REVIEW: ‘Fast X’ ran out of fuel on its victory lap
While main character Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) thinks family is forever, that doesn’t mean the Fast and Furious franchise should last that long.
“Fast X” premiered Friday, making an impressive $67.5 million nationwide and $320 million overall on the opening weekend. While I am a dedicated Fast and Furious fan, 10 movies over the course of 22 years with two more in the works is excessive. Every race (and franchise) has a finish line; Fast and Furious crossed it a long time ago.
The 10th installment of the franchise centers on the usual group of street-racing vigilante protagonists as they defend themselves and the world from a revenge-seeking son of a fallen drug lord. In addition to leader Toretto, this eclectic group includes returning characters Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Tej Parker (Ludacris), Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel).
The antagonist of this film, Dante (Jason Momoa), is the son of villainous kingpin Hernan Reyes. Reyes, who was killed in the fifth movie, is avenged by his son in “Fast X.” Dante goes on a destructive terror across the world with only a goal of making Toretto and his family suffer. Filled with outlandish stunts, gravity-defying missions and multiple character resurrections, “Fast X” relentlessly strays too far from the beaten path of street racing.
The film’s primary setting reverts back to the setting of the fifth installment with the streets of Brazil. With recycled storylines and characters, “Fast X”’s strongest moments are those that pay homage to past movies. With characters wandering in Antarctica, stopping a bomb in Rome and driving cars out of airplanes, the 10th installment was a far cry from the franchise’s humble beginnings.
Only the occasionally familiar tone of family, faith and powerful engines remind the audience of the franchise they’re watching. Yet, even those moments came few and far between.
“Fast X” also includes a surprise cameo from comedian Pete Davidson, as a black market supplier based out of London. Meadow Walker, daughter of late Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker who died in a car crash in 2013, also has a cameo. Her short appearance as a flight attendant pays homage to her late father.
Despite the initial appeal of this street racing series, each installment strays further and further from the original theme it set out to create. While it is understandable that after nine movies the creators need to write action-packed scenes bigger and better than ever before to keep the audience engaged, each unrealistic moment that belongs in a fantasy movie served as another reason why the franchise should’ve ended after the seventh movie. If the franchise’s history is the best it could offer its fans, some things are better left untouched.
The family sentiment, which was once an endearing layer below the drivers’ hardened exterior, lost value with every repetitive line. The surprise resurrection of characters who were supposed to be dead further unraveled the plot that directors spent more than a decade building.
Villains are made into allies, friends are revealed as masked foes and every other storyline that could’ve been written has already been covered in the franchise … twice, even.
The franchise should have rested in peace with Toretto and Brian O’Conner (Walker) driving off into the sunset a quarter mile at a time. Instead, the magic of the series that once lured fans in is oversaturated by extravagant plot points that don’t belong.
The roaring engines of cars were muffled by the unrealistic stunts. The unique backdrop of Los Angeles street racing was overshadowed by foreign places like Rome, London, Antarctica and Rio de Janeiro. The recycled lines about family make it clear that the Fast and Furious franchise lost sight of the characters in its rearview mirror.