Rating of
3/4
Something, Something Family... but in a Good Way.
Chris Kavan - wrote on 05/29/23
The first part of either a two-part or maybe a trilogy (it's still up in the air) to end the Fast and Furious franchise manages a fine balance between action and actual plot. Director Louis Leterrier promised to make the film more grounded in reality and, I do have to say, while there is still plenty of questionable action - it's at least less ridiculous than jumping cars between buildings or parachuting them and accurately landing.
Taking place several years after the last film, this one is still all about family as our opening has our core group: Dom (Vin Diesel), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej ( Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges), Han (Sung Kang), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) and a grown-up Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) sitting down to a classic Fast BBQ with Abuelita (Rita Moreno) presiding over the gathering. Roman is pumped because he's about to lead his first mission in Rome while Dom is just happy to be raising his son. But, this being the kind of film it is, of course things are quickly going to go south. When Cipher (Charlize Theron) shows up unannounced shortly after, she manages to convince the couple to spare her life when she reveals a greater threat exists to them both - one that now has all her resources after beating her at her own game. And, it also turns out, Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood) didn't contact Roman about his mission - it was someone much more nefarious.
Retconning is the name of the game and we get to go back to Fast Five - and re-visit Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) who, it turns out, has a son, Dante (Jason Momoa) - who is unhinged and very dangerous. We get to follow that crazy safe chase scene once again and learn that Dante was along for the entire ride and holds a serious grudge after all these years. After planning for years he will do anything to destroy Dom and his family. This means setting up Roman and his crew for disaster - one that leads Aimes (Alan Ritchson) to declare the group public enemy number one with The Agency. This does not sit well with Mister Nobody's daughter, Tess (Brie Larson), but she doesn't have control but does what she can to help - including making off with the Eye of God.Thus begins a game of cat and mouse between Dom and Dante that spans the globe - and puts his son at risk. He calls upon his brother, Jakob (John Cena) to help - but Dante's reach is unavoidable and not everyone may come out alive.
Fast X doesn't skimp on what you expect - there are plenty of high-octane thrills to be found, but it also manages to give us better character development than we've seen from the series in a long time. Plus, Momoa is an absolute treat as Dante. He's a dandy with a mean streak a mile wide - he loves ballet just as much as he loves killing people. He's mad as a hatter but charming to a fault. I have to say, he's perfect for the role and plays it to the hilt and I can't wait to see where he goes from here. He's reason enough to watch this as he makes for one of the best new characters in ages. But he's not the only new face - Larson is in stone cold kick ass mode as Tess and I have a feeling she'll be reunited with her father before the series ends. Also on board is Isabel (Daniela Melchior), introduced as the younger sister of the late Elena, who still feels like she falls short of her sister's accomplishments. We even get to catch up a bit with Queenie (Helen Mirren) and Shaw (Jason Statham) in a few scenes.
Granted, the film ends on a cliffhanger and we're guaranteed at least one more film (maybe two) before the series wraps up (but you know we're going to get some kind of spinoff, right?). Still, after getting more and more ridiculous, Fast X does feel like it is more grounded and that's a good thing. Because you can't just hinge a film on crazy stunts - you need something more emotional to bring it all together. And that's what family is all about.
