Fast X (2023) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew are now faced with a new threat. This is in the form of crime kingpin Hernan Reyes’s son, Dante (Jason Momoa). Seeking revenge for what happened to his father many years ago, Dom's caught in the crossfire.

Review:

As with other entries in this franchise, Fast X changed its director. For context, Louis Leterrier took control of this installment.

As fans should expect, Louis does not bring any new qualities to this tenth installment. Instead, he provides more of F9’s exaggerated stunts.

Whilst not as mind-numbing as some of F9’s sequences (such as a rocket car in space), Fast X’s action is still ludicrous.

Take Dom’s muscle car pulling down two military helicopters, for example.

Also, some of the special effects during these sequences detract from the experience.

As an example, there is a sequence involving a shootout on a bridge in Rio de Janeiro. In this scene, it is beyond obvious that the actors are on a green screen.

This is also clear because the background lacks any detail. This, again, takes the viewer out of the experience.

Where Fast X does show promise is in bringing back a race sequence. This is reminiscent of the franchise’s earlier entries.

Although the sequence is brief, it is the film’s most watchable action sequence.

There is also a creative action sequence set in Rome, where the team has to escape a ticking time bomb.

Fast X is competent enough with its characters. Vin Diesel provides the usual doses of “family” messaging as Dom.

John Cena also makes a return as Dom’s younger brother, Jakob. This is though Cena’s purpose is to portray himself throughout the film.

Other characters include Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty Ortiz and Nathalie Emmanuel’s Ramsey.

Chris “Ludacris” Bridges’ Tej Parker and Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce also return.

Tyrese’s Roman and Chris’s Tej serve little purpose in the film. This is other than providing several instances of annoying humor.

Michelle Rodriguez's Letty is more of a background character in Fast X. She does, though, have a brief fight with Charlize Theron’s Cipher.

Besides this, Michelle is not given a great deal of material in this installment.

As with the central antagonist, Jason Momoa appears to enjoy himself as the deranged Dante Reyes.

Aside from a fun performance, Momoa’s character is inconsistent in his portrayal. One minute, Dante’s a tactician, and the next he tells jokes.

This may have been a way to show his unpredictable nature as an antagonist. Regardless, it becomes degrading to witness as the film progresses.

Yet again, Brian Tyler returns to helm this film’s soundtrack, adding some fun throughout.

His soundtrack does not have as many highlights as some of his other entries. Still, it is an above-average listen for fans of the franchise.

Conclusion:

As a whole, Fast X is a film hampered by a sense of predictability and an often cluttered, mixed visual style.

This film's action is above average. Regardless, Fast X's obvious use of a green screen may ruin the immersion for some audiences.

What's appreciated is when the film brings a return to form with a racing sequence. It also includes a fun chase sequence in Rome.

These are the film’s highlights, not offering many more quality sequences beyond this.

Fast X's characters and the story are serviceable. It's their inconsistent portrayals that can harm proceedings.

While Jason Momoa has fun as Dante, his jarring shift from seriousness to humor can get annoying at times.

Characters such as Chris “Ludacris” Bridges' Tej Parker and Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce are comedic foils at this point.

All they do is bicker with each other to waste the audience’s time. These two characters offer no purpose otherwise.

Brian Tyler’s score will provide the usual doses of entertainment. He also gives some agency to the action sequences.

Aside from some good tracks, his score fails to make as much of an impact as it should have. To conclude, Fast X's action is a small step up from F9.

Outside of these qualities, though, Fast X has an uneven visual style. It also has a basic plot structure and a distinct sense of predictability.

For Fast and Furious fans, it is a slight recommendation. Despite this, most audiences will agree that the franchise has overstayed its welcome.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 5.5/10

Story - 5.5/10

Action - 6.5/10

CGI and visuals - 6/10

Soundtrack - 6/10

Overall score: 5.9 out of 10