Las Vegas — The Fate of the Furious is in, and it's good according to first reactions to the upcoming film.
Universal Pictures surprised CinemaCon audiences on Wednesday with an unannounced screening of the eighth film in the franchise and praise spread quickly on Twitter.
The Hollywood Reporter's Rebecca Ford said it was perfection, while the trade publication's Aaron Couch said it is "exactly what you buy your ticket for," calling out Jason Statham's film-stealing sequences.
The action scenes of #FateoftheFurious are insane/totally entertaining. @TheRock & Jason Statham steal the show.
— Rebecca Ford (@Beccamford) March 29, 2017
Couch also noted that there are a few "so bad they're good moments" that the improbable franchise has become known for, including a particularly over-the-top sequence with a submarine.
#fateofthefurious is exactly what you buy your ticket for. A few fun “so bad they’re good moments” and Statham has a movie-stealing scene
— Aaron Couch (@AaronCouch) March 29, 2017
IMDB's Keith Simanton said director F. Gary Gray, a newcomer to the franchise fresh off of Straight Outta Compton, is "up to the task."
Only watched 1st hour of #fateofthefurious but F. Gary Gray proves he's up to the task. #VinDiesel #CharlizeTheron pic.twitter.com/kOkcjr2rDw
— Keith Simanton (@IMDbKeith) March 29, 2017
Slashfilm's Peter Sciretta wrote that it "takes the ridiculousness to a whole new level, but feels very different."
We've seen The Fate Of The Furious and here is our reaction https://t.co/B2XoDW7yMW
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) March 29, 2017
And Steven Weintraub of Collider.com singled out Dwayne Johnson in particular who he called a "straight up superhero." Johnson, among other things, deadlifts concrete and coaches a girls soccer team.
Fate of the Furious is everything you want it to be and a ton of fun. @TheRock is a straight up superhero in the film and I loved it. pic.twitter.com/uz9QgnhVZ3
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) March 29, 2017
The Fate of the Furious reunites the Los Angeles street racers, including Michelle Rodriquez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, and Nathalie Emmanuel, taking them to the streets of Cuba, New York, Berlin and to the frozen Russian landscape. Charlize Theron joins as a dreadlocked baddie with nuclear ambitions and Scott Eastwood teams up with Kurt Russell as an agent in training.
See the trailer here:
Official reviews are embargoed until 10 April before it races into theaters on 14 April.