Well they did sub-title this a "saga", but I wasn't quite expecting something this poor. Things didn't auger well when the cinema screen broke down and we were turfed out after thirty minutes. Next week, back for part two - complete with "an opportunity to refresh our memories" as the cinema lad put it... Sadly, though, the first half hour provides us with easily the most entertaining elements of this otherwise weak story bereft of just about everything bar some super stunts/visual effects and Charlize Theron locked up in a plastic cage. There is some effort made to create some characters, and Vin Diesel does bring a certain degree of charisma to the screen, but after an initial flurry of decent motor sport action, we drop from a great height into a family revenge/melodrama that has only one, entirely predictable, conclusion. It is a piece of harmless escapism that serves to divert us from reality for an extremely overlong 2 hrs and 20 minutes but this franchise really misses Paul Walker and although I'm sure nobody will listen, this is not much of a testament to his memory and ought to be the last unless someone is going to revamp the concept thoroughly and invest in solid stories and characters to compliment the endless, and increasingly sterile, visuals. I want one of those planes, though....
