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Ending a franchise (and being honest, calling it an ending is probably a stretch considering it’s one of Universal’s most profitable franchises) is always tough. In the modern market for feature films, it is not uncommon to have a movie end with a two-part finale, the problem is it leaves the first part filling a familiar space more often than not. It is mostly setup and will likely end with the team at their lowest point like Avengers: Infinity War, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I, or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. Fast X follows this path moderately well, however, there is definitely room to cut from this over two-hour long movie.
Fast X follows the continued adventures of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family as they are confronted by the son of Fast Five adversary Hernan Reyes named Dante (Jason Momoa) who wants revenge for Dom’s role in the death of his father. Nathalie Emmanuel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Sung Kang, Brie Larson, and John Cena also star.
The good aspects of the movie come from the action sequences and the performance of Jason Momoa as Dante. The action is always fun to watch and the stakes feel real. The chase sequences, specifically the scenes in Rome, Rio De Janeiro, and Portugal, are all interesting and have a great level of tension to them. Dante as a villain is scary and entertaining to watch. It is easy to see that Momoa is having a blast playing him as he chews the scenery and commands every scene he is in.
The problem is the downtime between the action sequences. While the action is fun and engaging, the parts between can be boring at times. A lot of the dialogue is really repetitive as well, as if the movie is leaning into the fact that it will be airing in reruns with commercials on TNT in a few years. Character arcs seem to reset every time the point of view goes back to a certain group of characters so things just get rethreaded repeatedly. Over the course of the franchise, this is the film that probably has the most downtime that could have been cut and still maintained a feature-length runtime.
That’s not to say Fast X is bad, it’s just a movie that is exactly as advertised. It is the same as a Godzilla movie where the viewer is just waiting for the next big set piece, however, the connective tissue is a little on the weaker sides which can make the times between the huge set pieces drag a bit. Arguably the best action moment of the film is the first chase in Rome so a lot of the action is diminishing returns from there on out. That said, the movie’s visuals and audio mix are good enough to warrant seeing it in a theater.
Final Rating: 7/10
