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https://blacknerdproblems.com/fast-x-part-one-review/
Here We Go Again, Again
This is happening, again. If you are a fan of the Fast franchise, fast-ten your seatbelts! See what I did there? They had a perfectly good, built-in tagline and didn’t even capitalize on it. Listen y’all, Fast X is back like it never left, because it never left. Hasn’t left for twenty-two years. Honestly? It’s been as good as it’ll ever be. As the spectacle gets larger and more spectacular, it begs the question: will it ever be ‘too much’?
How Much is Too Much?
The answer is no. There is no ‘too much’. Dom Toretto and the family are back again like the Hess truck at Christmas. Come to think of it, that would be a hell of a cross-promotion! As per usual, the stakes are higher than ever. Well, the stakes are where they always are, but they feel more stake-y. There’s no real way to critique a Fast movie, it exists in a pocket dimension outside of the rules of cinema. This franchise literally breaks all of the parameters of “good” filmmaking and is a leap of predictable cash grabs. Despite all of that, this is the most entertaining movie on Bast’s green Earth, and we have to live with that fact. I laughed every single time the camera slowly crawled toward Dom’s tortured, angry face. Let’s get into it.
The Review
Fast X does nothing new. But it does everything it does do, well. I know how that sounds, but it’s all true.
If you can name a plot mechanism that semi-threw you for a loop in the first nine movies, they all happen here in the span of just one flick. The Family trots the globe and engages in heists, answering to everyone and no one at the same time. Slick visuals, gratuitous shots of women dancing in exotic locales, dozens of modified cars, and product placement on par with the first Sonic movie, all of the pieces that make it visually scintillating remain. Cinematography and stuntwork are of the highest caliber since John Wick 4 (not that long ago). The fight choreo was very uninspired, but it’s filmed well – although it hasn’t really gotten better in a few movies. Cameos were top-notch. The franchise must really be in its final phase, because they are calling in every favor they ever had in Hollywood. Folks came out of the woodwork to get this check.
Two things do stand out in this movie. First, Fast has always held diversity in high regard. Not the vague, please the PoCs while not making the white folk uncomfortable type diversity, nah. I’m talking about the ‘put Tego Calderon, Don Omar, and Black Latinx folks up front in the Puerto Rico scenes’ diversity. Women in strong roles, men engaging in vulnerability with one another, and folks from all walks of pop culture adding their flavor to the Fast cameos. Fast X continues in that tradition of unwavering representation. Internationally known on the microphone with a cast hailing from every damn where.
A Very Expensive Joker Audition Tape
Secondly, what catches you by surprise is Jason Momoa’s heel turn as the bold antagonist Dante Reyes. The word that best describes Momoa’s performance is ‘unhinged:’ Flamboyantly dressed, methodical yet maniacal, and delivering the best lines in the entire film. This man is competing with Academy Award winner Charlize Theron (albeit it’s Fast X) and coming out on top. Honestly, his performance is the entire reason to see this movie. To be clear, Jason Momoa channeled the eccentric and creepy charisma of every iteration of The Joker, and it worked. It was different to see Momoa play the villain, especially one bucking gender expression norms when he’s usually cast as the hypermasculine lead.
This is a Live-Action Cartoon
Ever since that fate-ful entry into the franchise (See? Did it again.) Fate of the Furious, when these racers turned robbers turned rogue state vigilantes took down a drug kingpin; the whole series slipped into some alternate universe. A universe where two overclocked Dodge Charger SRT8s can pull a bank vault out of a wall located in a police station, and have it be manipulated as a weapon. In midday, rush hour traffic – which is beside the point. This moment in the fifth movie is a key point in the timeline that shifted things toward unbelievably unbelievable levels of madness. There’s a clear ‘point A’ to ‘point B’ connection from the safe heist in F5 to Dom doing parkour on London rooftops – in Timbs!?! Loosely laced?!
Things in Fast X proceed to move into the superhuman. We watched Dom take his muscle car off a gigantic municipal landmark while dodging liquid fire and defying gravity as we know it, only to emerge unscathed. Like, fam, not a glass scratch? Not a bruise from bouncing around inside a steel frame? No rug burn from the leather upholstery on them bucket seats? If that’s the case, this ain’t even a live-action movie. This is now a cartoon. Fast X has so much CGI stuntwork that it’s damn near a cartoon. If this came on FOX Kids when I was a teen, would’ve been neck and neck with X-Men ‘92. What’s wild is that they brought attention to this fact in Fast 9 introducing the most important moment in Roman’s (played by Tyrese Gibson) two-decade existence. But, I digress.
So much of the fight choreography, chase scenes, and even the dialogue is so totally unmoored from reality that this could easily be a B-grade MCU entry. That said, it’s amazing. It does everything it says it will do and there are no upper (or lower) limits to what this franchise will do to center family over everything. To be honest, they’re really losing out. At the present rate of spectacle, the last movie in this ending trilogy (yes, Fast X will arrive in three parts) should basically be a crossover with the Transformers and Jurassic franchises. Hell, throw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in there for giggles. It would still be believable.
This is Only the Beginning of the End
In typical Fast fashion (see, another one) this is the first of an ending trilogy and Fast X sends us off on two separate cliffhangers, because why not? Fast X goes for broke, swings for the fences, puts the pedal to the metal, and never stops never stopping. If you’re looking for non-stop action, badly placed humor, wacky pacing, and a relentless narrative, look no further. The Fast franchise has captured the minds and hearts of the world and has no limit in sight. The only thing they haven’t done is time travel. Although, Cipher did roll up in a DeLorean…Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
You can find Fast X in every movie theatre, everywhere. Check that out for a good time.
Watching Fast and the Furious? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
Cover image via Universal Pictures
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram!
The post ‘Fast X’ Gon’ Give it to Ya: Part One Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Here We Go Again, Again
This is happening, again. If you are a fan of the Fast franchise, fast-ten your seatbelts! See what I did there? They had a perfectly good, built-in tagline and didn’t even capitalize on it. Listen y’all, Fast X is back like it never left, because it never left. Hasn’t left for twenty-two years. Honestly? It’s been as good as it’ll ever be. As the spectacle gets larger and more spectacular, it begs the question: will it ever be ‘too much’?
How Much is Too Much?
The answer is no. There is no ‘too much’. Dom Toretto and the family are back again like the Hess truck at Christmas. Come to think of it, that would be a hell of a cross-promotion! As per usual, the stakes are higher than ever. Well, the stakes are where they always are, but they feel more stake-y. There’s no real way to critique a Fast movie, it exists in a pocket dimension outside of the rules of cinema. This franchise literally breaks all of the parameters of “good” filmmaking and is a leap of predictable cash grabs. Despite all of that, this is the most entertaining movie on Bast’s green Earth, and we have to live with that fact. I laughed every single time the camera slowly crawled toward Dom’s tortured, angry face. Let’s get into it.
The Review
Fast X does nothing new. But it does everything it does do, well. I know how that sounds, but it’s all true.
If you can name a plot mechanism that semi-threw you for a loop in the first nine movies, they all happen here in the span of just one flick. The Family trots the globe and engages in heists, answering to everyone and no one at the same time. Slick visuals, gratuitous shots of women dancing in exotic locales, dozens of modified cars, and product placement on par with the first Sonic movie, all of the pieces that make it visually scintillating remain. Cinematography and stuntwork are of the highest caliber since John Wick 4 (not that long ago). The fight choreo was very uninspired, but it’s filmed well – although it hasn’t really gotten better in a few movies. Cameos were top-notch. The franchise must really be in its final phase, because they are calling in every favor they ever had in Hollywood. Folks came out of the woodwork to get this check.
Two things do stand out in this movie. First, Fast has always held diversity in high regard. Not the vague, please the PoCs while not making the white folk uncomfortable type diversity, nah. I’m talking about the ‘put Tego Calderon, Don Omar, and Black Latinx folks up front in the Puerto Rico scenes’ diversity. Women in strong roles, men engaging in vulnerability with one another, and folks from all walks of pop culture adding their flavor to the Fast cameos. Fast X continues in that tradition of unwavering representation. Internationally known on the microphone with a cast hailing from every damn where.
A Very Expensive Joker Audition Tape
Secondly, what catches you by surprise is Jason Momoa’s heel turn as the bold antagonist Dante Reyes. The word that best describes Momoa’s performance is ‘unhinged:’ Flamboyantly dressed, methodical yet maniacal, and delivering the best lines in the entire film. This man is competing with Academy Award winner Charlize Theron (albeit it’s Fast X) and coming out on top. Honestly, his performance is the entire reason to see this movie. To be clear, Jason Momoa channeled the eccentric and creepy charisma of every iteration of The Joker, and it worked. It was different to see Momoa play the villain, especially one bucking gender expression norms when he’s usually cast as the hypermasculine lead.
This is a Live-Action Cartoon
Ever since that fate-ful entry into the franchise (See? Did it again.) Fate of the Furious, when these racers turned robbers turned rogue state vigilantes took down a drug kingpin; the whole series slipped into some alternate universe. A universe where two overclocked Dodge Charger SRT8s can pull a bank vault out of a wall located in a police station, and have it be manipulated as a weapon. In midday, rush hour traffic – which is beside the point. This moment in the fifth movie is a key point in the timeline that shifted things toward unbelievably unbelievable levels of madness. There’s a clear ‘point A’ to ‘point B’ connection from the safe heist in F5 to Dom doing parkour on London rooftops – in Timbs!?! Loosely laced?!
Things in Fast X proceed to move into the superhuman. We watched Dom take his muscle car off a gigantic municipal landmark while dodging liquid fire and defying gravity as we know it, only to emerge unscathed. Like, fam, not a glass scratch? Not a bruise from bouncing around inside a steel frame? No rug burn from the leather upholstery on them bucket seats? If that’s the case, this ain’t even a live-action movie. This is now a cartoon. Fast X has so much CGI stuntwork that it’s damn near a cartoon. If this came on FOX Kids when I was a teen, would’ve been neck and neck with X-Men ‘92. What’s wild is that they brought attention to this fact in Fast 9 introducing the most important moment in Roman’s (played by Tyrese Gibson) two-decade existence. But, I digress.
So much of the fight choreography, chase scenes, and even the dialogue is so totally unmoored from reality that this could easily be a B-grade MCU entry. That said, it’s amazing. It does everything it says it will do and there are no upper (or lower) limits to what this franchise will do to center family over everything. To be honest, they’re really losing out. At the present rate of spectacle, the last movie in this ending trilogy (yes, Fast X will arrive in three parts) should basically be a crossover with the Transformers and Jurassic franchises. Hell, throw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in there for giggles. It would still be believable.
This is Only the Beginning of the End
In typical Fast fashion (see, another one) this is the first of an ending trilogy and Fast X sends us off on two separate cliffhangers, because why not? Fast X goes for broke, swings for the fences, puts the pedal to the metal, and never stops never stopping. If you’re looking for non-stop action, badly placed humor, wacky pacing, and a relentless narrative, look no further. The Fast franchise has captured the minds and hearts of the world and has no limit in sight. The only thing they haven’t done is time travel. Although, Cipher did roll up in a DeLorean…Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
You can find Fast X in every movie theatre, everywhere. Check that out for a good time.
Watching Fast and the Furious? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
Cover image via Universal Pictures
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram!
The post ‘Fast X’ Gon’ Give it to Ya: Part One Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Fast X might have been the first of a two (possibly three) part finale for the main franchise, but that didn’t stop it from raising a whole lot of questions. From the fate of main characters and the potential return of others, to missing figures and questionable allegiances, there’s still so much we need to learn before Dominic Toretto turns the NOS off forever. But which ones are the most pressing? These are the “X” biggest issues the Fast & Furious needs to address before it drives off into the sunset.
I: Did Tej, Roman, Han, and Ramsey really die in that plane crash?
C’moooon. We all know the answer: absolutely not. Those four are 100% alive. But there’s still intrigue around that plane crash. Exactly how did they survive? Did they have a tiny little glider like Jakob? Also, what awaits them on the ground? Will they now come to Dom and little Brian’s rescue? And how will all of this impact Han’s dating life? Those are actual Fast X questions that this furious franchise needs to give answers to.
II: Did Jakob do permanent emotional damage to little Brian in Fast X by having his nephew murder people?
We’re comfortable also giving this one an unequivocal “no,” because there are rarely any real stakes or long-lasting consequences in this franchise. But this moment was so absurd it would be professional pop culture malpractice not to address it. Jakob really, really shouldn’t have let his young nephew murder people when he could have simply fired his car cannon himself. So why did he do it? That should cause serious, lasting emotional damage to a child. It won’t, but it should!
Oh, yeah, he also saw his Uncle Jakob blow up. And a madman kidnapped him before trying to crush him with two semi-trucks. We’re very worried about young Brian and hope to find out he’s miraculously un-phased by all of this.
III: Will Dom and Little B survive Dante’s dam flood?
Okay, obviously some of these Fast X questions are not really up for debate. That burst dam is more likely to drown Jason Momoa’s Aquaman than it is the invincible Fast & Furious Superman known as Dominic Toretto. The intrigue around Fast X‘s big cliffhanger is exactly how he and his son will avoid certain death from a literal dam-sized flood. We’re expecting their escape will be absurd, physically impossible, and a whole lot of fun. So, you know, exactly what we love about these movies.
IV: Did John Cena’s Jakob really die in Fast X?
Wow, a question that doesn’t already have a definitive and obvious answer! Now we’re driving with NOS! In any other franchise entry we’d say there’s no way Jakob actually died. Letty and Han both survived exploding cars. But the end of the main franchise will likely need some permanent deaths for it to have a real emotional impact. And those previous fake-outs weren’t shown in slow-motion like Jakob’s apparent sacrifice, so there’s reason to think this one was really different.
Obviously John Cena can come back (we won’t argue with those who believe he definitely will), but this might be the rare Fast & Furious death that sticks.
V: Is Isabela Neves’ sister Elena really dead?
Speaking of dead characters, Fast X revealed the late Elena Neves had a younger sister named Isabela. She’s a talented street racer and a literal member of the Fast family. (She’s little Brian’s aunt.) With the Neves clan taking on a bigger role in the franchise, is it possible Elena will be the next character to come back from the dead? It wouldn’t even be that hard to explain. Cipher is twisted enough to have faked Elena’s death specifically sho she could use her as leverage over Dom a second time.
VI: Where is Tess’s Dad Mr. Nobody?
The world is on the brink and yet Mr. Nobody remains MIA. Is he hiding, dead, captured, or trapped in a Cyclops’ cave? (Wait, strike that last one. Wrong Nobody.) We don’t know where the Agency’s former leader is or what happened to him. All we know is his fast-driving associates and their new ally Tess, his own daughter, could really use his help stopping the maniacal Dante. So where is Mr. Nobody and why hasn’t he been around for multiple movies? The answer to this question might be the most important one in the whole franchise.
VII: What other targets of Dante Reyes’ vengeance will return to the franchise?
Dante Reyes wants to make any and all associates of Dominic Toretto suffer. His vision board showed countless faces from Dom’s past, including Eva Mendes’ Monica Fuentes. Will she return to the franchise like Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs has? What other figures from Fast‘s past will also return for this final ride? Luke Evans? Anyone who ever bought a crappy tuna sandwich from Mia? Everyone who has ever known Dom and his friends is now in danger and therefore a candidate to come back. Except for the guy in the tightey whities Deckard Shaw beat up.
VIII: Why did Gal Gadot’s Gisele return now?
We covered this absurd resurrection in-depth. It’s possible (likely?) Mr. Nobody helped Gal Gadot’s Gisele go into hiding just as he did with Han previously. But who aided her isn’t as important as why she faked her death in the first place. And why did she choose to come out of hiding now? We have a million questions about Gisele’s missing ten years, and somehow her showing up on giant submarine isn’t even in the top 900,000 things we’re confused about.
IX: Is Charlize Theron’s Cipher a part of the Fast family now?
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but does that make them family? That’s the question Fast X raised about the franchise’s longtime villain Cipher. After a brutal fight her and Letty worked together to escape an Agency black site in Antarctica where a waiting Gisele found them. Are they formally working together against Dante? If so, does that mean Charlize Theron’s Cipher now part of the Toretto extended family the way so many other franchise foes have joined up with them? We hope not, but we can’t rule it out, especially if it turns out she didn’t actually kill Elena.
X: Will we ever see Brian return (in any way) on screen?
Ever since Paul Walker’s death the franchise has explained his character’s absence by saying Brian is keeping his kids safe when things get dangerous. But with the Fast & Furious coming to an end will we actually “see” Brian in some capacity? Could Walker return to help save the day via CGI or old footage like Carrie Fisher in The Rise of Skywalker? Or will they show Brian (maybe played by one of his brother’s again like in Furious 7) from behind, possible walking with his wife Mia or hugging Dom?
The Fast franchise has never forgotten its friend Paul. Will it also keep a role open for Brian in their farewell? It’s been a long time since he rode with them and it feels like we’ll see him again before this family’s story comes to an end.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The post X Big Questions We Need Answered After FAST X appeared first on Nerdist.