'F9' Review
PG-13: Sequences of violence and action, and language
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 28 Minutes
Production Companies: One Race Films, Original Film, Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, Perfect Storm Entertainment
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: Justin Lin
Writer: Daniel Casey, Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, Charlize Theron
Release Date: June 25, 2021
THEATRICAL ONLY
Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena)
Throughout the past few weeks, I’ve been revving up for my inevitable review of F9 by watching all the films in the Fast saga all over again with fresh adult eyes. Seriously, I was bingeing to the point where I watched Fast & Furious 6 in theaters during Regal Cinemas’ Free Fast Friday promotion. I was that dedicated to writing this F9 review as a true fan of the franchise. After going from The Fast to The Fate, I’ve come to the realization that this has to be the richest and most streamlined film franchise in history, and possibly the best thing American culture has to offer. If you take a look at my Letterboxd, the ratings I have for all its entries thus far are 2.5 or higher, which can’t be said for any other franchise. I wish I was joking, but each entry in this entertaining action franchise has its own identity, the world it plays with is expansive, it has a diverse ensemble that is so fun to watch, and the heart between the character dynamics are the core. None of the movies have stepped on each other’s toes and are able to form their own personality, which helped the series remain as relevant and exciting as it is today. This franchise went from a Point Break knock-off (with cars) to blockbuster testosterone-filled soap opera (with cars) and a Steven Universe-type heart. Seriously, these criminals-turned-super-spies have the power to turn their terroristic villains into their BFFs. I went, “Wait, this is literally Steven Universe with cars.” As expected, F9 continues the furious fashion of its recent predecessors by doing exactly that: providing high-octane action on a global scale, deepening the mythology with Dominic Toretto’s history, and putting his morality of “family first” to the ultimate test.
The Fast franchise has worn many hats and with this particular entry, it bears the Infinity War-like ensemble team-up. While the MCU felt like it was all leading up to an inevitable moment where heroes across multiple movies were gonna meet up, F9 has more richness to it because of the man behind the camera: Justin Lin. It’s been several years since director Justin Lin, who created the beloved character Han, directed Tokyo Drift and then reinvigorated the franchise to new life from Fast & Furious (‘09) all the way to Fast & Furious 6. F9 has a majority of the characters who got their start from the movies he helmed and it feels so warm to see these characters outside of Dom’s crew still being an intricate part of this weird-ass world. You have characters from Tokyo Drift help out on the world-threatening mission and it initially feels like fan service, but it’s similar to seeing an adult play with his childhood toys one last time. You feel it in the screenplay (which Lin’s a co-writer on) and through his direction. Instead of taking the franchise to new heights, he returns to his roots and provides love and closure to it.
Because you have an already-familiar series director back on the helm, the majority of the action sequences are still a whole lot of fun to watch. The locations are wide in variety and while street racing has now, unfortunately, become a thing of the past, Lin’s specialty at delivering hand-to-hand combat and epic car chase sequences are still very much in tow. It’s clear that he peaked long ago with prior entries but it’s great that he can still get the job done.
Usually, when a long-running TV series or film franchise is clearly out of ideas, they bring in the long-lost family member who was straight-up non-existent until now. Since this entry introduces Dom’s brother Jakob Toretto (John Cena), who was non-existent until now, the film surprisingly takes advantage of its premise by deepening the mythos of Dom’s past and still making the continuity airtight. This is not just a sequel but also an origin story of sorts, hence the film’s long-ass running time. As the film opens up, you’re transported to 1989 as you see the death of Dom’s father Jack from the eyes of a young Dom (Vinnie Bennett) and Jakob (Finn Cole), who were present at the scene. This was the event that began the rift in the brothers’ relationship. If you’re planning to go into this movie without watching any of the prior films… don’t. At least watch the first one to refresh your memory. Take it from someone who binged all eight films recently: Lin and Daniel Casey do a fantastic job connecting the lore of Dom’s past. Though this franchise has the weirdest timeline, they give a shit about preserving continuity and adding depth. In the midst of the mission, you get Dom and Jakob’s backstory in order to both develop their characters and have Dom finally grapple with a past sin, which includes the idolization of his father (a constant throughout the series) and his unmentioned brotherhood. As far as the Toretto brothers' relationship goes, it’s emotionally effective and is the best thing going for this entry.
Fast & Furious has become this major globetrotting action franchise where Dom and his crew must save the world from a new threat that’s out to tear their family apart. While it’s been fun for the past few movies, this is where its formula starts to run out of steam by exhausting retreads. The family stuff is still great and Dom has great arcs, but these spy missions are one movie away from running completely on E. There’s a MacGuffin device the crew has to find, there’s a new kind of rich terrorist out to use it, and they have to find familiar faces of movies past to help out on their mission. This time around the formula feels more padded out and overstuffed with unnecessary elements that disrupt the overall pacing, which already drags to begin with.
I know many have joked that this team has become superhero-like and this movie plays like a Marvel film, and that’s the last thing I wanted for the Fast & Furious franchise. F9 features far too many characters, spanning the franchise to an extreme that it is borderline unnecessary. Han’s return is handled fine thanks to a certain someone who is used as a means to tie up loose ends. It’s great to see Sung Kang back, but the other returning characters who hardly provide anything to the plot make the film drag out for too long. You’re already playing with a dead character and a new brother, there’s no need for so many others to arrive just for the sake of humor. Because of the many additions, both old and new, there’s A LOT of exposition and a lot of threads that need to be held, making the overall plot unnecessarily convoluted. Since the narrative didn’t blow me away as other entries did, there are times where it gets dull. It’s entertaining as hell, don’t get me wrong, but the franchise feels rather tired by now.
I know Dom’s crew are basically superhuman now but holy shit, continuity be damned. The only continuity this franchise has involves characters’ pasts but physical damage basically doesn’t exist. Very early on, as Dom and Letty are swinging by a metal tire across the bridge, they have a severe crash landing. Cut back to them in the car and they have NO SCRATCHES. NONE. WHATSOEVER. I know it’s redundant to criticize this aspect but man, F9 has the audacity to make everybody associated with Dom invincible and then MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT BEING INVINCIBLE. Roman Pierce (Gibson), the wisecracker of the group, has a running gag where he comments about how they’re invincible. I get that it’s tongue-in-cheek, but it’s more earnest when it’s not self-aware. I like the unacknowledged ignorance of the action. It’s a major part of the charm, but when you got Roman and Tej in homemade space helmets using duct tape to protect their hands from the vastness of space while discussing “the laws of physics”, that’s where you open the floodgates for criticism.
As someone with a newfound love for the franchise, F9 is a major disappointment, which is something I would say if heart still wasn’t at its core. While this movie is a mess and one of the weakest entries of them all, it’s still entertaining as hell and pays love and respect to the franchise’s legacy. While I’d say the Fast franchise is currently losing its way, F9 never for a moment forgets where it came from.
