Super powerful magnets and rocket cars? 'Fast & Furious 9' is the furthest from realism that we’ve seen so far.
It seems that taking a creative break during the pandemic has paid off, because the newest instalment of the 'Fast & Furious' franchise is here, and more insane than ever.
Just when we thought that Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) couldn’t possibly find a way to blow up worldwide landmarks and expensive cars any more spectacularly, he does. This time, alongside the previously unmentioned Toretto brother, Jakob, played by John Cena. In a film not unlike the others, the storyline heavily focuses on family, camaraderie, and muscle cars.
Returning director Justin Lin, who made some of the series' best films in 'Fast 5' and 'Tokyo Drift', is a sure hand behind the wheel, steering the action across multiple continents and delivering on all the elements that have made this franchise so strangely endearing. After more than two decades, 'Fast & Furious 9' marks the start of a trilogy that will bring the whole epic to a close – although further spinoffs, in the vein of 2019’s 'Hobbs And Shaw', naturally aren’t ruled out.
'F9' sees the return of our favourite characters, omitting the wise-cracking Jason Statham and the mid-series breath of fresh air Dwayne Johnson, but with the inclusion of Cardi B this time as the 'random celebrity cameo'. We also see the introduction of John Cena who, in my opinion, is way out of his depth – with the potential to create a role that added value to the storyline, he unfortunately fell short delivering the 'black sheep master assassin' vibe that Lin intended. Old hands and familiar faces made up for it, with the return of some of our favourites from the original (Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang), 'Tokyo Drift' (Lucas Black), 'Furious 7' (Kurt Russel), and 'Furious 8' (Helen Mirren), not to mention some well-done nods to the late Paul Walker as well.
A stand-out in 'Furious 9' was clearly Michelle Rodriguez who not only drives the storyline, but also demands an epic authority over some of the biggest stunts we’ve seen in any of the 'Furious' movies so far. Commendations to Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges and Tyrese Gibson, who upped their comedic addition to the script in this film, making it not only an action film not to be missed, but guaranteed belly laughs throughout the entire 124 minutes.
The soundtrack underlying the entirety of the film was also to be applauded, with its consistency building suspense throughout scenes and aiding the dramatic effect of car chases and exploding landmines. The rolling instrumentals in addition to the stock standard hit songs featured in all the 'Furious' movies, made 'Furious 9' an all-round enjoyable movie to watch.
Going into 'Fast & Furious 9', if you think the series has backed away from spectacle and toward realism, there's a fantastic, delightfully destructive car chase involving magnets, while anyone who's ever made a 'Fast & Furious in space' gag will find their prayers duly answered. Unfortunately, if you’ve missed any of the previous 'Furious' movies, you’ll be thoroughly confused for most, if not all, of the film (although I’m not sure why you’d bother with this one if you’ve missed the other eight). Hot tip: Don’t miss the first ten minutes either.
While definitely not the worst of the franchise, 'Fast & Furious 9' was barely one of the best, and we look forward to seeing the how they make up for it in 'Fast & Furious 10'.
★★★☆☆
'Fast & Furious 9' is in cinemas now.
