I think I have one of the easiest reviews to write in my entire career as a film critic as there’s nothing to say about this movie that you would not already have seen coming. This movie is everything that you would expect it be. There are car chases that get more than out of hand.
There are over the top feats of strength, action, and spectacle. And of course, there are many, many mentions of family. Fast X, in the end, is what the fans would want: a simple and sprawling action film. It’s hard to believe they made ten of these already but the filmmakers are very well aware of that fact. The film itself takes jabs at the franchise and its longevity, as well as the fact it has evolved from a series of films on illegal street racers to a cinematic universe of international spies and covert operations.
Louis Leterrier who helmed this film makes his debut making a Fast film and honestly, he did a fairly solid job. What he needed to do right was create action sequences that pushed the limits of gravity and physics and he did exactly that. With credits on his résumé such as The Incredible Hulk, I wasn’t sure where this was going to go, but seeing as how he also directed the The Transporter, you can see why he excelled at shooting car chases. The only knock I could give this film is that none of the dramatic moments seemed to land. Every time Dominic Toretto waxed poetically about family or another character tried to stress the gravity of their situation, it only managed to provoke the laughter of everyone else that was invited to the advanced screening that I attended.
However, dramatic tension isn’t what these movies do best. Explosions and soap opera level twists is what this movie does best and they’re here aplenty. The film ends on a cliffhanger but I also found myself feeling a bit nonchalant about it. Much unlike the end of Avengers: Infinity War which left me begging for more, this film left me feeling just fine to wait for another year or two for the grand finale. The big reason why is that I didn’t feel particularly worried about much of the characters. Honestly, no one really stays dead in this franchise so it’s hard for me to feel concerned that a character that was seemingly killed off is gone forever.
All in all, you know what you’re getting yourself into when you’re watching a Fast and Furious movie and Fast X is no different. As a fan of the series myself, I of course think it’s worth a watch. At the end of the day it epitomizes everything Hollywood stands for and contains every trope it could fit in the two and a half hour run time. Be sure to check it out when you get a chance.
