F9: The Fast Saga

Director: Justin Lin

Screenwriters: Daniel Casey, Justin Lin

Cinematographer: Stephen F. Windon

Production Companies: Original Film, One Race Films, Perfect Storm Entertainment, Roth/Kirschenbaum Films

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Release Date: 25 June 2021 (USA)

Runtime: 2 hours 25 minutes

MPA Rating: PG-13

Availability: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

Synopsis

With the fate of the world yet again at stake, it’s up to Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew of fellow high-performance drivers/genius hackers/spec-ops soldiers to save it in F9: The Fast Saga. However, this time the threat they’re facing is someone from Dom’s own family: his long-lost brother, Jakob (John Cena). Jakob and his team of mercenaries, bankrolled by the wealthy son of a European ambassador Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen) and assisted by the enigmatic hacker Cypher (Charlize Theron), are on the hunt for the mega-weapon Ares, which will allow its user to take over the world. Cars are vroom-vroomed, people are tossed like rag dolls, and the laws of physics are defied as the two brothers and their respective squads fight in this climactic battle of the (gar)ages. 

Analysis

While the action set-pieces were spectacular, I never felt scared for the characters involved or even immersed in the action due to the lack of any tension. Action scenes are executed superbly with a combination of great practical and virtual effects. They are mostly well-paced, and the scale of and imagination behind these scenes make them all the more impressive. However, from the beginning the movie makes it clear that the members of Dom’s group are invincible. Characters are thrown on top of cars, slammed against walls, involved in colossal car crashes, and shot into orbit by car only to emerge unscathed. Regardless of how much in peril a character appeared to be, I knew that nothing terrible would happen to them. Thus, the movie failed to truly excite me because it could never subvert my expectations. Perhaps I should’ve expected this going into the movie, yet most of the past entries felt much more exhilarating than this one. While also ridiculous, they balanced absurdity with at least some groundedness.

Frequent retconning to justify the presence of certain characters felt both lazy and inconsequential. As with most long-lasting movie franchises, there eventually comes the point where some changes need to be made to the existing lore to expand upon the story in unique ways. The same cannot be said for F9. Here, retconning is a convenient way to bring back past beloved characters and add new ones to the cast. While this may be great for fans of Sung Kang - who plays Han, a character believed to have been killed in Fast & Furious 6 - and John Cena, it does nothing but add unnecessary confusion to the plot. Why did Dom never mention a brother? How did that brother end up in the same line of work as Dom? How is Han still alive? Why didn’t Han ever contact the team? The movie’s “attempts” to answer these questions are so passive it’s almost laughable. And while some could make the argument that no explanation would be satisfying, the fact remains that this sort of lazy writing makes it difficult for one to become invested in the story if there’s no sense of continuity. What’s even worse is how little the movie does with the new canon that it creates. [***SPOILER WARNING***] Dom doesn’t get any dimension added to his character, Jakob remains a one-note antagonist who turns good(?) by the end, and the script gives Han nothing to do outside of being the protector of the film’s walking MacGuffin.

Almost every piece of dialogue comes with an unhealthy amount of cringe. Actors deliver the silliest and corniest of lines straight-faced, leaving viewers to wonder, Are they in on the joke? Otto in particular was someone who I could never figure out given how weird his lines and delivery were. Most character interactions feel stilted, and rather than providing a way to learn something new about someone or for certain relationships to develop, conversations are designed to drive the plot forward or provide some illusion of reality. The only characters who I felt had good chemistry were Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris), but then again those two are always a welcome onscreen presence.

This movie also got me to ask one very important question: does Vin Diesel think he’s a superhero? I ask this because, more so than any other Fast and Furious film, Diesel’s hand in shaping the script feels especially pronounced. Almost every person Dom comes across is either in awe or envious of him. No one, be it Jakob (again, played by John Cena) or a room full of 20 elite soldiers, can take him down in a fight. His driving skills help him leave everyone else in the dust. And the film doesn’t just want you to comprehend how capable Dom is, but also how he is the heart and soul of the film. More so than any other movie, F9 shows you just how much Dom cares about his family. He’s always volunteering to be the one to “take the fall” so others can survive. Dom even makes sure that everyone in his nearby vicinity either gets a hug or is reminded of how much they mean to him. The film therefore comes off as a vanity project since the rest of the cast’s primary role is to demonstrate how great Vin - excuse me, DOM - is. Had the film given the character some mortal flaws to make him more relatable, perhaps it wouldn’t be such an issue. But since it doesn’t, and the movie isn’t that interested in exploring any other characters, the audience is left with no reason to become emotionally invested. After all, how can you relate to someone who’s perfect?

Conclusion

All in all, F9 is the wrong kind of ridiculous: incredible action scenes carry no weight, retconning adds an unnecessary amount of complexity, dialogue feels like a Fast and Furious parody bot wrote it, and Diesel is just playing car Superman. That being said, I still think this movie deserves to be seen on the big screen or with a group of friends. The impressiveness of its action sequences may not make up for all of F9’s faults, but the experience of watching the movie with others who are in on the joke certainly will.

Rating: 2/5