F9 Movie Review

 

It's certainly impressive what a phenomenon the Fast & Furious franchise has become. What started out as a simple, lower budget movie about street racers has quickly turned into one of the biggest franchises of all-time. I've always had a soft spot for these films since the first film that released in 2001, guilty pleasures or not, but Fast Five in 2011 clearly help reinvent the series and was such a breathe of fresh air. Since then, each new installment has continued to up the ante to insane heights, and for me at least the results have been consistently entertaining. Safe to say I was certainly excited for this new sequel, especially with fan favorite Justin Lin returning in the director's chair. The trailers promised what looked to be the most most ludicrous Fast & Furious film yet, and by no surprise that's exactly what it is. These films make most cartoons look grounded in reality in comparison, and if you're someone who can accept that all logic has been thrown out the window with these films, then I'm sure you can have fun with F9 as I certainly did.

Usually with my reviews, I like to start off with the negatives, but in the case of this film, I'll start off with what the apparent flaws are here. First thing's first: Yes F9 is dumb and I mean very dumb. As I kind of already pointed out above, reality ran out the door long time ago with this series and here they have most certainly amplified that very fact. Of course that has sort of become a bit of the charm with these films too, but even I as a fan can't deny there are plenty of times I would roll my eyes here. The main storyline doesn't make a lick of sense, and this new installment definitely doubles down on the soap melodrama that has already been long established with these films. Some of those elements definitely can work to this film's benefit, but a lot of it is certainly very hammy. Of course the action is always a standout with these films, but due to how many characters they have brought back from the dead (this time around that character being Han), there's definitely an increasing lack of any real stakes to be found with this series. With a length of almost 2 and a half hours, there's probably at least a good 10-15 minutes that could have been trimmed from that. Also Charlize Theron returns from her villain role in Fast 8 and she's criminally wasted. 

I could talk more and more about the flaws to be found in this film, but at the end of the day, there has always been a great level of fun to be had with these Fast & Furious films, and for me at least F9 definitely delivered on that front. I guess a big part of why I continue to have a bit of a soft spot for these films even as they increasingly jump the shark is due to the genuine affection I continue to have for these characters. The interplay between these characters have always been a highlight and that definitely remains a highlight here. As far as the cast goes, Vin Diesel is of course Vin Diesel here which to me is certainly not a bad thing. The chemistry between Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris in particular always brings me great joy in these films, Roman and Tej are always a delightful duo. This time around the biggest cast addition is of course John Cena as Dom Toretto's long lost little brother, and he certainly proves to be a fitting new addition. I wish they had done a little more with his character, but watching him and Diesel go at it is certainly fun. As we saw in the trailers too, Sung Kang returns as fan favorite character Han and his return is definitely a delightful one for fans. Granted his return as expected makes zero sense (it was never going to anyway), and I wish they gave him a few bigger moments for this film, but Han as always been easily one of my favorite characters in this franchise so his return was well welcomed for me.

Of course, the main selling point in these films is always the action. The set pieces are getting bigger, louder, and even more absurd with each passing film, but they still remain so much fun especially on a big screen and also so expertly helmed. With Justin Lin returning in the director's chair, nobody understands this franchise or this universe better than he clearly does and he's also always had a great eye for shooting action. Nothing in this franchise I think will probably ever top the vault chase sequence at the end of Fast Five, but the action nevertheless remains thrilling and hugely entertaining. There's also some very big callbacks, and tie-ins to earlier films which as a fan was definitely satisfying. This is also the first one to be very flashback heavy, and while a lot of these sequences are undeniably corny, I did still appreciate how a lot of this film did tie itself back all the way to the original. 

With 20 years and 9 films (if you include the Hobbs & Shaw spin-off film) already set in, you should already know exactly what you're getting at when walking into a Fast & Furious film. These films are obviously very easy to pick apart from a critical standpoint, this new one probably being the easiest of them all, but as someone with a love for these characters and even the family element of these films, I can't help not continuing to be absolutely entertained. F9 is nowhere near the best one in the franchise, but it's definitely a very fun addition. If you have that same affection as I do, then it's hard to imagine you walking away not having a lot of fun with this new one. If this formula has understandably grown tired for you a long time ago though, then yeah look elsewhere.

Final Grade: B