Fast X – Review
141 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Dan Mazeau, Justin Lin, and Gary Scott Thompson
Directed by Louis Leterrier
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, check out Ryan’s review HERE, then listen as they discuss the movie at length. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
Synopsis:
Dom Toretto and his family are targeted by the vengeful son of drug kingpin Hernan Reyes.
If you weren’t sure whether the Fast and Furious franchise was all about Family, then you will be after this movie.
Fast X (TEN, not X, per Universal) is the, yes, tenth film in the main franchise, and if you’ve been watching with breathless anticipation as the stakes and hijinks have gotten more and more insane, and are thinking that Fast X must surely do something to top sending a PONTIAC FIERO INTO SPACE, well, you’re going to be disappointed.
Because how can you top THAT?
Well, for starters you can add not one, not two, but THREE more stars to the ever-expanding cast of characters. Yep, Brie Larson, Jason Momoa, and Alan Ritchson join in this time around, as Dom and Fam are turned into criminals (again, but still, but… whatever…) and they find themselves on the world’s most wanted list.
And who do we have to thank for that?
Jason Momoa, courtesy of an MCU-level retcon of Fast Five (when the Fam found themselves in Brazil up against a powerful drug lord, stealing his safe and leaving him dead), is is introduced as the instrument of their destruction.
But Death is too good for Dom. No, “Never accept Death when Suffering is owed,” and Dom is meant to suffer.
The first part of the “end” of the franchise is full of twists and turns, allies and turncoats, Fast X is mostly a forgettable mash of smashing cars (including the inane, Mousetrap meets Keystone Cops sequence in Rome that sets the plot in motion) and clunky dialogue about family and faith (both great topics, btw, but not with this writing), delivered more often than not by a cast of otherwise talented actors who seem tired of it all.
Worst performance goes to Brie Larson, whose wooden delivery only exacerbates the poor writing almost everyone seems saddled with. This woman has an Oscar, by the way, in case anyone forgot. She is 100% capable of putting on a hell of a performance.
Just not here.
Jason Momoa, on the other hand, absolutely grabs hold of his role as Dom’s stalker and chews the ever-loving crap out of it. What must be the first instance of a flamboyantly queer villain in an action movie of this scale would otherwise be immediately derided as hate speech if Momoa was just not so damned GOOD AT IT here, tinging his over-the-top performance with a heaping helping of psychopathic glee as he torments Dom with a series of increasingly improbable events, stitched together with cold, yet manic, motivation.
Sadly, the remainder of the film really doesn’t deserve this performance, finding a way to be both less ridiculous but more preposterous as the movie drags on.
And we get set up for the next (last? maybe… maybe not…) installment of the “end” of the franchise with yet another “surprise” cast member appearance, with yet another callback to a previous entry in the franchise.
And let’s not even talk about the continuing situation the franchise finds itself when dealing with Paul Walker’s character (Brian). Dom’s sister has to be around, but as she’s married to Brian… they talk around his absence a lot, but they’re in a no-win situation, similar to Marvel’s problems dealing with the death of Chadwick Boseman.
And it’s impossible not to see it and how it impacts the narrative.
Look, I understand that these films have a place, and I’ll admit to enjoying some of the previous entries, so it’s not like I want to dislike this one, but perhaps Vin Diesel should have let this one drive off into the sunset with Brian at the end of Furious 7.
Fast X speeds into theaters on May 19 and stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Sung Kang, Brie Larson, Scott Eastwood, Jason Momoa, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior, Luis Da Silva Jr, Leo Abelo Perry, with Helen Mirren and Rita Moreno.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
Please don’t forget to LIKE this post, SHARE it with your friends, and FOLLOW us on TWITTER, FACEBOOK, and SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE channel, as well.
And please, if you like what we do, consider helping us keep on entertaining you. You can use this handy link:
Or, you could check out the merch in Our Store:
Not only will you be helping us out if you pick up some merch, you get cool stuff to wear around (including the coveted WTFWT? logo!)
Leave a Reply