Fast X Review
The tenth installment of The Fast & Furious (not counting the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff in 2019), is now in theaters with the arrival of Fast X. As a relative newcomer to the series, this is probably the first entry of this series I've ever actually reviewed. I used to wear it as a badge of pride that I hadn't seen a single one and actively avoided the series for years. When I married my husband in 2017, he begged me to see The Fate of the Furious with him and promised me I'd be entertained. He was right...in the sense that it was so absurdly preposterous, how could I not be? I reluctantly agreed to see the movies when they'd come out but still hadn't bothered to catch up on anything that came before...til this summer to prepare for Fast X. I'll share my rankings of the series in another post, but for now...let's get to Fast X.
Unsurprisingly, Fast X is yet another film in this long line of a ridiculous action franchise set on outdoing itself with every new entry. It benefits from following up on perhaps the lowest point in the series, F9: The Fast Saga, so it can't help but feel like an improvement over that dud. But it still certainly tries to compete in levels of stupidity. But, it has a secret ingredient in scenery-chewing villain Jason Momoa that just makes it more fun than it should be (at least whenever he's on screen).
Fast X opens with the revelation that Dom and his family are being targeted once again by someone they've crossed in the past who is hell-bent on revenge. This time they learn that apparently the Brazillian drug lord Hernan Reyes who was a casualty from their time in Rio De Janeiro (featured in Fast Five), all this time had a son (Jason Momoa) who has been watching Dom's every move. Dante Reyes has been studying Dom's weaknesses, waiting for just the right time to avenge his father and now he's finally got all the pieces into place to pull off his plans. Will Dom be able to keep his family safe, even when his young son gets dragged into all the action?
The Fast & the Furious franchise has never quite been able to recover from the loss of Paul Walker. The films are still stupidly entertaining with outrageous action set pieces, but there's a dynamic that's missing that no matter what they do, they can't bring back. These newer additions will always feel something lacking in them and there's just no fix around it. They certainly tried with the addition of John Cena as Dom's long-lost brother that the guy who is obsessed with family never happened to mention--but you can't force a newcomer into the series and get the same feel as someone who was there from the beginning. Fast X is a step up from F9, but stays on the level of Fate of the Furious and Hobbs & Shaw. It's forgettable popcorn entertainment that you won't be able to recall anything about a week from now.
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