THE PLOT
Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved, and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced - A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who’s fueled by blood revenge and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything, and everyone, that Dom loves forever.
QUICK REVIEW
Yes, here we are. A tenth Fast and the Furious movie. Its crazy to think about how this series started as a movie about stolen DVDs, and has since evolved into a full blown quasi-superhero catalog of films. And yet for all the many “they’re doing another one?!” responses I hear from my casual movie-going friends and family, these films have a devoted fanbase and have made literally billions of dollars.
But Vin Diesel promised this will be “the last ride”. As in a final trilogy of films’ worth of a “last ride”. There seems to be an “all hands on deck” approach going with these last couple new entries. The whole gang is back and that includes the typical core players in Dominic (Vin), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Han (Sung Kang), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), and even the returns of Deckard (Jason Statham), Jakob (John Cena), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Quennie (Helen Mirren), Cipher (Charlize Theron), and even Hobbs (The Rock) through a post-credits scene the studio desperately leaked out there in the face of lower advanced ticket sales - but I can confirm its not the only actual surprise. In fact the roster is so big that this is probably the closest one of these films has felt to being an Avengers film.
There’s a few new faces as well from the new antagonist in Dante Reyes (Jason Mamoa), a replacement for Mr. Nobody in Aimes (Alan Ritchson), Mr. Nobody’s daughter Tess (Brie Larson), Isabel who has a tie to a character from the franchise’s past (Daniela Melchior), among others such as even Rita Moreno as Dom’s grandmother.
So what could one expect from the latest entry in this overlong, physics rules’ breaking franchise? Is it just more “junk food” cinema? Well the answer is…yes. Yes it is. And that’s either good or bad news depending on how you feel about these.
Yes the racing cars are back, and featured prominently doing insane and unrealistic things; so if that’s your thing you’ll get plenty of it here. And that comes with the typical cringe-inducing scene of women being sexualized and twerking around until the race can begin. Yes there’s plenty of globe hopping happening just like the last few entries, but this time its even more frequent. There will be plenty of mind-blowing (and completely impossible were this reality) moments for the hardcore fans; the advanced screening crowd they has us press watch this with seem to react well to the big action sequences. If the basics of what this franchise has become appeals to you, this is automatically going to work for you.
The movie is so over-the-top and campy at moments that as many as it will work for, it’ll also be just as off-putting for others. There were many times I wanted to say aloud, “Oh come on!” and keep in mind this is coming from a guy whose favorite franchise involves a giant radioactive lizard awaken after being dormant for tens of millions of years. In fact from the first scene when we catch up to Dom, we already are treated to something that might be the most reality-suspending thing we’ve seen in this franchise yet.
But one thing that helps the film lean into the campiness and not take itself so serious was Jason Momoa’s performance. The guy is clearly having an absolute blast as one of the most over-the-top comic book-like villains perhaps in all film history. There’s even one moment of a mini dialogue where the movie breaks the fourth wall and addresses all the ridiculousness.
I’ll also give the movie props for actually feeling like the first part to a greater story when all was said and done. By the end, even an ironic watcher of these movies like me found myself kind of intrigued to see where the next chapter to this “saga” will go.
Ultimately if you’re a fan of these movies, this will hit you in the right spot. If you’re sick and tired of them, this will not be the one to win you over. Its exactly what a Fast and Furious film has been for the last few entries. And yet I’d also say its the best one since the seventh entry. I’ll see if the second and third part finishes strong enough for me to make me grade this higher, but for now this is a decent B on my end. If you want “turn your brain off” entertainment or just enjoy “junk food” cinema, this is gonna’ be a blast for you. I liked it for what it was but it still feels like this franchise peaked years back.
INTIAL GRADING