Director: F. Gary Gray
Running Time: 136 mins
Certificate: 12A
Release Date: April 12th 2017 (UK)
Franchises are funny things. The popular opinion is that the majority of films on at your local multiplexes are part of franchises, cinematic universes, sequels or reboots. Whereas the Bond series has evolved by having multiple actors playing the titular spy and a soft reboot, Fast & Fuiours franchise has evolved from its ‘cop on the street action/thriller’ origins, to being stupidly fun and very over the top entries which channel heist and spy capers. It’s safe to say this particular franchise has evolved while maintaining its aesthetics, and doesn’t look like it will run out of gas any time soon.
As such we have another entry titled Fast and Furious 8 / The Fate of the Furious / The Fateful 8 / Vin Diesel’s Driving Dchool Vol. 8. As you can tell I can’t take this review too seriously, and you shouldn’t take this film seriously either. I cannot stress how silly, cheesy and, as such, enjoyable this film is. [Read more…]
We still can’t believe that Vin Diesel is really going to go against the crew he’s bonded with over the last five movies, but the promos so far for Fast & Furious 8 certainly suggest that (don’t be shocked if in the actual movie it turns out not to be quite as clear cut as that). Now a new trailer has arrived, which wants to show that while they might be shaking up the formula a little, there’ll still be a lot of OTT action.
Although we’ve had a couple of promos for the excellent looking Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, one thing we haven’t seen is Kurt Russell as Star Lord’s father, Ego the Living Planet. That’s now been remedied with a new trailer – although you have to wait until the very end to see him. Oddly, he does look like he really could be Chris Pratt’s dad.
Guardians Of The Galaxy certainly wasn’t lacking in action, but it appears that they may be upping the stakes for Volume 2, as this new Extended Look is packed to the brim with sci-fi fighting, flying and general craziness. They may also be bidding for having the world’s cutest character with Baby Groot.
I don’t know why we get boring Fast & Furious names in the UK, but sadly we’re just getting Fast & Furious 8, while in the US it’ll be the more interesting The Fate Of The Furious. The give us a new taste, as Super Bowl spot has been released.
It’s easy to forget that before it was released Guardians of the Galaxy seemed like a massive gamble for Marvel. It was based on a property that wasn’t as well-known as the likes of Hulk, Iron Man and Captain America, had a very different tone to other Marvel movies, and its more explicitly sci-fi setting didn’t match what we’d seen from the Marvel Universe up to that point.
Vin Diesel is making a bit of a habit of leaving franchises before returning later. He did it with Fast & Furious, and after playing Xander Cage in 2002’s xXx, he bowed out for the sequel, which starred Ice Cube.
There was a lot of anticipation for Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, partly because it’s Ang Lee’s first movie since the Oscar winning The Life Of Pi, and partly because he was planning something no one had done before – something made and projected in 3D at 120 frames per second (more than double The Hobbit’s 48fps). However, reviews from the New York Film Festival were middling, with some saying the high frame rate ruined the moviegoing experience.
Many wondered whether the intergalactic adventures of Guardians of the Galaxy would be a flop, but it ended up being one of their biggest hits, ensuring a sequel is on its way. It reunites the main cast and creative forces for what this first teaser suggests will be another fun adventure.
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