Failing Car-Berater
Twenty years ago, a silly little movie called "The Fast and the Furious" came out: it offered cheap thrills, and went on to make a quaint $200 million at the global box office. Somehow, two decades later, we are still living in the world of Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto and his crew, and there doesn't seem to be any slowing down. The latest installment, "F9: The Fast Saga," brings the team back together for more death-defying stunts. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.
There are bound to be pop culture scholars who will write great pieces analyzing the success, trajectory, and impact of the wildly successful "Fast" movies, now a billion-dollar franchise. Some have been in from the start, but those who have been casual fans of the movies found a turning point around the fifth installment. The movies got bigger and much dumber, and somehow got better. Once they leaned into the ridiculousness of it all, it was easy to sit back and enjoy the empty calories offered on screen. The franchise has gone through a variety of name shifts, but the seventh installment, titled "Furious 7," marked the last time we saw co-star Paul Walker on screen, due to his untimely death. Walker died mid-production, but the movie managed to offer a bittersweet sendoff for his character. The entire franchise should have ended there - but with so much money on the table, artistic integrity seems less appealing.
"F9" is a movie that shows a franchise that's running on bald tires. The films may have evolved from disposable to enjoyably outlandish, but it's hard to sustain consistent energy for this long. In this installment the characters look tired, and the movie around them certainly is as well. The series has become Diesel's baby; and when it's his most successful work, it's probably hard to let go. But it's time.
Director Justin Lin, who helmed installments three through six, returns for "F9," and he certainly knows how to dive right back into the large action set pieces. The plot around it? Who cares. It's not why you're there. Dom (Diesel), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Mia (Jordana Brewster) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) go on another globetrotting mission to find Dom and Mia's brother Jakob (John Cena), who has been drafted by Cipher (Charlize Theron, reprising her villain role from the last movie) to take on Dom. There's several car chases and explosions along the way.
The problem with "F9" is that the franchise has become an easily meme'd shell of its former self. It used to be a laughing point to say that one day the crew would take their adventures to space - but it happens here. Dom's speeches waxing poetic on family are ever-present, and we can't forget about the Corona-sipping picnics. While the middle movies felt like they were shaking things up and trying to stay exciting, "F9" simply plays by formula.
It's fun to watch Oscar winners Theron and Helen Mirren, in a brief and wholly unnecessary role, enjoy themselves in these movies (supposedly Mirren asked to be a part of the last film), and all the established actors wear these characters comfortably. The absence of Walker continues to be noticeable, and the movie is not afraid to use his likeness in addressing his absence, which doesn't feel like the tribute Diesel and company likely think it is. The introduction of Cena offers some family drama, and he fits in to the male posturing on display, but the movie spends too much time in flashbacks delving into tortured Toretto family history. It simply bloats the length (and provides one terribly corny segment of the movie) and doesn't offer the depth that seems to have been intended.
"F9" begs for the series to be put to rest, but this is Diesel's bread and butter. Life after this series probably won't be as bountiful for him, so naturally, he wants to keep it going. There is talk of two more entries in the saga, and we've already seen its capability to produce spinoffs (2019's "Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw"). Even when the "Fast" series finally puts itself in park, the drive will never be over.
F9: The Fast Saga Movie Review By Matthew Passantino
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