Fast X
I was fast to leave the cinema, but I wasn’t furious. Vin Diesel’s latest instalment of the family saga, directed by Louis Leterrier, is yet again consistent in relation to its 4 previous features. Consistent in expectation and delivery. This franchise is trying to go 100 miles an hour stuck in gear one, the estimated 340,000,000 dollar budget is piled into the casting and CGI, showing just how expensive an irrelevant storyline can be.
With homages paid towards the late Paul Walker, there was an expectation that perhaps this ‘final film’ would take itself more seriously and perhaps have dignified, sombre moments. In hindsight this was a naïve thought and was subsequently punished with 2 hours 21 minutes worth of oversaturated, cgi explosions and unoriginal stunts. There were a lot of unexplored elements of the film that could’ve potentially saved this on-screen fever dream. Torretto is finally held accountable for the collateral damage he and his family’s missions have caused including the apparent rocket league montage shown in the opening of the film. They are framed for terrorism and suddenly Torreto is the most wanted, globally.
Despite this, the enemies surrounding the framed family remain the same as the crew simply hide around in back alleys fighting off the agency, unscathed. Not only is the plot dumb, but is a waste of talent as the stacked cast of renowned actors aren’t used to their best ability. Helen Mirren is in shot for roughly 5 minutes before leaving the green screen and collecting their paycheck. The only actor whose presence was remotely felt was that of Jason Momoa’s.
Fast X has a redeeming factor with it’s main antagonist Dante, whose energy matches the better parts of the franchises themes. The sociopath toys with the family throughout the entire film, manipulating them and ultimately forcing them to suffer. Had the dialogue been written better this latest villain could have introduced a true element of fear or threat that has long been absent from this family friendly legacy. Most of the characters could’ve been written out of the script and wouldn’t have been missed. There were too many inadequate sub-plots centralising around a non-existent main plot too have made this film respectable.
The story is overloaded with action sequences and as such most of the film is forgotten within 15 minutes of the end credits, only the most ridiculous scenes are remembered and inevitably mocked. There are some funny moments and for as bad as the script is, the chemistry between the actors has to be acknowledged as they truly seem like family. An obvious plot hole that has been simmering within the fast n furious saga for some time now is the distinct lack of racing, Fast X provided an opportunity for the script to return back to its roots and ground some of the characters in the process. Overall this film wasn’t a dissapointment as it was never destined to be more than another celebrity cash-grab.
