Fast X Movie Review: Chaotic but heartwarming

The highly anticipated Fast X movie hit the big screens on 19th May much to the delight of the franchise’s die-hard fans. Many awaited to see how the movie would turn out given that there was a lot of drama surrounding its filming. There was also a lot of speculation that this might be the last movie from the franchise but there are apparently 2 more movies in the works before Dom and his crew take their final bow.

Despite the off-screen drama, the movie maintained its original theme of family and togetherness. Some may even say that this movie brought out the theme of family better than many of the other movies from the franchise. It brings back some old cast members and introduces other new ones including Jason Momoa who delivers a stellar performance.

It starts with an epic scene between Jason Momoa’s character, Dante Reyes, and his father, a former Fast villain Hernan Reyes who seems to be recruiting his son for a revenge mission against Dom. Right after, Dom and his crew drive through the building’s security with roaring muscle cars to steal a vault. A car chase ensues and Dom manages to escape successfully. The scene then cuts to Dom’s young son doing donuts in an empty parking lot as he supervises.

The next mission is a heist in Rome that involves an RC Racer, a gold Lamborghini and 12 canisters of laughing gas. However, Dom learns that it’s a setup and follows his crew to Rome to try and save them. The mastermind behind the setup is Dante who wants to avenge his father. In a Joker-esque style, he taunts the crew while on a motorbike as they try to stop a spherical bomb heading straight towards the Vatican from detonating. They manage to redirect the bomb but it still goes off and Dom is named as a terrorist along with his crew. However, this is only the beginning of their woes as they try to stop Dante.

The Fast X is an absolute cinematic delight, every scene keeps the audience guessing and craving to know what happens next. Additionally, it delivers the adrenaline-filled, heart-pounding experiences that have earned them a cult status. Who can forget the scene where the cast was put in a rocket car and shot to space in Fast & Furious 9 or the bus jumping scene in Furious 7? However, this over cranked chaos has also attracted a lot of critics who claim that it gets obnoxious and distracting after some time.

Apart from the exaggerated action, the movie also has a lot of soft, heartwarming moments which bring out the meaning of family so well. There are several scenes of Dom with his son which is so adorable. The crew also have a lot of ride-or-die moments with each other. They even pay homage to the late Paul Walker by featuring his character in the first scene and using a slowed-down, instrumental version of the iconic “See You Again” song that will get you in your feels.

Overall, the acting is impressive, the scenes are intense and the cars are cool. The writing is the only area the movie falls short on. The conversations, especially, feel bland and the scenes are a bit rushed. Nonetheless, it’s still an epic movie that is worth checking out. It’s rated PG-13 meaning that even teenage kids can watch the movie.

I’m a huge fan of the Fast & Furious franchise and always try to watch the movies in the IMAX theatre as this enhances the experience. You can check out the IMAX website to see when the movie is showing and buy your tickets.