PLOT - Fate of the Furious is the latest installment in the popular Fast & Furious franchise. Dom (Vin Diesel), meets a mysterious woman named Cipher (Charlize Theron), who is part of a terrorist ring and wants Dom's skills. Cipher gets Dom's cooperation, by threatening his family, including his baby, the mother of his baby (Elsa Pataky), and his new wife, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Dom finds himself in a tricky situation, in which he cannot tell his friends or Letty what is happening, yet he also must betray them to please Cipher. Can Dom figure out a way to stop Cipher, while also protecting his family? Can his family trust Dom, even he appears to have flipped?

LIKE- Okay, these films are ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. In one scene, cars were "raining" (including a bit of dialogue referencing "raining cars") from a parking structure down on to a city street. It's nuts. But you know what? It's also highly entertaining. It only works, because Fate of the Furious, rarely takes itself too seriously. 

Speaking of not taking itself too seriously: there is a lot of humor in Fate of the Furious. The best scenes were with Deckard (Jason Statham), including an excellent fight sequence where Deckard is protecting Dom's baby, and a hilarious bit with Helen Mirren as Deckard's no-nonsense mom. 

The cast is generally good. The secondary characters shine. I liked the comedic scenario with Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris), fighting for the attention of Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), a beautiful computer expert. This film worked best when the scenes were comedic, rather than dramatic. 

I like that in addition to the lavish action sequences, these films also have strong character development and a decent story. It's enough plot, that you are best served having seen some of the previous films, as they reference past characters and situations. They do a good job at tying up loose ends and weaving the stories together.

DISLIKE- This is minor, but the ending: that very last scene.

( SPOILER ALERT)

After their narrow escape in Russia, Dom heads to the BBQ, before picking his baby up? Um, no. Weird. The sequence of events doesn't add up. Wouldn't Dom insist on meeting Deckard ASAP, rather than waiting around, casually having a beer, until Deckard shows up at a BBQ? Who planned this BBQ anyways? Based on the sequence of events with the baby, it occurs shortly after the spectacular final showdown scene. I understand that this movie is filled with ridiculous moments, but I can forgive things like a chase across breaking ice involving a submarine (it was intense), as stuff like that is supposed to be outrageous. The moments that are simple and not outrageous, should be logical. 

RECOMMEND- Yes, if you're a fan of the franchise, Fate of the Furious is a must-see. We saw a screening in one of AMC'S Dolby Cinema theaters. The screen was huge and the sound was jolting, making it the perfect location for an action film.