‘F9’ REVIEW: Revving Up for the Next Chapter of the Fast Saga

There is no time to blink. F9: The Fast Saga is a high-speed train of action that takes the audience through a double-upside down loop, around rings of fire, and then morphs into a private jet, its heavy artillery in the action movie genre.

 Although the high-velocity film took some softer turns, as Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel) shows his warm fatherly side and Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson) looks into theories on why the Fast&Furious family always goes through near-death endeavors unscathed, the movie will have one drifting into another atmosphere of thrill and adventure.

The original cast is reunited, and members introduced along the way collided in F9, intricately placed through the movie to reveal an otherworldly journey. The OG crewmembers Tej Parker (Ludacris) and Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson) interact with Twinkie (Bowwow) and Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), setting up the scene to reach new heights for F9. Tokyo drifter Han Lue (Sung Kang) will return to a tear-jerking welcome by the crew.

The portrayals of women of F9 are powerful and exciting. Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and Mia Torretto (Jordana Brewster) play the strong Torretto matriarchs that show up for their family. Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), the technological genius and brain behind operations, returns from The Fate of The Furious. The villain, Cipher (Charlize Theron), is the main antagonist, and, although she may be a ruthless cyber-terrorist, her character (almost) always outsmarts the men.

Fast & Furious is a well-executed action movie. There is no way one can watch this once and get all the action that just unraveled. The choreography behind the scenes is seamless. It looks organic as if all humans can jump off buildings and tumble down hills in military-grade tanks (not recommended) with ease. F9 certainly sells the dream that this is all feasible.

Bulletproof vests aside, F9 has always been about family and culture. In April, Diesel told the press that late Paul Walker was still spiritually present in the making of Fast 9. So much so, Diesel said, that Walker helped influence the casting of Jon Cena as Dom’s little brother, Jakob. All the characters were bound together by a cross necklace, indicating that the movie is deeply tied to culture and unity.

When the thrill-infused saga comes out in theatres on June 25, the best advice is to put the pedal to the metal and watch the history of the best action movie unfold, buckle up and enjoy the ride.

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Review by Betti Halsell