by Josh Sewell
When the Fast and Furious saga started back in 2001, nobody expected it to become the nonsensical, billion-dollar franchise it transformed into over the past two decades. That’s because the original was a Point Break rip-off about a cop trying to catch a gang of street racers who robbed trucks full of DVD players in their spare time.
However, as the sequels progressed, the once-unconnected storylines fused together until they became a testosterone-laden soap opera that threw logic and physics out the window. As a result, the franchise became a worldwide smash.
Over the last couple of installments, it definitely felt like the Fast and Furious series was running on fumes. (In hindsight, they should’ve called it quits with 2015’s Furious 7, which ended with a lovely tribute to co-star Paul Walker, who died before filming wrapped.) Instead, the movies kept upping the stakes to ridiculous levels and inflated the already massive ego of Vin Diesel, now the de facto lead, even further.
As such, longtime series architect Justin Lin walked off the set of the latest – and supposedly penultimate – installment Fast X after only a few days of shooting and was quickly replaced with journeyman director Louis Leterrier. Diesel’s alleged diva behavior is also evident in how the plot flings the massive ensemble all over the globe, leaving the actor to perform most of his scenes solo, or with a single co-star for no more than a couple of minutes at a time. Green screen and CGI are doing a ton of heavy lifting for those.
Attempting to recap the plot of Fast X for newcomers would be a fool’s errand, so don’t even try jumping into this one if you haven’t seen most of the others. Suffice it to say that Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his massive family – both blood and adopted (including characters played by Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Jon Cena, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jason Statham, Sung Kang and Nathalie Emmanuel) – are targeted by a terrifying villain (Jason Momoa) with a connection to their past.
However, as the sequels progressed, the once-unconnected storylines fused together until they became a testosterone-laden soap opera that threw logic and physics out the window. As a result, the franchise became a worldwide smash.
Over the last couple of installments, it definitely felt like the Fast and Furious series was running on fumes. (In hindsight, they should’ve called it quits with 2015’s Furious 7, which ended with a lovely tribute to co-star Paul Walker, who died before filming wrapped.) Instead, the movies kept upping the stakes to ridiculous levels and inflated the already massive ego of Vin Diesel, now the de facto lead, even further.
As such, longtime series architect Justin Lin walked off the set of the latest – and supposedly penultimate – installment Fast X after only a few days of shooting and was quickly replaced with journeyman director Louis Leterrier. Diesel’s alleged diva behavior is also evident in how the plot flings the massive ensemble all over the globe, leaving the actor to perform most of his scenes solo, or with a single co-star for no more than a couple of minutes at a time. Green screen and CGI are doing a ton of heavy lifting for those.
Attempting to recap the plot of Fast X for newcomers would be a fool’s errand, so don’t even try jumping into this one if you haven’t seen most of the others. Suffice it to say that Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his massive family – both blood and adopted (including characters played by Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Jon Cena, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jason Statham, Sung Kang and Nathalie Emmanuel) – are targeted by a terrifying villain (Jason Momoa) with a connection to their past.
I’ll be blunt: Fast X is the silliest entry in the franchise so far. Like, it’s dumb even if you’re used to what these characters have been doing for 22 years. Diesel may not have full creative control, but he’s got enough pull that he’s somehow shifted the series from B-movie tribute to spy yarn to a full-blown superhero franchise so convoluted that it rivals some of Marvel and DC’s mythology.
These characters haven’t been gearheads and thieves in a long time. They’re nigh-invincible, godlike beings with similarly superpowered vehicles. You think I would’ve learned by now, but I lost count of how many times I threw up my hands and muttered “cars can’t do that!” under my breath. Talk about missing the point.
As if anticipating these complaints, screenwriter Dan Mazeau (who I assume reworked Lin’s original script, since the former director is still credited) did one thing different this time around – he crafted a movie that’s self-aware and totally in on the joke, with no shame in fully leaning into the plot’s impossibilities.
Antagonists specifically point out how the heroes’ backstories make no sense. On-screen titles announce locations in jarringly bold metallic fonts (in front of easily identifiable landmarks). A character sacrifices himself in comedically abrupt fashion because everyone knows deaths don’t stick in this franchise.
These stories have always been nonsense, but Fast X is the $340 million equivalent (that staggering number’s not a typo) of a kid banging his action figures together in his backyard. On the other hand, this heightened reality also produces the saga’s best villain to date.
That would be Momoa, turning in a delightfully unhinged performance as the flamboyant, revenge-driven son of the Brazilian gangster (Joaquim de Almeida) who served as the chief antagonist in 2011’s Fast Five. He takes some gigantic swings as the villain, which is why the movie is even remotely entertaining. Any time he’s not onscreen, things go off the rails fast.
A big reason for that is Fast X doesn’t have a cohesive narrative to tie anything together. It’s very much half of a movie, which will theoretically conclude with the 11th installment, so this one just cuts to credits in the middle of everyone’s subplots. (Of course, Diesel is already hinting that Universal wants to retroactively turn the finale into a trilogy.)
We do get the traditional easter egg that hints at more craziness next time around, but I think that surprise has already been blown for most people. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, stay off the internet for the next few days.
I’ve been saying the series should wrap things up for the last few years, but that’s never been more evident than in Fast X. They really should quit while they’re ahead – since they lucked into the most fun villain they’ve ever had – rather than stretch out the tired saga even further. But something tells me that’s not going to happen. As long as these sequels keep making boatloads of cash, Universal will keep cranking them out.
Fast X is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material. Opens in theaters on May 19.
Grade: C+
These characters haven’t been gearheads and thieves in a long time. They’re nigh-invincible, godlike beings with similarly superpowered vehicles. You think I would’ve learned by now, but I lost count of how many times I threw up my hands and muttered “cars can’t do that!” under my breath. Talk about missing the point.
As if anticipating these complaints, screenwriter Dan Mazeau (who I assume reworked Lin’s original script, since the former director is still credited) did one thing different this time around – he crafted a movie that’s self-aware and totally in on the joke, with no shame in fully leaning into the plot’s impossibilities.
Antagonists specifically point out how the heroes’ backstories make no sense. On-screen titles announce locations in jarringly bold metallic fonts (in front of easily identifiable landmarks). A character sacrifices himself in comedically abrupt fashion because everyone knows deaths don’t stick in this franchise.
These stories have always been nonsense, but Fast X is the $340 million equivalent (that staggering number’s not a typo) of a kid banging his action figures together in his backyard. On the other hand, this heightened reality also produces the saga’s best villain to date.
That would be Momoa, turning in a delightfully unhinged performance as the flamboyant, revenge-driven son of the Brazilian gangster (Joaquim de Almeida) who served as the chief antagonist in 2011’s Fast Five. He takes some gigantic swings as the villain, which is why the movie is even remotely entertaining. Any time he’s not onscreen, things go off the rails fast.
A big reason for that is Fast X doesn’t have a cohesive narrative to tie anything together. It’s very much half of a movie, which will theoretically conclude with the 11th installment, so this one just cuts to credits in the middle of everyone’s subplots. (Of course, Diesel is already hinting that Universal wants to retroactively turn the finale into a trilogy.)
We do get the traditional easter egg that hints at more craziness next time around, but I think that surprise has already been blown for most people. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, stay off the internet for the next few days.
I’ve been saying the series should wrap things up for the last few years, but that’s never been more evident than in Fast X. They really should quit while they’re ahead – since they lucked into the most fun villain they’ve ever had – rather than stretch out the tired saga even further. But something tells me that’s not going to happen. As long as these sequels keep making boatloads of cash, Universal will keep cranking them out.
Fast X is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material. Opens in theaters on May 19.
Grade: C+
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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