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F9: The Fast Saga
(Universal Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
In the 20 years since the first film that’s basically “Point Break,” but with speed racing, “The Fast and the Furious” evolved into a global phenomenon, mixing fast cars with outrageous action and international locales. Through many highs and lows, the series is still going strong. “F9: The Fast Saga” will surely give fans more than a reason to see it on the biggest screen possible. Director Justin Lin makes his long-awaited return to bring the fun having previously directed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth films in the franchise.
Now living peacefully in a farmhouse, Dominic (Vin Diesel) and his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are raising their son Little Brian while trying to get away from the action. But that quickly changes when their friends Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) reveal that their contact Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) was mysteriously attacked while transporting the imprisoned Cipher (Charlize Theron). The team once again traverses the globe, dodging the bad guys in fast cars until they discover a twist in the plot. Dom’s long-lost brother Jakob (John Cena) is now working with Cipher and a rich psycho named Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen) in a plot to hijack a satellite and control all of Earth’s technology. This becomes personal for Dom as he remembers what led his little brother down that dark path stemming from the death of their father.
Meanwhile, the team gets some unexpected help from Dom’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), Sean (Lucas Black), and Han (Sung Kang); who was thought to have been long-dead. Soon enough, they’ll have to take their world-saving skills to a higher-level involving magnets and trip to outer space.
Everything that’s mentioned in the synopsis is only a small smidge of what amounts to a two-and-a-half-hour motion picture filled to the brim with enough action, comedy, drama, science fiction, and espionage to fill at least 10 Marvel movies. At this point in the nine-film series, excluding the 2019 spin-off “Hobbs and Shaw,” audiences come to expect a film with each action scene more outrageous than the last, and fans can attest to its entertainment value. In some ways, the sillier moments, whether in the climax or the Abbott and Costello-style comedy with Roman and Tej, can leave a big grin on your face that’ll surely get stuck that way. That also goes for the part where the series finally went the James Bond in “Moonraker” route by taking a rocket-powered car above the Earth.
If your brain hasn’t been turned on by then, then you’re not having a fun time. The other parts of the movie are mainly dramatic, dealing with Dom’s past with flashbacks that worked fine for the overall story. However, these scenes can almost grind the film to a halt while you’re still in cloud nine from the high-octane action. Given its runtime, the film could’ve benefitted from a tighter second act while giving the film a solid foundation for its story in a similar way to the seventh film. For those who are becoming nostalgic for the first film, one of the flashbacks involve a street race scene that will surely remind you and appreciate how we came a long way from the past 20 years.
Let’s not forget the series’ overall theme of family, and the main cast once again proves they’re a family worth rooting for. Both Diesel and Rodriguez are more believable together than ever, while Gibson, Ludacris, Emmanuel bring the joy in their hilarious scenes. Cena makes for a good villain as does the return of Theron though the Otto character feels like an unnecessary place-over to be a real punching bag. There’s also cameos by Helen Mirren returning as Queenie and Michael Rooker as one of Dom’s old friends plus some subtle nods honoring late franchise star Paul Walker that fans will be happy to see.
Maybe you’re the type that still goes out of the way to see this kind of film regardless of reviews, or you’re just trying to find the right theatrical experience with an audience after staying home for so long. Either way, “F9: The Fast Saga” is a can’t-miss film event of the summer audiences have been waiting all year for. Despite some padding, it teeters toward being one of the good films in this franchise with two more entries hoping to end it on a high note.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for sequences of violence and action, and language)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
