On Thanksgiving night, anchored by gravy and sweet goodies, my family watched The Fast and The Furious. Many reasons went into this decision: a) The FF franchise revolves around family, the tearing and mending of those tricky relationships, holding onto loved ones while driving cool cars really, really fast, and b) because I had the remote. Why they handed me this power is beyond me.
Other IRL family members slipped away to bed, but my father and I stayed up late, absorbing its nuanced portraits and NOS-fueled explosions. It was, how they call it, a bonding moment.
So imagine the anticipation Sunday night when the FF-ers dropped a new trailer for its eight installment (!!) called—gorgeously, perfectly, incredibly—The Fate of the Furious.
Understandably, we have some questions following the trailer release. Let’s break down our super important queries about the fate of our beloved FF-ers.
So Dom’s a bad dude now?
Fair warning: The next sentence you will read is a blasphemous statement. Dominic Torretto is the only film or TV patriarch that matters. (Sorry Don Corleone.) (Sorry Tony Soprano.) (Sorry Coach Taylor.) Everyone else pales in comparison. He is the archetype and the architect.
But the heart of the Fast and Furious is and always has been the relationship between Dom and Brain O’Conner. Theirs was a classic big brother-little brother relationship—each knew who really was boss, but it didn’t stop little brother from trying to win. On top of that, underneath their hulked-out exteriors, both knew they needed one another. That relationship grounded all the other goofy shit in these movies and why installments like 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift feel diluted. People don’t just want to watch fast vehicles and colossal stakes; they want to watch those guys drive fast vehicles and beat the colossal stakes.
With that in mind, it may seem like misstep to separate Dom from the family and turn him bad. But what move did they have left? After upping the villain and consequences the past two movies (and toying with us that Brian would die like 5,000 times), a standard FF episode would feel bland. Either Dom’s leading the gang solo now, or Brian’s there through some facial CGI wizardry and it feels wrong. Dom going bad is the right call.
Will Brian make an appearance?
Tough to tell. He isn’t mentioned or seen throughout the trailer. When Furious 7 ended, it felt like a closing on Brian’s narrative, and a sincere tribute to Paul Walker’s death. However, the Walker brothers, who filled in for some critical Furious 7 scenes, admitted that Vin Diesel asked if they could bring Walker’s character back down the road. They said yes.
Chances are Brian returns. It’s a move they’ll save, though, for ultimate impact. With plans through a 10th Fast and Furious film, they need something to tease down the road. Maybe Brian comes in last minute and turns Dom from bad back to good. Anything is possible.
What unbelievable stunt will they pull off this time?
Wait…that’s a submarine?
Yes. They defeated tanks, aircraft, and drones. Where else could they go? Can we just imagine that pitch, though?
FF producer: “What about submarines? We ain’t did one of them yet.”
Any other person ever: “You realize those are, like, underwater and stuff, right?”
FF producer: “Last movie The Rock drove an ambulances over a bridge into an exploding drone and survived. Then he double-tapped the drone and announced, ‘I am the cavalry.’ There are no rules.”
Any other person ever: “But a submarine needs water to—”
FF producer: “No rules!”
How many times will The Rock refer to himself as ‘daddy’?
Hopefully 10.
How many panning shots of Vin Diesel staring intensely out of a car will there be?
The trailer has about three and I pray that’s the whole movie. Just one long pan of Vin looking forlornly out into the world, wondering his fate as a furious man.
Is Fate of the Furious Oscar bait?
Vin Diesel thinks so! Here’s what Diesel said about the movie’s Oscar chances, singling out F. Gary Gray’s directing as worthy of Academy recognition:
As bizarre as that might be, he is definitely going to [be recognized]. As crazy as that might sound, he should have really been acknowledged for Straight Outta Compton. I think he went into making this movie with a little bit of a chip [on his shoulder], going ‘Oh, really? Now I’m going to take the biggest saga in the world, and I’m about to throw Oscars at you.’ Wait until you see what he does!
Should I go into a coma until this movie’s released?
This is a personal question. And that answer is yes. Friends and family, I’ll see you April 14, 2017.
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