Charlize in F8 of the Furious
Monday, December 12, 2016 at 2:22PM Manuel here to kick off this week with a question all of you may be better equipped to answer than I: how good slash bad does Fate of the Furious (aka F8) look? I have to admit I haven't seen a single one of those films so all my knowledge of them comes from other people discussing them as either the best in post-modern Hollywood spectacle or the worse in contemporary shoot-em-and-'splode-em style Baytastic blockbusters. But even I couldn't resist seeing what Ms Charlize Theron was bringing to the table.
She's joined the long-running franchise (or, to use O.J.: Made in America nomenclature, your favorite ongoing miniseries) as — and here I had to confirm this was actually her name — Cipher, "the very definition of hi-tech terrorism" as we're told in the trailer.
Theron has a hit (Mad Max: Fury Road) or miss (Aeon Flux) track record when she takes on action flicks. And while there's no denying this'll be a hit no matter what, we always enjoy the Oscar winner when her talents are on full display. Amidst the obvious chemistry that runs through the rest of the sprawling cast of the franchise, the brief moments we have with Charlize don't give us much to look forward to. Or maybe, I'm just so allergic to the bonkers-ness of these flicks to muster much enthusiasm, which: fair.
So what does TFE think of "Cipher," which looks like it was borrowed wholesale from a cyber-thriller from the 90s? Are we meant to read her dreads as a visual reminder that she's evil (because, you know, she's, like, insensitively culturally appropriating that hairstyle)? Does her icy cold (almost wooden?) delivery suggest F. Gary Gray cast her only to neuter her appeal?
Reader Comments (9)
I had actually confused Charlize with Angelina and the first Fast and Furious with Gone in Sixty Seconds. (Then again, I've seen any of these movies...)
Paul -- that's the exact first thought i had to: GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS. and i haven't even seen that movie
Nat, too funny. And I made a typo, it was supposed to be: "Then again, I haven't seen any of these movies."
What's the point of hiring Furiosa if she's not driving something???
Where's Helen Mirren?!
I saw the first THE FAST & THE FURIOUS back in the day but I've never got around to seeing another one. Occasionally I get the urge but - nah, the trailer is usually enough.
Cheesy title (Seriously, this just beat 2 Fast 2 Furious for the cheesiest title in the whole franchise) without real justification (if you're going to call a movie The Fate of the Furious, have them fighting a literal wizard who's also a great driver (to, y'know, kind of justify the pun, plus acknowledge that you abandoned the world of this franchise being the kind of place where that couldn't happen three or four films ago) and save this plot of Torreto going "EVIL" for next time), and I still feel comfortable ignoring this spawn of a Point Break knock-off franchise once again.
At least she has Tully out later in 2017 to counteract this.
This will not end well for her.
Does Charlize never leave that set in front of the screen? Did she film her part in just one day? Was the paycheck that good? Does this movie make any sense at all??!!!