Fast X is the tenth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, which has been going strong for two decades. The film, directed by Louis Leterrier, features Vin Diesel and his extended family of blood relatives and friends facing off against a bloodthirsty villain played by Jason Momoa.
Fast X is expected to serve as the beginning of the end for the long-running franchise, with either one or two more installments on the way to wrap up the story.
But is the movie worth your time and money? Does it live up to the hype? Or is it just another mindless action flick with no plot or character development? The answer depends on what you are looking for.
If you are a long-standing fan of the franchise, you will probably enjoy Fast X for its familiar elements: fast cars, exotic locations, daring stunts, witty banter, and family values. The film delivers on these aspects with plenty of spectacle and humor.
The action sequences are well-choreographed and executed, with impressive set pieces such as a car chase on a frozen lake, a fight on a moving train, and a showdown in a volcano.
Fast X also pays homage to the previous films in the series, with references and cameo appearances that will delight loyal fans.
However, if you are looking for something more than just eye candy and an adrenaline rush, you might be disappointed by Fast X.
The film suffers from a weak plot full of holes and clichés. The villain, played by Jason Momoa, is somewhat underdeveloped and one-dimensional.
The film also introduces new characters without enough screen time or backstory to make them interesting or relevant. Leterrier tries to balance the action with some emotional moments, but they feel forced and unconvincing. This is especially true because the film plays on the fans’ nostalgia but fails to connect from an emotional point of view.
Critics are somewhat divided over the film’s merits. Some praise it for its stupidly entertaining nature and its self-awareness of its absurdity. For example, Renuka Vyavahare of the Times of India gives it three stars out of 5 and calls it “a mindless & excessive trippy ride that entertains.”
She adds that “Jason Momoa has the most fun with his character” and “gives his comical-psychotic villain the insanity and anger of a disgruntled employee on a notice period.”
Others are less impressed by the film’s lack of originality and coherence. For instance, Scott Tobias of The Guardian gives it two stars out of 5 and says that it “offers more of the same.”
He criticizes that “the plot has little relevance” and that “the series has resorted to using actors as minor script updates.” Tobias also notes that “the film labors to assemble a cast of characters that’s swollen like a wasp bite over ten films.”
Here are some more comments by famous critics and journalists:
Molly Freeman, Screen Rant: Fast & Furious is a franchise that has become known for its action and stunts and, in this regard, Fast X exceeds all expectations. However, the script by Lin and Mazeau leaves something to be desired, largely because it’s at odds with itself. Fast X wants to be a movie that smirks cheekily at its audience, letting the viewer know they’re in on the joke, but it also wants to have a grounded and emotional throughline. Unfortunately, it doesn’t pull off a compelling balance, waffling between nudge-nudge wink-wink jokes and soapy dialogue about family. It’s almost, but not quite, a parody of itself.
Phil Owen, Gamespot: At the heart of this mess, you’ve got Dom, and you’ve got Dante. Dom is a full-on parody of himself at this point, a meme who doesn’t realize he’s a meme. If Vin Diesel were playing this character with any amount of irony, that could be fun, but instead, he’s just earnest and bland and a bad character.
Dante, by contrast, is a rare aspect of Fast X that feels fresh and new, and that’s primarily thanks to Momoa’s performance, which seems to have clearly involved a lot of improvising. Dante is basically doing a man-child version of Heath Ledger’s Joker–a delightful contrast to the very serious and business-like baddies that the Fast & Furious family usually face.
Peter Debruge, Variety: Most of the time, it’s hard to follow why Dom and company are doing what they’re doing, apart from the obvious point that they’re trying not to repeat themselves — which is ironic, since the movie opens with a six-minute rehash of the “Fast Five” climax, with Momoa inserted into the action. He gets blasted off that bridge in Rio, dies for a few seconds and then dedicates the next decade (off-screen) to studying Dom’s every move.
Tom Jorgensen, IGN: None of Fast X’s clumsily orchestrated car Rube Goldbergs manage much of an identity of their own either, and that’s a shattering disappointment for a series that has historically found new and interesting ways to move vehicles through time and space and explosions. Multiple action scenes feel like rehashes of previous movies – remember when Hobbs and Shaw played tug of war with a helicopter? Well, now Dom’s gonna do the same thing with two helicopters! Does it escalate things? Yes. Is it stunningly original? It is not.
Ray Greene, AV Club: These are blue-collar Bond movies now, scripted by your drunken uncle who is so impatient to get to the’ splosions and flying cars that he’s rushed past everything else to reach the “good stuff.” Gravity bends for Vin and his crew the way it obeys the commands of the flying sword fighters in a vintage Wuxia movie. So if you came for plausibility, you aren’t doing this movie right. You either go with it or you don’t.
Frank Scheck, THR: Momoa, it turns out, is one of the best things to ever happen to the franchise. He’s the best villain by far (not to mention that he does many of his own stunts) and thoroughly steals the film with his delightfully unhinged portrayal of Dante, who interrupts his nefarious activities to inform the ever-macho Dom that his “carpet matches the drapes.” Momoa is not exactly an actor associated with lightness, but here he practically dances the role as much as acts it, taking such frenetically gleeful delight in his character’s sadistic taunting that you practically root for him even when he threatens to destroy the Vatican
Dan Jolin, Empire: Cinema’s least-subtle and most-escalated series hits its sky-high-concept plateau. It’s a film that somehow finds new and fabulously silly things to do with cars, while — Momoa’s questionable villain aside — being exactly what you’d expect.
In conclusion, Fast X is an entertaining movie for the fans of the Fast & Furious franchise and is solely dependent on nostalgia for its revenue.
It is a typical popcorn flick that offers little plot or character development and is best enjoyed with low expectations and a high tolerance for absurdity.
About Fast X
Fast X is an upcoming action film involving street racing directed by Louis Leterrier. The film is the tenth installment in the Fast And Furious franchise and is the first part in the two-part finale of the film series, collectively known as The Fast Saga.
The film stars an ensemble cast including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jason Momoa, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, John Cena, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, and Rita Moreno.
Fast X is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 19, 2023, by Universal Pictures. Its sequel, intended to be the main series’ final installment, is also in development.
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