Fast X follows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) as they raise their son away from their enemies and the battles that have taken up much of their time for decades. Dominic's friends and soldiers of the wheel--Roman (Tyrese Gibso), Tej (Ludacris), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) --all go on a mission to Rome, Italy, for an underground government organization. However, the mission isn't real and both the agency and Dom's pals are duped by an old foe that emerges from the shadows to exact revenge on Dom and his family. This villain, Dante (Jason Momoa), threatens to break Dom's family into pieces, so the family must figure out how to save themselves from Dante and new government agents who have Dom in their crosshairs.
These Fast and Furious characters used to steal TVs off of moving trucks--now they save the Vatican. These movies succeed most when they know what they are and what you want. It's a rollercoaster, so at a certain point you just throw your hands up and enjoy the ride. Dominic Toretto is basically inhuman by now; nothing can kill him and he can bend the laws of reality and science to his will. Action is the primary draw of these films--story has become secondary as the saga of Dom and his band of street racers turned superheroes cruises into its 11th entry. Fast X, however, goes all in on plot, which feels like a miscalculation. Especially as the second half refuses to reach any kind of conclusion, barreling towards a silly cliffhanger that does little to maintain the stakes the first half establishes. None of the racers we've come to know and love are safe, but the way Fast X wraps up, it's hard not to feel like all of them are.
Jason Momoa is unbelievable in this movie as Dante. He's easily the best villain Dom and the crew have ever fought against. This level of gleeful, over-the-top evil is hard to find in any movie, but it's a gift in the heightened world of Fast and Furious. He gets all the movie's best laughs--you almost wish he would crush Dominic's world so we could watch him laugh, twirl, and dance as it all goes up in flames. John Cena's a lot of fun, too. He takes a page from Momoa's playbook, an action hero who loses the self-seriousness and has a good time playing uncle to Dom's young son. Tyrese Gibson is ever a delight as Roman. Gibson always has a lot fun with this role, and he understands exactly what energy he must bring to keep the franchise full of life. Practically every time he comes on screen, the audience erupts into laughter.
I give Fast X 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, for some language, frequent intense action and some graphic violence. Fast X zooms into theaters on May 19, 2023. Vroom vroom.
KIDS FIRST! Goes Local: Submit a review & win!
