Fast X

Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Momoa, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, Scott Eastwood, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior, Leo Abelo Perry, Rita Moreno, Pete Davidson, Gal Gadot (uncredited), Dwayne Johnson (uncredited), Michael Rooker (uncredited)
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
2023

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Dom (Vin Diesel) and his crew face their greatest challenge yet when a deranged man (Jason Momoa) is determined to destroy Dom's family in vengeance.

Review:
Tim: This continues to be the most difficult to pin down franchise in Hollywood. An especially strong first film was followed by two less-than-good entries, but movies 4-5 turned it around and were effective. From that point on, it's been a slow bleed of decent films, hitting a low point with the previous film. It felt like F9: The Fast Saga lost control of the franchise and it just became a joke of itself. This film, Fast X, the 10th entry, manages to improve on the previous film, while still only slotting into the middle of the franchise. It slightly improves in a few areas, but still retains many of the franchise's cumulative flaws. I'd consider this a decent but flawed film.

It continues to defy all expectations that this franchise has reached its 10th film (plus 1 spinoff). No one could have predicted that. However, the franchise isn't the box office juggernaut it used to be. Some of that is this covid-influenced world we live in, some of it is the fact that this movies feel eminently skippable. There's no reason to go to theaters to see them now. You know all the notes it'll play. This movie still gives those larger-than-life action sequences that defy all laws of gravity and logic. It embraces futuristic technology for some of these intense sequences, which is fine (if a bit hard to believe). At this point, everyone know what to expect with this franchise. The one downside is that it's almost impossible to impress us at this point. We've seen film after film filled with ridiculous, impossible stunts. It all feels just a bit generic at this point. I'm not sure what differentiates this film in the action department. There's chases and races and explosions aplenty, but they feel obvious. There's a lack of danger, because we know Dom and his crew can pull off anything, no matter the impossibility of it. The action scenes are all fine, they're entertaining. But you're more likely to roll your eyes than scoot to the front of your seat. This franchise has made us all a bit numb to these sequences.

The real appeal of this movie is that they bring just about everybody back. Seriously, my fingers are already cramping, just thinking about trying to comment on this enormous cast. That's not always a good thing, having so many people- you know certain actors will get shortchanged. However, I have to admit a big reason I liked this movie is because seemingly everyone is in it. That's pretty cool. Obviously, this franchise starts with Vin Diesel. He's always going to be good as Dom- he's played the role so many times. It does feel like the role is a bit too comfortable for him. He's not challenged by it, that much is obvious. Similar for Michelle Rodriguez, although she does get a fairly cool fight scene against Charlize Theron. It's illogical and impossible, but it's fun to watch. I like that Rodriguez is comfortable slotting into this supporting role. Maybe that's part of my issue with Diesel- the cast is so big, he feels like a supporting player, too. It's truly an ensemble and I wish we got more time with him.

It's always fun to see Jason Statham in these films. He adds a lot and is a great supporting character. Jordana Brewster is here, but only gets 1 cool scene. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris are fine, but their comedic roles feel too forced. I honestly think it's time one of their characters dies. That would have made this movie much better. Nathalie Emmanuel is always fun to watch and Sung Kang absolutely makes these movies better. Charlize Theron felt like her character was forced into the story a bit, but she gets that effective scene with Rodriguez. John Cena surprised me- he added a lot of depth and emotion to the film, he was definitely a standout here. Helen Mirren and Rita Moreno mostly felt wasted. It was great to see them, but they don't have enough to do. The same can be said for Brie Larson- I was disappointed that she didn't get more to do. It felt like stunt casting, verses something that actually made the movie better. I laughed at the Pete Davidson inclusion, that was good. Scott Eastwood wasn't in this film enough. Alan Ritchson did a nice job in an antagonist role. Leo Abelo Perry was solid as little Brian and had some nice moments working with Cena. At the end, we get two big uncredited performances- Gal Gadot shows up (which was great) and we see Dwyane Johnson (which was shocking). After all the real-life drama, I was stunned to see Johnson reprise his role. That was a very pleasant surprise.

And that brings me to the latest villain, Jason Momoa. I have to admit, I loved his performance. He was painted as the next big bad, but it almost feels like they forgot to tell him that. Momoa plays this role for laughs as much as chills and it works. He seems to revel in the absurdity of this character. His banter, his stupid jokes, his dialogue, his oddities, it all works because it's so unexpected. It almost feels like Momoa was acting in a different film from the rest of the cast and I was there for it. His character mentions that all the villains end up as part of Dom's family (which is ridiculous, but I appreciate the film acknowledging this) and he's just a total blast to watch. I love that Momoa was content to appear a bit buffoonish. It made me laugh, it kept me interested, and Momoa is undoubtedly a major reason why this movie ended up decent. He helped differentiate this movie from the 10 other films. His casting was perfect.

As far as the movie's story, it's fine. It certainly felt secondary. Our antagonist is connected to a previous film. Our heroes have to do impossible things with an array of vehicles. There's a lot of explosions and fast driving. The scene with the round bomb was so ridiculous, but a great deal of fun. Fortunately, they didn't let logic or physics get in the way of a fun sequence. At this point, though, none of this really matters. If they wanted Momoa to be a legitimate villain, he needed to kill Tyrese or Ludacris' characters early in the film. That would have been surprising and it would have hurt long-time viewers of this franchise. The other characters are too disposable. Their deaths wouldn't carry the same weight. Of course, Diesel wouldn't let that happen. Without that, though, Momoa's character feels like too much bark and not enough bite. The film tries to do something like this towards the end, but it's not nearly effective enough. For most of the movie, Momoa is talking about how bad he is and what he'll do to Dom's family, but he doesn't actually do much. That's partially why the film isn't that good. To make these movies stand out, there needs to be more actual consequences. This film didn't have the guts to do what it needed to do.

Fast X is a decent film, but it retains many of the flaws we've seen throughout this franchise. It's fine, but I am more looking forward to this franchise ending than I am the next installment. The box office is suggesting the same thing I am- people are getting fatigue with these movies.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Fast and the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, F9: The Fast Saga, Faster