6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.
Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese GibsonAction | 100% |
Adventure | 68% |
Crime | 13% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS:X
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
English: DTS Headphone:X
Spanish: DTS 5.1
French (Canada): DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It doesn't matter what's under the hood. The only thing that matters is who's behind the wheel.
And therein lies what has made the Fast and the Furious films so immensely popular. That's why when Dominic Toretto races a
jalopy at the beginning of the movie the sequence works so well. It's his knowledge of and passion for cars, not to mention his guile that gets the
vehicle into makeshift racing
shape, that are the true keys to winning a race, not a bunch of high-ticket fancy parts and a slick paint job. That's always been true of the films,
though
it's a truism that's evolved over time and why a seemingly innocent movie from 2001 about an undercover cop and some fast cars evolved into one of
the all-time highest grossing and most popular movie franchises of all time. It's the people, not the cars. It's the drivers, not the speed. It's the fate
of the characters, as this film's title suggests, not the ferocity of high-octane energy that keeps the movies rocking. Even as the effects get bigger,
the stunts more dangerous, and the stakes ever larger, the films zero in ever more closely to that core asset of family, which is put to the ultimate
test -- and the ultimate danger -- in this eighth film that may not be the franchise's best, but that encapsulates everything the franchise stands for.
The digitally photographed The Fate of the Furious unsurprisingly shines on Blu-ray. Dating back to the beginning, the F&F films have always been about loud colors on both cars and scantily clad women. That's certainly true here, particularly in the early, sun-drenched Havana opening where the film finds its most steady and significant barrage of bright, punchy, deeply saturated and very diverse and nuanced colors. Cars and clothes alike blind the viewer with impeccably reproduced shades of red, green, orange: name the color, and it's somewhere to be found throughout the entire opening sequence. Orange prison jumpsuits and fireballs are amongst the additional standouts. Variously diverse, but perhaps not so often widely splashed or screen-filling, colors around New York also excite. The palette tones down a bit in the frigid, snowy third act. Details are wonderfully clean and sharp throughout. Facial textures -- pores, stubble, and the like, the usual visual suspects -- are impressively robust throughout the film. Cars are clean and every bit of metal and paint is finely revealing. City environments and snowy landscapes reveal their natural textures with ease. Shadow details are solid, black levels hold naturally deep, and flesh tones are strong, perhaps pushing a hair warm in the brightest scenes. Noise is evident, but not particularly troublesome, in lower light. No other source or encode flaws are readily apparent. This is a gorgeous new release Blu-ray from Universal.
The Fate of the Furious' Blu-ray features a DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack. It's rock-solid, aggressive and full-bodied, only occasionally coming up a bit short not in terms of clarity or spacing but in raw aggression. For the most part, though, it's a wonderful listen. Music has no qualms about engaging the back channels with plenty of the workload, though the core elements do remain up front, pushed as far as the stage's width allows. Clarity is terrific through every note, including bass-happy and instrumentally diverse moments, such as during a prison brawl 34 minutes into the film. Car engine revs are ridiculously strong. Throaty, growly, and intense, each one rattles the seat, in a good way, offering a tangible, high quality reproduction of how it must feel to sit in the seat of one of the high-powered racers. Cars zip, jet engines scream, alarms blare, explosions burst, and gunfire erupts all with remarkable precision and full stage saturation. There are times -- a scene when cars fall from the sky around the 70-minute mark, for example -- when the track seems held back ever so slightly, lacking the sort of clear, definitive overhead presence one would expect from such a scene and definitely coming up a bit short when it comes to low end response and sheer aggression of crashing and crunching metal on metal and concrete. Otherwise, the track is superb, rounded into form by terrific dialogue reproduction and prioritization, even under the most chaotic conditions.
The Fate of the Furious contains several extras. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase. The digital version does include an
extended cut of the film, which, sadly, is exclusive to digital.
The Fate of the Furious finds itself more comfortable than innovative. The film is still very good and highly entertaining, offering everything one could possibly want at this point in time from the franchise beyond any serious plot or character turns that aren't quite so transparent as what this film has on offer. Still, it satisfies in all areas: cars, speed, action, and building on, albeit more slightly than emphatically, the core characters. One could easily see the word "stale" slapped onto the next film if it's not careful in what it has to show and say, but with Fate the franchise proves, once again, its viability, even if it's less innovative and more "as expected." Universal's Blu-ray is unsurprisingly excellent, offering top-tier video, a superb DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack, and a few quality extras. Highly recommended.
Digital Bonus Content
2017
2017
2017
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw Fandango Cash
2017
with Collectible Cinch Sack
2017
2017
2017
2017
2015
2019
2017
Extended Edition
2013
2012
2018
2015
2015
2011
2011
2009
Extended Cut
2013
2008
Collector's Edition
2021
2006
2003
2018
2017
2006
20th Anniversary Edition
2001