Cliché After Cliché… and More Clichés on Top Not long ago I rewatched "The Fate of the Furious". It’s funny how opinions about a movie can change over time. When I first saw this “masterpiece,” it almost made me cringe. But years later, understanding what the once-great "The Fast and the Furious" franchise has turned into, you start to realize that if you accept the rules of this particular “universe,” "The Fate of the Furious" actually works as a perfectly watchable project. That’s where the real difficulty lies when trying to give the film a fair assessment. Cinema is a huge world—entertaining, instructive, and memorable. Some filmmakers aim for realism, while others—like the creators of the later Fast & Furious movies—have long since thrown caution to the wind, constantly trying to outdo themselves in scale and, it seems, sheer insanity. But hey, the previous installments made a lot of money, so why not keep using the formula that works? A formula where both the story logic and the characters often teeter on the edge of absurdity—just like the events unfolding on screen. As I see it, with the popularity of superhero rivalries in major franchises like Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe, the filmmakers decided to build the story around the main hero of this gasoline-powered saga switching to the dark side. The intrigue surrounding that turn lasts for quite a while, constantly pushing viewers to ask the same question: what could have driven this brave guy to do what he’s doing? That last sentence, by the way, should definitely be read with a heavy dose of sarcasm. The method works rather poorly on screen, competing only with the film’s incredibly pompous dialogue, which is also packed with epic clichés. In the end, we get a supposedly dramatic confrontation where former friends and family members suddenly become enemies. The acting doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the table. It’s more or less the same as in the previous couple of films. Everyone does their job, works hard for the team, and fulfills the role assigned to them by the writers. Speaking of the writers—they’re actually pretty good guys. And I’m saying that without sarcasm this time. They manage to find something for every member of the team to do, and there are quite a lot of them in this movie. They also do a decent job weaving the characters into the overall storyline of the saga, and it all feels reasonably natural. What really works in the film is the action. The stunt work, chases, shootouts, and fights are once again staged at a high level. No matter how you look at it, "Fast & Furious" is basically a cinematic amusement ride where audiences expect to see a lot of spectacular and completely unrealistic moments. That’s exactly why I enjoyed the movie more on a second viewing. The first time, you clearly realize that what’s happening on screen is often ridiculous, illogical, and of course totally unrealistic. But the second viewing makes it easier to accept the film for what it is. Instead of nitpicking every flaw, you can just sit back, enjoy the ride, escape everyday life for a couple of hours, and watch something truly massive in scale. Overall, "The Fate of the Furious" is a weak film—but it definitely finds its audience. In my view, the movie is designed to be taken purely as entertainment. The creators can basically do whatever they want with the characters and the story. The only real requirement is that each new installment has to be bigger than the previous one. How exactly they achieve that—and how loosely the film treats realism—is a secondary concern. 7 out of 10