What does a franchise with Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, and John Cena need? Jason Momoa, naturally. At this rate, everyone who has ever gone to the gym will be a part of the Fast & Furious franchise. We’re in the 10th installment now and the finale has been divided into three parts apparently (which is a lot).
In the latest, Fast X, the reliable family man and racecar whisperer Dominic Toretto (Diesel) has settled down with his ideal family, surrounded by the people he loves, and is training his son (Leo Abelo Perry) to become the next generator of expert racers. But a wrench is thrown into his plans by Dante (Momoa), son of the crime lord Herman Reyes.
Dante is on a mission to make Dom suffer by taking away everything and everyone he loves and in this story of one man’s fight for revenge and another’s fight to protect his family, we see cars smash into every possible surface. Lives are endangered (though what does that really even mean in the Fast & Furious universe?) and plans go haywire. There are cameos after more cameos (including a delightful Brie Larson as Mr. Nobody’s daughter).
The movie sways from Brazil to Antarctica through swashbuckling, high octave action but there is something missing; the charm that helped these ostentatious, illogical films achieve their cult status.
The franchise never believed in the rules of science or practicality but that didn’t matter between a good chase sequence.
That magic is recreated well only once when a massive bomb is rapidly hurtling towards Vatican City (as part of Dante’s plans) and the gang (or the ‘family’) tries to stop it. It would be remiss of me to not mention the one stunt where Dom’s wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) dodges an obstacle by flipping her bike on its wheels.
Director Louis Leterrier understands action because every scene, even if it is underwhelming, is meticulously crafted and does distract you from the logical loopholes enough to do the trick. The dialogues are clunky and rather forgettable which would’ve been easy to forgive if there was anything to write home about in terms of screenplay.
Jason Momoa is a problematic delight to see on screen and so obviously queercoded. He looks stunning and flashy in his silk shirts and bright pastel cars but the fact that the villain is the one portraying anything different than the testosterone-heavy masculinity oozing from every other character is worrying.
The entire cast though deserves credit for embodying their roles to completion. Dom and Letty aside (and included), we see Dom’s siblings Mia (Jordana Brewster) and Jakob (Cena) and the cyber-terrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron).
Would I pay good money to see Cipher and James Bond on opposite sides of the same fight? Yes.
If you love cars and are still easily swayed by chase sequences (no shame in that), Fast X might work for you but personally, it’s just too long and too jam-packed with plotlines to make a lasting impact. As a one-time watch, it’ll keep you off your phone but only if you’re not someone who hates predictability.
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