The Fast and Furious franchise continues Fast X, an action film that features the return of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). In the tenth film in the main series, Dom must protect his family from Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), son of Fast Five villain Hernan Reyes. The opening scene takes us back to an iconic moment in Fast & Furious history in 2011, when Dom and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) are lugging a safe through the streets of Rio de Janeiro. This time we see them through the eyes of Dante, who seeks revenge in a 141-minute nonsensical action-spectacle.
The Fast and Furious franchise continues Fast X, an action film that features the return of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). In the tenth film in the main series, Dom must protect his family from Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), son of Fast Five villain Hernan Reyes. The opening scene takes us back to an iconic moment in Fast & Furious history in 2011, when Dom and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) are lugging a safe through the streets of Rio de Janeiro. This time we see them through the eyes of Dante, who seeks revenge in a 141-minute nonsensical action-spectacle.
Fast X is amazing. These films have gained notoriety in recent years for transitioning from a series about cars and street racing to a Mission: Impossible-style action-ensemble series with physics that made Sir Isaac Newton roll in his grave. If you thought F9: The Fast Saga skipped the shark by sending Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) into a car that launches into orbit, then brace yourself for this one. This film marks the beginning of the Fast and Furious finale and ends in style with a suitably absurd symphony of explosions, destruction and family.
Come up with the craziest idea for an action sequence. Then double it. That’s what you get with these movies that have embraced their stupidity and are now enjoying it. Most franchises would culminate in a character flexing their biceps so much that their arm cast falls off (see angry 7 for more). However, Fast & Furious is even more foolish, and how you respond to it will depend entirely on how willing you are to surrender your disbelief. If you’re watching a movie from this series with your brain turned on, you’re doing it all wrong.
You’re buying a ticket to Fast Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk,” “Now You See Me”) took over as director after franchise veteran Justin Lin left the project to avoid working with Diesel again. Behind-the-scenes drama aside, Leterrier brings a lot of energy to the set pieces, making it a worthy fit for the franchise. He puts his skills to the test in a grand action sequence where a large ball of fire tumbles through the streets of Rome while our heroes must hunt it down before it explodes. This sequence is packed with moving parts, including a thrilling motorcycle chase between Dante and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), and it’s a blast.
It also kind of took three movies for this series to finally bring Charlize Theron’s action skills to bear. She’s been playing Cipher since The Fate of the Furious, but now she’s finally getting her chance to kick ass. She shares a fun fight scene with Letty. Complete with Diesel, Theron, Rodriguez, Momoa, John Cenaand Jason Statham offers Fast X one of the best action ensembles of the year. Similar to recent Fast & Furious films, this film features ridiculous action akin to a Looney Tunes cartoon. The standout is a sequence where the team fights alongside Shaw because Statham makes every movie better.
This is also perhaps the dumbest of all Fast movies. The cheesy dialogue can be ridiculous as Diesel does his best to deliver a serious performance that ends up being comical. A highlight is Momoa as the film’s villain, who is aware of his evil nature and embraces it. He chews up the scenery and has tons of fun as this over-the-top villain who sometimes serves as a mouthpiece for the audience. The film also introduces new characters, played by Brie Larson, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson and Rita Moreno, all of whom are welcome additions to the family, although their presence makes for a rather cluttered film. The rest of the characters are as you would expect – Roman is a loudmouth, Tej counters him, Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) is amused, yada yada yada.
The film also goes vintage, with a scene of Dom taking on Dante in a street race reminiscent of the older films. It takes an unexpected turn, but it works well. The film’s problem is that the second act suffers from the overabundance of characters and subplots. While it’s never a dull movie, there are a few too many moving parts. This movie is unbelievable and chaotic, and there’s guilty pleasure all over it. At times it feels like the characters’ storylines are being reused, with Aimes (Ritchson) acting as the new Hobbs (agent tracking Dom down) and Jakob as the new Shaw (reformed villain protecting Dom’s son).
This movie is almost ridiculous. Lovers of fun, however, will have the silliest grin on their faces as Dom executes calculated action perfection and walks away unscathed. Fast & Furious is one franchise that didn’t know when to stop and park, but audiences can now capitalize on it by enjoying this mindless summertime blockbuster with a buttery bag of popcorn.
SCORE: 7/10
As explained in ComingSoon’s Rating Guidelines, a rating of 7 equals Good. A successful entertainment that is worth a visit, but may not please everyone.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press preview for us Fast X Review.