At this point in the franchise, it’s become clear that people watch Fast and Furious movies purely for the absurd set pieces and car chases we’ve come to love over its multiple iterations. If you expect anything more than that, especially in this eighth installment, then you’ll be severely disappointed.

The Fate of the Furious starts off in Cuba, where we see Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) finally enjoying their honeymoon but still find the time to do what they do best: street racing. The opener is a callback to everything we’ve come to love from the Fast and Furious films — a street race where Dom rides a beat-up car that eventually bursts into flames, proving once again the classic saying that it is who’s behind the wheel that’s what counts. The couple’s honeymoon bliss comes to an end when Cipher (Charlize Theron), a cyberterrorist who is as cookie-cutter as a movie villain can get, blackmails Dom to work for her, and this is where everything turns into an entirely different movie. Cipher later reveals, through her painfully monotonous monologuing, her plans to acquire nuclear weapons so the superpowers of the world could have some sort of accountability, whatever that means. And yes, this franchise have treaded on to nuclear territory, showing how far this series has come from its street racing origins.

It’s quite obvious that the series’ scope has been gradually increasing in every iteration, but I can’t help but wonder at what point does it become too silly? The Fate of the Furious certainly raises the stakes, albeit too much, and we get a mindless but exhilarating thrill ride as a result. About halfway through the film, a critical scene involving remotely hacking hundreds of cars in downtown New York is one of the best action sequences to have graced the franchise, and it’s just one example of how excessive Fast and Furious is willing to be.

Though this film delivers all the fast-paced, high-stakes action we expect, it’s starting to become incredibly stale. But most importantly, it absolutely lacks one important aspect that’s been at the core of the whole series: heart. While the beloved cast (with some new additions) goes on and on about family, and the movie never fails to stick that point in your face, it feels empty and hollow this time around.

The Fate of the Furious is the first in the series after the tragic death of Paul Walker, and his absence definitely has an impact. Seeing an entry without him and Jordana Brewster, I feel like their dynamic with the rest of the ensemble, particularly Dom, is a crucial part of what gave the films its emotional heft. Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel are undoubtedly the superstars of the series now. However, they fail to deliver the chemistry and brotherhood that Walker and Diesel effortlessly displayed on screen.

With Paul Walker gone, the rest of the cast gets their chance to shine. Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the main villain in the previous film, has been added to the crew. Statham’s performance and charm will make you root for him, and he steals the show with one standout scene in the third act of the movie. But for all the talk about family, the team easily forgives him for all the despicable things he’s done to them before, particularly killing Han. Everyone else knows their role all too well at this point, considering how deep we are into the series. Roman (Tyrese) delivers all the laughs, even more than usual, and gets a much bigger screen time than before.

The Fate of the Furious does not shy away from the big explosions and nonsensical action sequences, but this installment focuses more on massive spectacle a little too much. It’s become synonymous with these films and is what audiences expect to see, and it does them really well. On the other hand, it also relies on family and brotherhood that the franchise has built its foundation upon, and it’s visibly absent in this one. Maybe it’s time to take it back to the garage and re-tune what’s under the hood for a moment.

Rating: ★★½