It’s a furious new story, but their fate is sealed. “Fate of the Furious” is the 8th installment of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, and while it was pretty good, there was just something that was off and didn’t feel right.

With Dom and Letty married, Brian and Mia retired, and the rest of the crew exonerated, the globe-trotting team has found some semblance of a normal life. They soon face an unexpected challenge when a mysterious woman named Cipher forces Dom to betray them all. Now, they must unite to bring home the man who made them a family and stop Cipher from unleashing chaos.

Directed by F. Gary Gray and produced by Vin Diesel, the movie was just an okay F&F movie (definitely makes “Tokyo Drift” eat its dust). However, there was one very key piece of the puzzle missing: Paul Walker.

The actor, alongside Vin Diesel, are the ones who started the amazing franchise, and with the fairly recent passing of Paul Walker, the movies just won’t be the same. Now, compared to “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift,” this new installment destroys. That movie’s plot was so bad that not even the original cast and crew would agree to star within it.

“Fate of the Furious” has a very good cast; they even brought back former villains from the previous movies like Jason Statham’s Ian Shaw and Luke Evans’ Owen Shaw. The cast was fantastic and the stunts were even better. Again, with the unfortunate absence of Paul Walker, the franchise will not be the same. There just can’t be a Walker-less F&F movie; it’s unheard of. He was the actor that brought them all together and built the “Furious Family,” not just in the film but in reality. The actors formed a tight bond, a family. And without Brian, there is no “Fast and Furious.”

There are rumors of a few more F&F movies on the way, and they’ll most likely be pretty good based on how fun the 8th one was, but it’s just not the same without Walker. For many of us it’s hard to watch it without him. Granted, they sent Walker out with a happy ending and a very emotional tribute at the end of “Furious 7.” And in the “Fate of the Furious” they even went as far as…. Well, ladies and gentlemen, start your engines and ride or die, because that’s for you to find out.

Below are the stories published in the May 3 Issue of The Roaring Gazette:

Senior Projects Tackle Pressing Issues by Kayla Smith

Election Results are In by Cassidy O’Neal

Fashion Marketing to Hold Fashion Show May 10 by Ariana Hernandez

Tallwood Students Sweep “Elie Wiesel Visual Arts and Multimedia Competition” by Elena Day

The Big Three Lead Lion’s Baseball in the Right Direction by Richard Ruffin

Boys’ Volleyball Begins Conditioning by Tyler Dennis

It’s the End of the Year: How to Stay Motivated by Ophelia Reid

Meet a Lion: Mr. Lytton Williams by Sydney McKissick

Tallwood’s Many Language Teachers a Diverse, Dedicated Group by Ophelia Reid

Popular Chain Restaurant Underwhelms by Charles Romano

“A Child Called It” a Classic Book Worth Reading by Erin Nathan

“Fate of the Furious” Cannot Overcome Missing Element by Austin Luciani

The United States Must Show Strength by Dylan Klepk

Fewer Lunches Means Longer Lunch Lines by Marissa Howell