Director: Louis Leterrier
Runtime: 2 hours 21 mins
Fast X devours every iteration of the franchise and spits the biggest, fastest, and most ridiculous parts back at you, sometimes without chewing. The film, most likely the first entry in a three-part conclusion, performs like a Saturday Night Live skit with a $300 million budget and is the official opening of summer blockbusters of 2023.
The audience in my screening laughed at serious scenes and chuckled at the jokes that were actual jokes. About 45 minutes into the screening, the movie laughed back at us by being self-referential; then, and only then, was everyone in on the joke: this series is a cash cow and we’re all here for a good time. Most of the stars continue their usual, which makes it pretty easy for new-comer Jason Momoa to steal every scene he’s in except for one. Even though his approach to his villain may not be for everyone, the film surely delivers on its promise of family and extravaganza.
One thing about The Furious Saga is whether you’ve seen all of the movies, none, or every other one, the script is going to catch you up with exposition disguised as dramatic dialogue very quickly.
This entry in the franchise sees Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) gather his family, friends, and enemies to protect them from new villain Dante Reyes, played expertly and curiously by Momoa. Dante has studied Dom ever since the death of Dante’s father, Hernan Reyes, in Fast Five. Dante knows every move Dom will make and takes advantage of Dom’s protective nature, purposefully putting each piece of Dom’s family at risk because Dante knows whenever someone is in danger, Dom will react. Dom struggles to save everyone, but still tries, which only intrigues Dante more and leads to the question of who Dom will save if the stakes are raised again?
The returning cast is staggeringly large. I won’t ruin some of the surprises, but at a minimum, we have Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz, Brie Larson as Tess, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as Tej Parker, Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pierce, Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, Sung Kang as Han Lue, Charleze Theron as Cipher, Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, and Alan Ritchman as Aimes. Any other reveal would ruin the surprise or be an outright spoiler, but just know that’s only half of the cast.
Momoa is the main newcomer, among a few others, that brings life and spice to the production. People have called him pure villainy, chaos, the Joker, and a goblin, but he’s channeling more than that.
He’s already a Hawaiiain and Polynisian actor playing a Portuguese and Brazilian man, but when he adds on other layers, it feels like a step backward rather than a step forward. I had to double check myself, so I ran the thoughts by a friend finishing their doctorate which clarified my fears that not many blockbusters are relying on villainized queer identity right now, so this move for the character definitely came as a surprise, though most audience members loved it.
The action in Fast X is what you expect and what you’re here for: classic and souped-up cars and motorcycles, heavy-duty and military grade explosives, all mixed with a few surprises. As per usual, the movie abandons logic and science, but at least the film speaks to this head-on.
In one of the funnier moments, a character recounts the teams’ history, going all the way back to their street racing days. He doesn’t seem impressed by their antics and basically acknowledges how crazy the stunts are. This gave the audience the opportunity to laugh at the movie at an appropriate time, which relaxed the rest of the movie for me.
Momoa is the main character that brings the humor. Ludacris and Tyrese, paired with Nathalie and Sung, do the rest of the lifting here. There’s plenty of action and decent fight scenes, but it’s the pace of the film that really keeps the momentum.
We’re almost literally working with 5 minute discussions alternating with 15 minute action sets, either hand-to-hand or on wheels. The stunts are always either impressive or grandiose, so they work, and even when they don’t, the film quickly moves on to the next.
If the post-credit scene hasn’t been ruined for you yet, stay off the internet until you see the movie. It’s the perfect ending for the direction of the series and fits in line with its style perfectly.
And if you already know, it’s still worth it to get on the ride. The post-credit scene probably got the second or third biggest pop of the night.
