
Hands down my favorite actor in this story is Momoa, he is flamboyant, funny, deadly, well dressed all in one and fantastic, coming into the story as a blast from the past. Diesel was good as the straight man trying to protect his son but seemed a bit stiff at times but hey, we are all getting older. Rodriguez is still kicking butt and still looks good doing it. Cena brought some good vibes to the table as does Larson and Ritchson but it is Perry that shines as the main target of Dante. Theron is amazing and powerful and surely knows how to physically fight. Along with the other supporting cast members and cameo’s it all comes together as one of their best. I thought this was the end but just like on television you have to wait for more to come. Luckily no animals were used in this film!
