The Fate Of The Furious Review: 7 Ups & 4 Downs
Downs
4. It's The Weakest Of The Last Four Movies
It shouldn't be surprising at this point, for as well as the last three movies have successfully managed to one-up one another, the eighth movie feels like a slight back-step in terms of quality, perhaps in part because the formula feels so confident and, well, formulaic at this point.
Nobody sees these movies for their water-tight stories, but the opening act in particular feels a little more awkward and low-energy than previous installments, and overall it lacks the surprising verve of Fast Five or Furious 7's unexpected emotional impact (albeit a necessity due to Paul Walker's death).
All that said, ranking the movies at this point feels pretty pointless, because the last four in particular are extremely consistent when it comes to entertainment value. It may signal franchise fatigue coming soon enough, but for now the films are still a damn fun time.