Movie Review – F9 The Fast Saga – Absurd but Enjoyable in parts
Table of Contents
My Rating – 3 out of 5
Plot Summary – F9 The Fast Saga
The Biennial edition of this long-running series is finally out, first in cinemas and now available for streaming. Word is that this is the second last edition before the grand finale, i.e. Fast & Furious 11 will bring the curtains down on one of Hollywood’s most loved and endured series. What started as a near Indie film on street racers and their illegal lifestyles, the series then morphed into larger-than-life heists, impossible stunts, and even some ridiculous sequences, putting older James Bond movies to shame. It spawned spin-offs like the Tokyo Drift and Hobbs and Shaw, receiving mixed responses. Like in all long-running series, it also brewed bad blood between its two alpha males – Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson.
But that is another story, for now, let’s delve into the latest installment and what it brings to its audience this time. Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are in semi-retirement in some far-out location, along with Dom’s young son Brian. But obviously, retirement’s not for them, so when Tej (Ludacris), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) come calling with Mr. Nobody‘s (Kurt Russell) distress call from mid-air somewhere over South America. A reluctant Dom makes his way to join the rest of his team to recover a vitally important item from Mr. Nobody‘s crashed plane.
But the adventure doesn’t end there, Cipher (Charlize Theron) and a mad-hat dictator’s son from Eastern Europe, Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen) have their eyes set on a high-tech gadget, part of a secret project called Project Aries – which can override all weapons systems in the world and make the one holding that gadget the most powerful person on Earth. Sounds reasonable? Right, don’t even go there! Surprise Package No. 1 – Jakob Toretto (a permanently taciturn John Cena) – Dom‘s long-lost brother – is on the bad guy’s side and is assisting Cipher in assembling the weapon. Ramsey and Tej – the two tech whiz kids on Dom’s team are tracking the two parts of the weapon.
Now comes the Surprise Package No. 2 – Han Lue! Han (Sung Kang) had apparently died first in Tokyo Drift and in Fast 8, and due to public demand (yes! that’s right) has been brought back to life through a convoluted explanation. But we aren’t complaining!! Slowly but steadily, F9 now moves into the illogical territory and into a hitherto uncharted domain, even by their own standards! More cars go flying in this episode, there is a giant Electromagnet that causes mayhem on London’s roads along with a 48 wheel (or maybe 60 or 80, I’m not sure) monster truck. The car chases are exhilarating as usual and while you are watching them unfold – leave logic and reason behind.
Like most of the James Bond movies (at least the pre-Daniel Craig era) stretched the bounds of believability, F9 does the same without being classified as fantasy.
Conclusion – Movie Review of F9 The Fast Saga
With Justin Lin coming back to the franchise after his exit with the sixth installment of the series, it was expected that the blockbuster feel of the much-loved franchise will be revived, particularly since Fast 8 was a dampener. In large parts of the movie, Lin makes his presence felt, but some artistic liberties border on the ridiculous, making this look like a collection of absurd sequences. Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Jason Statham make blink and you miss appearances and there’s a mid-credit scene as well but overall it’s all too predictable and disappointing.
That said, do I regret watching it? Not at all, it is still a lot of fun, some parts are even sensibly likable. Jakob and Dom’s backstory, for me, is the highlight of this edition, but in perspective, the sum of all parts includes the ridiculous sequences too. That makes for a tedious watch (even funny at times), but still, Fast and Furious lives, and we’ll see some more of it – improbable sequences and all.
I’ll end this with another public demand – let’s have more of Cipher (the menace of Charlize Theron is too brief in this) and of Queenie Shaw (Helen Mirren), Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), and Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) too… That will be the best way to say Adieu to one of the most loved franchises in Movie history!
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