The Fast and Furious franchise has captured the hearts of street racing car lovers for the past 16 years.

“Fate of the Furious” is the latest installment that brings surprising new twists and turns for the popular series. It’s obvious that the cast has grown over the many years of shooting.

In the latest film, Cipher, Charlize Theron, is a criminal mastermind who goes to extreme measures to seduce Dom, Vin Diesel, to join her team of cyber-terrorists. Dom’s dream team does everything in their power to pull him away from deceitful Cipher.

“Fate of the Furious” gives a sense of growth and maturity through each characters. The crew has now moved on to bigger and better missions, explosions and stunts that shy away from their street racing beginnings. They’ve become much more multifaceted as a whole through their international quests and implementation of spy thriller twists.

Although the mob has progressed onto new action packed levels, the family dynamic of the Furious gang hasn’t changed. Dom is still the same macho guy with a gentle side and leader of the pack. Along with his ride or die chick, Letty, and group of friends Deckard, Luke, Roman and Tej, the Furious family returns for the ultimate action-packed narrative.

After the untimely death of actor Paul Walker, fans have questioned the remaining legacy of the Furious franchise. However, director F. Gary Gray does a great job of honoring Walker’s character, as well as providing a fresh plot line while remaining true to the Furious’ classic roots. From the loud crashing cars and nutty action to the genuine and soft moments, viewers will enjoy what Fate has to offer and remind us why Fast and Furious fans fell in love in the first place.

I give the film a four out of five stars.

Niyat Teferi can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_arts on Twitter.