Fast X (2023)

Fast-X-(2023)
Fast X (2023)

Has the Fast & Furious franchise earned itself a victory lap? That is the main concern, which lies within an assessment of “Fast X,” which is constructed around the same principles as a Greatest Hits Album from an artist. It is not only connected to the timeless “Fast Five” movie but also recalls other films in the franchise either by mentioning them explicitly or via action sequences designed to invoke other films like “Fast & Furious 6,” “Furious 7” and “The Fate of the Furious.” Fast X’s screenplay was written by Dan Mazeau with “Fast Five” director Justin Lin, who departed from the movie leaving a gaping hole which is very clear in the action choreography–like a snake eating its own tail. Even during the parts of the movie in which the writers were attempting to create enjoyable goofy set pieces, most of them made greatly lively due to Jason Momoa’s fun performance, there’s a desperate familiarity to all of “Fast X” which makes it all the more like reheated leftovers than it is now believed. This is supposedly the first part of a new trilogy which will conclude the saga.

Here’s me hoping they will come up with an idea that is slightly different than their last two movies.

Perhaps it is the indifferent manner in which these beloved characters are treated by director Louis Leterrier that comes to light in the opening scenes of “Fast X”; further, these may be among the worst scenes in all ten movies, a series of conversations about family, legacy, and other FF cliches. For a character like Dom Toretto (VIN DIESEL), to claim that family is important is one thing, but it is a different case when there are Charlie Puth tunes playing in the background while more gentle images of him staring at press pictures of Paul Walker are being shot. There was an opportunity here to portray ‘Old Man Dom’–he is 56, after all–and instead of making him a little nostalgic, it is as if Diesel and his guys have no concept of what that should actually look like. These early scenes are infused with an odd construction that abuses the often mocked trope of Dom repeatedly saying family and using it as a never-ending punching bag. Most of these films at their best (installments five through seven) are about family; they trivialize the essence of Toretto and his gang by making them their most simplistic characters. Do we, at this point, have to face so many scenes with a distressed Dom worrying about his kid, ‘little B’ (Leo Abelo Perry), while grunting the phrase ‘family’?

“Fast X” improves significantly when Momoa’s Dante Reyes starts to execute his plot to torture Dom and the furious rest of his family.

Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) go to Rome on business, but it is a scheme of Reyes, the son of Hernan Reyes killed when Dom and his crew rolled a safe in Rio in “Fast Five.” According to Dante, he claims repeatedly he does not want to kill Dom, what he wants is that Dom suffer. That seems like a sophisticated means of ensuring that by using gang as frame for bombing in Italian capital, and apparently such a thing has been planned by Dante. This is more about scheming than the previous attempt at being realistic. At least the last few movies have been or since Vin and The Rock split. Roman, Tej, Ramsey, and Han (Sung Kang) escape to London where, of course, they meet Shaw (Jason Statham). Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) gets caught, but only Mr. Nobody’s daughter Tess (Brie Larson) and Cipher (Charlize Theron) can save her. And that doesn’t even account for John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Daniela Melchior, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, or Alan Ritchson. Blockbuster Street Racing the movie is packed with characters.

Additionally, all these global icons have been given very little screen time. The Roman and Tej banter has ingeniously transformed into boring pleading; Moreno receives and so does Mirren gets one ‘supporting Dom’ scene which sounds Ai written; Cena gets stuck with Perry on a poorly written and poorly executed road trip; and only Theron and Rodriguez seem to be having any genuine fun in her subplot, brawling it out in one of the better combat sequences of the film. “Fast X” is, for the most part, the Dom and Dante Show. It must be said that the film excels when it cuts from Diesel and Momoa’s distinct but equally markedly different portrayals of the characters. Diesel is more grumpy than ever while Momoa leans into his role, generously eccentric in every moment, headshot him. He’s a super-sized kid with a giant in world, wearing a hero’s head acting and gleefully jumping into a mess of ‘Here we go!’.

The movie starts with “Fast X” begins with a reimagining of one of the most recognizable sequences in the entire franchise from the previous installment, Furiously Fast Five, only adding a younger-looking Momoa into that action which so many fans remember, lovingly of course. It’s almost as if that event was the main reason behind the making of the entire film.

At first glance, it appears that some people made a list of his action scenes on a whiteboard and then imagined how often Momoa’s Dante could transform the atmosphere. A drag race sequence in Rio indeed captures that down-to-earth intensity derived from the time when the franchise was primarily focused on fast driving as opposed to bending the laws of physics. A car is being dropped from an airplane again, then there’s a modified chase with harpoons attached to the front of the vehicles. Even at its most absurd, one gets the feeling that ‘Fast X’ is an echo of a bizarrely familiar concept. However, a better understanding of stunt choreography and action pacing from the typically average Leterrier would have helped this film immensely. Not to forget, more than the average Super X, the actors seem much more glaringly positioned in front of a green stage background. For ‘X Fast,’ there is far too much virtual effects push and far too little actual stunt work.

All this talk of ‘rock band encore with new pyrotechnics’ becomes harder to forgive when one considers the juncture of where ‘Fast X’ stands. Or rather doesn’t. There is no need to spoil, but Diesel did confirm that this marks a start of a trilogy that will end the franchise. That nugget of info probably leaked pre-premiere just to soften the blow of the blockbuster that has no resolution. I’m talking about an ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ level climax here. Characters are left presumed dead are are still divided and in jeopardy. This particular movie’s crash course down a forgotten lane goes, and one could argue, absolutely nowhere. Which forces fans, and I don’t think anyone wants that, to wait much longer for satisfaction. It transforms ‘Fast X’ from being a striking victory lap to a deafening cry of magnificence at the red rag with the proverbial engine of the racing car still poised for ignition at the starting blocks. It only aggravates the feeling that this competition isn’t about family or enjoying themselves, rather it is about finances.

For More Movies Like Fast X (2023) Visit 123Movies

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top