MOVIE REVIEW: Fast X Takes the Racing Franchise Into the Wrestling Scene
In a manner of speaking.
(SPOT.ph) One of the most fascinating peculiarities of the 21st Century pop culture climate has been the lasting endurance of the Fast and Furious franchise. Back in 2001, no one could’ve imagined what was essentially a 38-million-dollar Point Break ripoff spawning a multi-decade multi-billion-dollar film series that attracts A-list stars on the caliber of Brie Larson and Charlize Theron. However, that’s what The Fast and Furious has become, proving itself to be Hollywood’s The Little Engine That Could, in a sense.
More than two decades later, the Fast franchise is now gearing up for what looks to be a three-part finale with its first act, Fast X. With this being the 10th installment of the series—not counting the various spin-offs—the question then arises: Does this engine still got any juice in it or is this a franchise to be left in past, while we still have good memories of it?
Also read: 10 Adrenaline-Pumping Action Movies That Actually Have Plot
Here is Spot.ph’s Fast X movie review:
There was a simpler time in the early to mid-2010s when the Fast and Furious series followed a formula: the Family gets involved in a job, usually in a far-flung foreign locale, wherein—against all odds—cars and street racing are somehow incorporated into the mission. Drama ensues, the plan goes south, then the climax would feature some unbelievable stunt that definitely breaks the laws of physics but you believe it because it ends with Vin Diesel saying something like “mi familia” at his backyard barbecue. All that tidily packaged in a two-hour action blockbuster.
While the spirit certainly lives on in these new films, those simpler days look to be in the Fast series’ rearview mirror, as plotlines have gotten a bit more complicated in recent films; all-new recurring villains have been introduced and redeemed, characters have “died” and miraculously returned, and the main Toretto family has grown with kids and long-lost siblings being added into the mix.
With Fast X, you’d think that the series rapidly inflating size would finally cause it to burst—we mean, just look at that poster—but the film still coasts along with its innate charisma, character chemistry, and vehicular nonsense, just as it has for the past decade.
Right off the bat, the film makes the wise decision to unite all the disparate franchise elements (the main crew, the British anti-heroes, the Nobody Agency,, John Cena’s reformed antagonist, etc.) into a singular streamlined plotline. The film sums it up rather swiftly: Jason Momoa’s villain, Dante Reyes, is out for revenge and is targeting every single supporting character to have appeared in a Fast film.
This leads to a rather digestible story, where anyone can pick up what’s going on without doing the 20 year’s worth of homework. For long-time fans, however, the series has arguably become the WWE at this point—and not essentially due to the past inclusions of the likes of Cena and Dwayne Johnson. The film itself has cobbled together a rather contrived story, structured around how to get to the next action sequence and strung together by character reveals, shocking entrances, testosterone-fueled rivalries, and colorful personalities.
It’s now fully channeling the philosophy of wrestling fan service. Audiences know the action and consequences are intangible and carry little to no weight, but the film caters more to the idea that these characters are stars and, oftentimes, it’s cool to see stars do rad things with guns and cars. You can see this in the way the film tees up rivalries and bad blood between characters like Theron and Michelle Rodriguez, or Sun Kang and Jason Statham. Fans are invested in seeing these stars face-off, even if it means a slight detour in the story.
When it comes to the narrative, the film seems to have taken the Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean route in that the ensemble gets split up. The different groups of characters head off on their own side adventures that likely won’t converge until the final film of the trilogy. The film even steals the Barbosa reveal at the end of Dead Man’s Chest not once, but twice in the span of 10 minutes! Without going into spoilers, it’s a couple of the most baffling fan service moments to manifest on screen, outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a move that will either annoy or stoke morbid curiosity.
Director Louis Letterier (of Now You See Me fame) makes a good attempt at replicating the kinetic action needed to sustain this franchise, more formally mastered by previous Fast filmmakers Justin Lin and James Wan. However, what’s clear in the direction this film takes in regard to both the action and character developments is just how much they lean into the plasticity of the universe now. Nothing feels grounded in any reality and the film will wink at the camera (figuratively, of course) to let the audience know they’re in on the franchise’s bit and reputation. However, the strength of the previous films was that they grounded those stakes in emotions that weren’t winked at or referenced.
Sickos that we are, we of course are morbidly curious as to how the series wraps up, but hopefully the promises of this first act lead to some fulfilling character moments for the Family in the finale.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Spots.
Fast X is now showing in cinemas.