Anyone see? I saw it tonight. Entertaining, but it raises the absurdity bar to ridiculous new heights. Logic and physics go right out the window, but there are two inspired bits: the first is a nifty, visually thrilling "oh, crap" moment involving some autonomous cars; the second, a surprisingly comic, endearing, and yet brutal action sequence with Jason Statham that FIRMLY establishes him as a good guy in this franchise. Paul Walker is definitely missed, though his character is referenced a couple of times. Scott Eastwood kinda fills his position, but his character never totally gels. Kurt Russell is fun once again as Mr. Nobody. Charlize is smoking hot and oozes villainy; the woman knows how to make a sidelong glance look really evil. Helen Mirren shows up in a small but key part. And...others...from previous films show up unexpectedly. The plot in a nutshell? Dom (Vin Diesel) turns against his friends/family after evil cyber-terrorist Cipher (Theron) shows him a video on a smartphone. Though you know his conversion is against his will, you wonder what could make him turn away from his family, the thing he loves most. Gotta say, the writers pulled it off. They manage to motivate Dom to go rogue and simultaneously tie up a loose end from a previous film. The Vin Diesel/Dwayne Johnson feud must be real. They share NOT ONE scene together. Even when they're in the *same* scene, they appear to have been filmed separately and are not on camera together. Doesn't feel as strong as 6 or 7, but it's a fun ride if you turn your brain off. 6.5/10.
I've heard they get good at 4. Haven't been able to work up the strength to grit my teeth through the first 3, but I will someday.
I haven't seen 1-4. I didn't jump in until 5, and I thought 5 was great. 6, too, was terrific. It's hard to say whether 5 or 6 is the best. The chick fights between Michelle Rodriguez and Gina Carano may put 6 over the top. 7 and 8 are both good (with the edge going to 7), but not as good as 5 and 6 IMHO. I will say that Jason Statham really adds a lot to the franchise as a good guy, even though the main characters in the movie--the "family" they keep celebrating--have to conveniently forget that he murdered one of them (Han) and tried to kill them all in an earlier episode. There's talk of spinning the Rock and Statham off into their own franchise. I say DO EET. They play off each other very well. Good chemistry.
Disappointing . The fight between them in 6? was brilliant. Those guys launching each other through walls. As much as Vin Diesel is a big guy, I can't see him being able to take the Rock in reality....
What's that old saying? "It's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, it's the size of the fight in the dog." But, yes, based solely on appearance, I would expect the Rock to break Diesel (or just about anyone else, really) in half.
I saw a promo picture for Baywatch the other day. The rock and Efron. Efron had a t-shirt on. Not often he's the guy who has to keep his top on so as not to be embarrased by the other guy.
Efron has a very impressive physique, it just isn't as overstated as the Rock's. I'm sure he isn't embarrassed. What gets me about the trailer is everyone (including Alexandra Dadarrio) being so awestruck by Kelly Rohrbach, playing the Pamela Anderson character. I wouldn't look twice at Kelly Rohrbach while Alexandra Dadarrio was around.
