Fast X review
Fast X was initially supposed to be the penultimate chapter of the Fast and Furious franchise.
After this installment, it seems pretty clear that Universal Pictures could and probably should keep this partnership with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and friends going for as long as possible.
The hidden “secret” of the FF saga isn’t that complicated. It’s simply delivering what the fans have come to love about the series since Fast Five took this saga from niche decent moneymaker to an event any time a new installment roared into theaters. There’s no deviation from what works, the characters stay consistent and there’s no forcing out of the long-term stars to make way for a younger, hipper new generation to carry the torch into a new trilogy.
Dominic Torretto (Diesel) and his wife, Letty (Rodriguez), are raising Dom’s son, Brian (Leo Abelo Perry). While semi-retired, they’re still game to pull off missions with their crew, Roman (Tyrese), Tej (Ludacris), Han (Sung Kang) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). The latest finds the gang in Rome where they realize they’ve been set up by a mastermind who’s been plotting his revenge on the team for years since the Rio heist.
It’s always wild to consider the roots of the series and how it’s evolved over the years. More impressive though is how the saga celebrates its history and lore. The writers continue to link plot threads from earlier installments and working in new characters tied to previous fan favorites. Establishing phantom relationships is tricky, but screenwriters Justin Lin and Dan Mazeau pull it off with little trouble. This gives Fast X the freedom to pad out the backstory of characters within the framework of the existing story.
Ironically, it’s been the Fast and Furious saga — not Star Wars or the DC Extended Universe — that learned the billion-dollar formula from Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. Make a connected set of films with each subsequent film building on the layered story from its predecessors. Watch the fan investment and money pour in and viola — you’ve got another highly bankable franchise.
The tragic death of Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson’s decision to opt out of the franchise notwithstanding. Additions like Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood, Charlize Theron, John Cena and Helen Mirren have kept the series rolling.
Fast X’s big bad is Jason Momoa’s (Aquaman) Dante, the son of Fast Five villain Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida, who helpfully returns via flashback to flesh out the backstory).
Dante wants to make the world burn and bring a whole new level of suffering for Dom and his crew in the same way they hurt him. He doesn’t want their pain to be quick and makes them the fall guys for a stunt that puts them atop the international most wanted list — again.
Momoa plays Dante very differently than any other Fast and Furious villain. He’s a chaos agent much like Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight where his actions and responses are wholly unpredictable.
He’s got a psychotic edge where he’s licking the blood off the knife he used to claim another victim in one scene and then painting his nails with his hair in pigtails in another. It’s quirky and at times feels a little over the top even for this saga, but Momoa makes Dante hard to turn away from with his eccentric behavior.
Speaking of The Joker, it’s kinda cool how the series has featured a slew of heroes from Diesel’s Groot, Cena’s Peacemaker, Momoa’s Aquaman, Mirren’s Hespera in the latest Shazam film, Eastwood in Suicide Squad, Theron’s Clea and alumni Johnson’s Black Adam, Michael Rooker as Yondu in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. They’re not the only performers with comic book movie/TV experience.
Brie Larsen (Captain Marvel) is another newcomer playing Dom ally Tess. Alan Ritchson (Titans) plays Mr. Nobody’s successor Aimes while Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) is Isabel, a character with close ties to Brian.
Lin and Mazeau break away from the usual pattern of the series to split the team in various subplots. Normally, Dom’s family is all together on their missions, but switching up the formular offers a more expansive, wider scope for the film. Dom is largely rolls with the newcomers as his brother Jakob (Cena) is tasked with keeping Brian safe, Letty is forced to team with Cipher (Theron) while the rest of the crew tries to lay low and stay off the grid.
Even with this massive cast, the characters don’t feel shortchanged and get their moments in the spotlight.
Director Louis Leterrier brings his same action spectacle experience from helming the first two Transporter films and The Incredible Hulk to his series debut. Given the fluid and exhilarating insane nature of the action sequences, it’s not shocking that Leterrier is already signed on as the director of the next installment.
Fast X maintains the series mantra of physics be damned. Fast and Furious hasn’t cared about gravity, inertia, reality, etc. since that safe went barreling through the streets of Rio de Janero. At this point arguing about how the series defies logic is yelling at the clouds.
Fast X is another example of a series that’s a lot more fun when you stop trying to inject realism into it and just go along for the wild, nitrous-fueled ride.
This is the saga’s first legit cliffhanger, but under no circumstance should anyone leave before the stinger scene. Social media is making it tough, but if possible try to go in knowing as little as possible.
This is a series that thrives on fan service and doing the small and big things that will send a packed theater erupting into cheers. And as long as that stays the focus, I’ll happily sign up for another 10 films.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures