Fast X

“My burning question going into Fast X was ‘Would there be #JusticeForHan?’”

Title: Fast X (2023)
Director: Louis Leterrier 👨🏼🇫🇷
Writers: Screenplay by Justin Lin 👨🏻🇺🇸 and Dan Mazeau 👨🏼🇺🇸 based on the characters by Gary Scott Thompson 👨🏼🇺🇸

Reviewed by Elaine 👩🏻🇺🇸

—MILD SPOILERS AHEAD—

Technical: 2/5

As a longtime fan of the Fast and Furious franchise, it pains me to say this: The series should have ended with the seventh movie. The eighth installment, The Fate of the Furious (2017), appeared to have only the most superficial grasp of the series’ characters, but I had high hopes when director and writer Justin Lin returned to course correct with F9: The Fast Saga (2021). Unfortunately, those hopes dwindled with the news that Lin stepped down from the project just days into shooting Fast X. But going into this movie with low expectations still didn’t prepare me for the messy slogfest that doesn’t seem to know what to do with its large, talented ensemble or the camaraderie the series has built over the past two decades.

Dom’s (Vin Diesel) usage of the word “family” has been a long-running joke for the Fast series, and although the word is apparently uttered 56 times in Fast X, I still can’t tell you what the film was actually trying to say. Fast X is bloated with empty platitudes and plotlines that lead nowhere, except to ostensibly make excuses for pointless cameos, such as one with Pete Davidson. In another, the aptly named Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood) from Furious 7 (2015) appears for about five minutes, has no impact, and then disappears without a trace.

On that note, Fast X seems determined to bring every single character from the series back along with its new talents, including Brie Larson and Jason Momoa. One of the Fast series’ strengths has been the joy of getting to know its eclectic crew, but in Fast X this core team has to jockey for screen time. They’re mostly shunted to the side so that Dom gets to shine even more than usual. This is a pity for several reasons, primarily because time slows to a glutinous pace when Dom takes over the screen. And yet, he’s the savior of the story: No one can do anything without him, and everyone worships him.

These flaws would be somewhat forgivable if the action was entertaining. But you become numb to the explosions within the first thirty minutes. The driving scenes consist of dull cuts between drivers stiffly wrestling with the gearshift or the wheel. The triteness is surprising from director Louis Leterrier, who has previously directed action flicks like The Transporter (2002). It doesn’t bother me that everyone somehow can throw fists like a UFC contender; it bothers me that the ceaseless fighting gets boring.

Ultimately, Fast X limps along, relying on the strength of its previous films. In one supposedly emotional scene, the soundtrack plays a piano version of the song from the end of Furious 7, which marked Brian’s (Paul Walker) departure from the series. The Fast X scene has nothing to do with Brian at all, but my tear ducts welled at the memory even though what was on screen was devoid of genuine feeling. I find it telling, too, that the opening sequence—which rehashes the infamous vault heist from Fast Five (2011)—was probably the most thrilling part of the film. Fast X wants to run its victory lap, acknowledging what has made it great, but it fails to create something worthwhile of its own.

Gender: 2/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

Early on in Fast X, Cypher (Charlize Theron) finally gets a fight sequence of her own, and I uttered “thank god” out loud in the theater. Previous outings for the villainous hacker have consisted of her stalking around a glass cage with flawless eyeliner or simpering her lines. It’s such a relief to see her actually doing something. Unfortunately, I can’t say much for the rest of the women in Fast X.

First, we have Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), who was previously Dom’s equal, whether in driving or in leading the others. Yet we barely see her in the movie. Mia (Jordana Brewster) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) fare even worse: Mia graces the screen for a few minutes and Ramsey is relegated to her F8 role of sharing the hacking spotlight with Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges).

Even worse is Fast X’s insistence on making Dom the savior, as mentioned before. This leads to a dramatic moment of him carrying Tess (Brie Larson) who’s been shot in the shoulder. She tearfully looks up at him and thanks him. She’s not the only damsel in distress saved by Dom: There’s also Isabel (Daniela Melchior), who needs his help to survive a bomb planted underneath her car. On the one hand, Dom appears to magnanimously save everyone, man or woman. On the other hand, the shot of Dom raising Tess into his arms—complete with the upwards hero camera angle and the sun shining behind him—is so overdone, it made my theater audience erupt in laughter.

Fast X tries to showcase their tough women by allowing them to throw a fist here and there, but it never allows them to save themselves. Even when Letty teams up with Cypher to leave their prison, Dom has to send Tess in there first to instigate the escape. And while Mia picking up the frying pan during her fight scene is a nice callback to her F9 duel, she’s quickly rescued by Jakob (John Cena).

Finally, it’s worth saying that F9 made a baby step as the first in the series to refrain from the demeaning butts and boobs montages that characterize the series’ street races. Well, the boobs and butts are back—a small indication of how Fast X views its inclusion of women as boxes to check rather than people with meaningful things to contribute.

Race: 3.75/5

Mediaversity’s previous review of F8 gives a breakdown of the main cast, which mostly holds. Fast X also has Korean American Sung Kang and Jason Momoa, who is of mixed Pacific Islander descent. It also brings in Puerto Rican icon Rita Moreno for what amounts to a cameo as Dom’s abuela. The Fast series remains one of the most racially diverse franchises in Hollywood, but that diversity parades itself more in numbers than in action in Fast X. Part of this is, again, due to the vast amount of screentime that Dom is given compared to the others. But not only do the other characters appear much less, they’re also pale caricatures of their former selves, given shallow development if any.

In particular, my burning question going into this movie was “Would there be #JusticeForHan (as outlined in my F9 review)?” And the answer is sadly, no. The stinger at the end of F9 hinted there’d be restitution for Deckard Shaw’s (Jason Statham) attempted murder of Han. Instead, Fast X decides that the best way to make amends is to have Shaw save Han’s life. Shaw then retorts that they’re even now, while Han looks at him with surprise and gratitude. Other than that, Han’s criminally underused. He flips his glorious hair once again in Fast X, but like everyone else who isn’t Dom, he’s not given much to do.

Deduction for Disability: -0.75

Momoa plays the newest villain, Dante, retconned as the son of Fast Five’s drug lord, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). He’s at first a lively and welcome departure from the series’ previous forgettable villains, until he slips into offensive stereotypes that align his villainous tendencies with mental illness. In one scene, he appears to be making a refreshing statement about toxic masculinity while painting the toenails of other men, until the camera pulls back and we see that the men are dead and he’s taped their eyelids open to appear alive. The gruesomeness is played for laughs, obliquely making a joke of Dante’s mental instability. It also goes far beyond the usual, fairly sanitized violence we’ve seen in the series. Fast X leans into the harmful trope of blaming Dante’s mental health problems for his erratic and dangerous behavior, using it as a lazy catch-all to explain any behavioral inconsistencies.

Mediaversity Grade: D 2.33/5

I’ve fallen in love with the Fast family over the past years, but Fast X seems more concerned with padding its cash cow than taking care of its crew. The film’s tagline claims “The End of the Road Begins,” but Universal Pictures might extend the finale into an excessive three movies. After such a joyless venture, you can count me out of the final ride.

Like Fast X? Try these other campy action movies.

Grade: DLiMay 26, 2023