FAST X: PEDAL TO THE METAL, BUT RUNNING ON FUMES

Fast X is a 2023 American Action Film directed by Louis Leterrier. The script was written by Dan Mazeau and Justin Lin, with story contributions by Mazeau, Lin, and Zach Dean. Fast X is the sequel to F9 (2021), the tenth (and eventually eleventh) installment overall in the Fast & Furious franchise. The movie stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Jason Statham, Jason Momoa, and Charlize Theron.

In the film, Dom must protect his team and family from Dante Reyes, the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes, who seeks revenge against Dom for his father’s death and loss of his family’s fortune in Fast Five. The film currently has a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 153 Critic Reviews), a 58 on Metacritic (based on 48 Critic Reviews) and a 6.3/10 on IMDB (based on 3,500 Ratings).

First things first, this movie was much longer than it needed to be, especially when you remember that this is only half of the total film. The story, on its face, was one that actually peaked my interest, but as the story meandered on, it wandered into the realm of ridiculous we’ve gotten from these films for the last decade or so. I liked that the villain in the film was someone connected to a past F&F villain, but the portrayal of that villain was absolutely awful. Mamoa’s “Dante” gave me total Elliot Wilhelm vibes, so over-written and even more over-acted that it actually became a distraction as the film went on. It was so bad in fact, that I would have rather they casted someone else in that role altogether, and written him differently. And speaking of the writing, the absurd plot of this movie moved at a snail’s pace, but the action did a lot to even things out, being the one thing these movies always seem to do well, though the stunts have gotten more and more preposterous with each installment, and this one is no different.

The dialogue was pretty bad, but the words in these movies has been that since the beginning. The writers tried way too hard to make the film a comedy instead of just letting it be the over-the-top action film that it is. There were more than a handful of scenes that simply weren’t needed in order to get us to the end of the first half of this story, but were clearly added for the sake of flexing its muscles, and to shoehorn appearances from every living character that ever appeared in these movies and their long lost family members. You should also be prepared to watch this film spend its two and a half hours rummaging through the same bag of tricks it’s been constantly going to over the last twenty years, so there’s that.

The film does has a twist that I think was pretty well hidden until just the right time, and then there are some interesting surprises at the end that lead us into what will be the second half of the film. But be warned, the second part of this movie won’t be coming to theaters until 2025. Overall, this movie was exactly what you’d expect if you’ve been watching them since The Fast and the Furious came into our lives twenty-two years ago, but just because it manages to deliver the status quo, doesn’t mean it’s a good film.

Fast X opens in theaters today.