Review: FAST X is The Worst and Most Absurd Film in The FAST AND FURIOUS Franchise
Fast X, the latest entry in the adrenaline-pumping franchise, roars onto the screen with an unparalleled level of stupidity. I have been a big fan of this franchise since it first launched, I’ve supported it, and I’ve been excited about watching the movies, but the franchise has lost its way.
I can normally enjoy and embrace the calculated chaos and automotive insanity that these films deliver. However, Fast X takes the franchise’s escapades to a whole new realm of unapologetic absurdity. After watching the movie, I can see why director Justin Lin left the franchise! I seriously can’t believe how bad the script was for this movie!
Look, I understand that people don’t go see these movies for the script and story. They go to watch the action-packed mayhem. I get that the fans enjoy the action, which defies all known laws of physics and logic. But, the films in the past seemed to make sense of it all, there was a decent and ridiculously charming storytelling quality to them, but the franchise has lost that. F9 was just the start of the downfall of the franchise.
Fast X is the beginning of the end, and while I’ve enjoyed most of the movies in the franchise, this one is the absolute worst, and it kinda made me sad! It all just got way too dumb as the franchise continued to try to constantly top the action spectacle of the films that came before.
Now, there’s also a lot of talk about Jason Momoa’s flamboyant villain in the film, Dante Reyes. A lot of people praise Momoa and the character, but I thought he was one of the most annoying and laughable characters in the franchise. I could not take this villain seriously at all and found myself rolling my eyes every time he was on screen. It’s like he got into the mind of an unhinged 13-year-old. I don’t know! Other people seem to like what he did, so maybe you will too.
As for the rest of the cast, the bad acting is just on par with the franchise. The more serious they try to act, the funnier it is. Vin Diesel's Dom Toretto once again channels his inner philosopher, spouting lines that would make Socrates question his life choices. The banter between the characters in the movie feels like a silly game of one-upmanship, where the goal is to outdo each other in delivering the most absurd and over-the-top lines possible and do it with a straight face.
Don’t get me wrong, the movie is hilarious, but it’s because of how bad the movie is. I mean, if you enjoy these films for the stupidity of it all and lazy writing, then this one won’t disappoint. As for the action, there are some great turbocharged moments involving vehicular acrobatics that will make you smile.
I don’t know, maybe I’ve just outgrown these movies!? I still enjoy most of the other films in the franchise, though! I might just be having an existential crisis when it comes to the Fast and Furious franchise.
You might enjoy Fast X a lot more than I did, so don’t take my word for it! If you’re a fan of the franchise, go see the movie! Form your own opinion! But, buckle up and hold tight, it might not be the movie you were hoping for. Again, I can see why Lin dropped out of the franchise and was replaced by Louis Leterrier, and I guess he did the best he could with what he had to work with.
