FAST & FURIOUS 9

 

It comes to a point in a franchise like the Fast & Furious, now ten films in including spin-offs, where you just have to accept them for what they are and go with it. That kicked in around about the fifth instalment for me and if you don't accept it, there's just no way you'll find any enjoyment in any of them. What started as a simple action film on the streets of LA is now a globe-trotting box-office phenomenon that has amassed a dedicated fanbase over the years, and that's exactly who they unapologetically make these films for. You won't see a better example of that when Fast & Furious 9 arrives in cinemas.

Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena).

Suspension of disbelief kicked in with these films from the fourth instalment so if you don't know what to expect now with the ninth film of the Fast Saga you will have some serious questions to ask when the credits start to roll. Fast & Furious 9 is so big and so dumb that it harks back to the goofy blockbusters of the 90s that were all about entertaining their audience than anything else. In that aspect, this film is a success because the audience were absolutely lapping up all of the over-the-top action sequences that certainly take vehicular warfare to spectacular new heights. You could argue in that sense it is the perfect summer blockbuster.

Justin Lin returns to the director's chair for the first time in the franchise since the sixth film and he delivers plenty of spectacle that just about ensures the narrative doesn't hold the film back from being an absolute blast. Dom's brother being involved this time round means they delve into the backstory of the two a fair few times throughout but, while it does offer an insight into how we are only just learning about this brother, it does slow the film down with some not so great scenes where I found myself wanting to get back to the present. The dialogue has never been a strong point of the franchise but here it really does stick out more than ever before, some of the forced jokes in particular not landing all. 

Lin directed my favourite of the franchise in Fast Five, the sequence with the vault being dragged through the streets of Rio being one of the very best of the action genre in the 2010s. He reaches for the stars here with some incredibly bombastic moments that involves everything from landmines to magnets, with a flying car thrown in for good measure in what has to go down as the moment the franchise properly answered the prayers of its many fans. It's utterly ridiculous when it comes to the situations these characters find themselves in but part of the enjoyment of these films, as said before, is going along with it and with that in mind, Fast & Furious 9 is a real crowd-pleaser. Some of visual effects used for Dom and Jakob jumping from vehicle to vehicle really do look dismal and there were points where I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at what was happening on screen however, I would be lying if I said I didn't have any fun with it.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a great performance in this film, as is the case with pretty much every film that came before it in the franchise. What you do see though is an ensemble who have built a family feel to everything they get up to which makes it easy for them to split them up into differing groups with every film. Vin Diesel has a distinct passion for this franchise and you can see he performs with that in mind, wanting to deliver something truly special to audiences around the world. John Cena is a welcome addition as the villainous younger brother, doing well in following Dwayne Johnson's transition from WWE to Hollywood, while Charlize Theron runs rings round everyone acting wise, even if she only appears in a number of scenes. Look out for a brief appearance from Dame Helen Mirren, who I have to actually pinch myself to believe she's actually in this franchise, where the way she says "Toretto" just signals she's here for a good time, not a long time.

If you were to tell anyone in 2001 that, twenty years later, the Fast & Furious franchise would be where it is today, I reckon you'd be seeing the inside of an asylum. It just goes to show that going big and going bold, no matter how many people stand in your way, is a formula that does work, the financial success of these films being the evidence. It's been suggested that two more films will close the Fast Saga however, how on Earth they will top the insanity of this one is beyond me.

Verdict: ★★★½