'Fast X' Is Pure Dumb Fun
Big, loud, and stupid, Fast X is the definition of turning your brain off when going to the movies. There will be many instances during the film’s over-the-top action sequences where you’ll ask “why” or “how.” Eventually, you’ll give up asking and enjoy the ride. Fast X doesn’t ask much of its audience other than to remember the characters from the nine other films. As one who only saw the first two films when VHS still existed, I was understandably lost regarding which character was which. Still, I got the gist of who’s who to make for an enjoyable experience.
The film begins with a flashback to one of the previous flicks. A heist is happening during a high-speed chase on the road. What everyone is stealing or why the heist is happening is beyond my little brain. It doesn’t matter; what does is who Vin Diesel and his gang pissed off. Dante (Jason Momoa) loses his father to the heist and seeks to avenge him. Dante targets Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family to exact his vengeance. But Dante doesn’t stop at Dominic. He becomes a world terrorist.
The film spans its scope across multiple locales, including Rome, Antarctica, and the Grand Canyon. From one vast location to the next, Fast X revs its engines toward the next big scene. The action is where the film contains its greatest strength because it’s certainly not in any of its ramblings about family.
In the story, Dominic had a son with his partner Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Together, they live in a nice house which I suppose they could afford through their years of car heists and races. Their child is in danger due to their entanglement with Dante. Here’s a thought; if you have a child, don’t keep going on heists that will upset the wrong people.
One would think the safety of Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) would be the top priority over car heists and races. There go those pesky nit pics that deter from the experience again. Yet, one can’t help but notice some plot holes when they come along. For instance, during one of the film’s earliest action sequences, Dante attempts to transport a bomb to the Vatican. While counting the timer to the explosive device down, Dante publicly brags about his evil plans within an earshot of other people. Somehow, nobody can hear the bad guy saying, “I’m going to blow up the Vatican” out loud.
After the Vatican bomb fiasco, Dante frames Dominic for his crime, turning him into an international terrorist. Somehow being one of America’s most wanted doesn’t stop Dominic from participating in a huge car race with about one hundred spectators. If there were ever a time for the authorities to arrest their wanted man, the car racing scene would be the most obvious place to look. Attaching logic to a Fast & Furious film won’t get you anywhere. Like they always say, “Don’t think too hard. Just enjoy the movie.”
The main draw to a Fast & Furious flick is the chases and boy, do they stand out here. How these car stunts are made possible is mind-boggling. The chases are less like races and more like cars taking aerial flight. Cars fly off of bridges, canyons and drop out of planes. The amount of money in wrecked vehicles must be staggering within the film’s budget, not to mention all the hard work gone into these sequences is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. No matter how you feel about The Fast & Furious franchise, you can’t ignore that a lot of love goes into making these films. From one hectic set piece to the next, the film continually ups the ante for each action scene getting so ridiculous I can’t help but marvel at the work put into them.
What the film could use is a bit more structure. The movie cuts between multiple plot lines at once, making the distinction between its characters difficult to follow. After nine films, it’s understandable that the picture doesn’t have time to explain who each person is within a largely cast film. Still, when cutting between four different plot lines, the movie can be confusing.
Fast X focuses on multiple subjects at once. Plot A is about Dominic trying to keep his son safe. Plot B is Little Brian being protected by Uncle Jakub (John Cena). Plot C is Dante exacting his revenge on everyone, and plot D is Letty trying to break free from prison. The plotlines can get jumbled amongst the flick’s chaos. There’s hardly a moment that allowed the movie to breathe. Whenever someone would meet up with another person, a fistfight would break out. It’s as if the Producers told the director, “The kids will get bored. They want constant action. Can we have them fight?” It’s comedic how characters wrestle each other as if that’s a normal way to interact instead of discussing their problems like civilized people.
The cast is serviceable with star-studded appearance cameos, including Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, John Cena, and Rita Moreno. The cast member who stands out the most is Jason Momoa. Being a bad guy is fun. It’s the perfect opportunity to chew up the scenery, which Momoa does. He’s given the best dialogue as he bad guy lectures all across the board, having a blast doing it.
When the film ends, it sets up for more sequels. The ending is intentionally abrupt. Instead of closure, the movie places everything on a cliffhanger for the next installment. If the next Fast film is as energetic and corny as this one, I wouldn’t mind taking another ride toward future installments. As dumb as the F&F movies are, they’re completely aware of how absurd they are and embrace it. They’re like a Michael Bay movie with the xenophobia removed. Fasten your seatbelts and hang on for some insane action that supersedes logic and subtlety.
