“The Fate of the Furious” (Action/Comedy: 2 hours, 16 minutes)

Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren

Director: F. Gary Gray

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, strong language)

Movie Review: “Fate of the Furious” is the eighth film in this franchise that started with 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious” (Director Rob Cohen).

It is diverting enough to keep one from being bored, but its comedy and James Bond-like action scenes are far from convincing.

Cipher (Theron), a mysterious woman, blackmails Dominic Toretto (Diesel). Cipher has Toretto perform a series of terroristic tasks for her to complete an unknown operation. Toretto’s former team, now led by ex-Special Forces operative Deckard Shaw (Johnson), must try to stop Toretto while wondering why he became a traitor to them and his country.

When the “Fast and Furious” series first start, it concerned illegal street racing, heists and other antics. Now, it delves into stopping malevolent dominance on a global scale.

The stunts have become more unbelievably extravagant. The comedy has become juvenile verbal tirades. The stories have become a diarrhea of stupidity.

Characters driving at excessive velocities have time to look back several seconds and manage to not collide with anything. Bullets appear to only hit the bad guys. Character motives are paper thin. 

F. Gary Gray (“Straight Outta Compton,” 2015) makes this comedy with a poor plot. He and writers sell this screenplay as action and comedy entertainment. Action scenes have energy but the comedy is iffy. One may laugh but it is because this is laughable material.

Grade: C (Despite its entertaining moments, this series is approaching an ill-fated future fast.)

“T2 Trainspotting” (Drama: 1 hour, 57 minutes)

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle

Director: Danny Boyle

Rated: R (Drug use, profanity, sexual content, nudity and violence)

Movie Review: Danny Boyle directed “Trainspotting” in 1996. It was a social commentary screenplay by John Hodge on British society. It was also an innovative, original cinematic production based on the novel by Irvine Welsh.

“T2 Trainspotting” is suspenseful during the latter half but the wait to get there is a nostalgic trip.

Mark Renton (McGregor) returns to Scotland after living abroad for 20 years. He reunites with his old friends, Spud (Bremner) and Sick Boy (Miller). The reunion is not a happy one at first. The men have struggles. Even more, Renton encounters Begbie (Carlyle), who still has a grudge against Renton for stealing a large sum of money from him earlier.

In numerous ways, “T2” is a stroll through memory lane.

A limited number of scenes from 1996’s “Trainspotting” are also present in “T2.” These are for those for haven’t seen or remember the original that was inventive moviemaking.

Despite 20 years, the cast reprises roles well. Capturing the essences of their younger characters. McGregor, Bremner, Miller and Carlyle are a fascinating group, despite their characters’ adolescent ventures into crude situations and profane antics.

Still, the appeal remains present enough to warrant this sequel.

Grade: B- (Time has passed, yet these guys’ same-old antics are still appealing.)

*Playing in larger cities.