Director: Louis Leterrier
Writer: Dan Mazeau, Justin Lin, and Zach Dean. Based on Characters by Gary Scott Thompson
Cast: Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, and (too many) others.
Rating: 3.5/5
The basic premise has nothing remotely new or fresh about it. Dominic Toretto must protect his ‘family’ from the wrath of Dante Reyes, the psychotic vengeful son (a Marvel willain who seems to have watched too many Jack Sparrow movies while growing up) of slain drug lord Hernan Reyes, who is armed with tech stolen from Cipher (Charlize Theron).
While Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto continues to not allow any emotion to show on his face and let his (VFX aided) driving skills do all the talking, Jason Momoa’s ‘I’m Dante, enchanté!’ act leaves one amused. It is basically Groot Vs Aquaman in an alternate universe.
But in the over-the-top and beyond-the-realm-of-logic world of Fast & Furious, more is more. So, this story breeds subplots. Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), and Han (Sung Kang) are sent off to Rome for a spurious mission. Uncle Jakob (John Cena’s) is put on babysitting duty for Dom’s kid, Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) and the two are having their own adventure while on a trip. Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and Cipher are stuck in an escape movie and are later joined by Gal Wonder Woman Gadot. There is also Captain Marvel, Brie Larson, turning up as Tess, the daughter of a government agent and covert operative Mr. Nobody who was earlier helming The Agency and had recruited Toretto and his ‘family’ and turned them into an Avengers-like crew. With almost seven subplots that unfold like mini-movies with each having its own tone but mostly not adding much to the main plot, the two-and-a-half-hour-long movie spreads itself too thin. What makes it worse is that these subplots, except the one with Jakob and Brian, are hardly engaging or add almost nothing to the main story. Then there are also Oscar-winning actors like Helen Mirren and Rita Moreno pop up in random cameos. The end result is an overcrowded mayhem of endless nonsense running on cartoon logic.
Early on in the movie we encounter a magical gravity-defying ball bomb rolling infinitely down the streets of Rome towards the Vatican without losing any momentum which neatly sets the pitch and tone of the ‘ridiculous‘ for the entire finale. There are an adequate number of cars blown up to serve as inspiration to Rohit Shetty for his next slate of movies. There is a Pathaanesque scene where much like Jim, Toretto crashes two helicopters by pulling them towards each other with a connected rope. Then just like Salman Khan in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, we have Toretto casually lifting a car with one hand. There is a scene where Toretto lands his car on the ground from a moving airplane but then in the previous movie, F9, these guys had launched their car into space. If you have followed the franchise closely, physics-defying outrageous but ‘cool’ action set pieces, replete with speeding cars, racing cars, crashing cars, and cars blowing up in flames, are what these movies are essentially all about; the plot is an afterthought and is usually rehashed and repurposed with minor tweaks.
Dominic Toretto has almost become an alter-ego for Vin Diesel and the mostly stoic character is tailor-made to mask his inadequacies as an actor. But in this movie, he shows a bit of a sensitive side. His other regular collaborators in the franchise who also form part of his ‘family’, Tyrese Gibson as Roman, Ludacris as Tej, Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, and Sung Kang as Han, are all their usual selves and their story arc mostly provide comic relief. Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz is great and her hand-to-hand combat scene with Charlize ‘QUEEN’ Theron’s Cipher is one of the best moments in the movie. But one hopes to see much more of these two badass ladies in action. But the best chemistry is shared between John Cena’s Jakob Toretto and Leo Abelo Perry’s Brian Marcos, Dom’s son. Both are adorable together and pretty darn good even on their own. Known for providing the WWE Universe with some LOL moments in the past, John Cena plays on his comic timing here.
But Fast X belongs to Jason Mamoa. In his Dante, the franchise not only finds its best villain but also much-needed fresh energy. Although his body language seems a tad influenced by Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, Mamoa plays the Joker-like sociopath villain to perfection. He goes all in and he is having fun with the character. Be it the scene where he licks the fresh blood from a knife after stabbing a person or where he is lovingly painting the nails of a mutilated dead body sitting on a chair, he is as evil as it gets. What is better than a malicious and maniacal supervillain? A well-dressed, drop-dead-gorgeous, cool one-liner quoting, malicious and maniacal supervillain, of course! In the testosterone-fluid Fast and Furious world, he brings in a dash of queer energy and gender-fluid if often campy and outlandish fashion sense. Mamoa as Dante is a joy to watch.
Verdict
Fast X is the beginning of the end of the Fast & Furious franchise. In the 22-year-long chequered history that includes but is not limited to 10 films, a spinoff, and an animated series, Dom and his crew of car-borne DVD player stealers have evolved into the ‘family’ that is working in cahoots with the government to save the world from crooks. In the very first part of the franchise finale (which is rumoured to be a trilogy), the climb of the preposterous reaches dizzying heights. With a basic premise as new as planet Earth and as fresh as dried Bombil crisps, Fast X is painfully predictable. But, helmed by Transporter director, Louis Leterrier, who joins the petrolhead series with this movie, FastX is a massively entertaining ride, fuelled by high-octane stunt scenes and a jubilant self-awareness, that nonchalantly crushes logic and physics under its wheels as it frenziedly speeds towards the finish line. The cliff-hanger ending ensures you will turn up for the next chapter of the season finale
Watch this lavishly-mounted mass entertainer on the big screen to fully enjoy its cool quotient. Remember to fasten your seatbelts and leave your brain at home.
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