The great Martin Scorsese once called everything in the Marvel franchise a “carnival film,” meaning that the films are not real cinema. Scorsese thought that cinema should have you expect the unexpected. While I am not Martin Scorsese, and just a guy that reviews films, I can agree that certain films are “carnival.” While watching these carnival films you get a couple of hours of fun and get to laugh without thinking about the plot or deeper story. In my opinion, that is what the Fast and Furious franchise has always been.
Look, I like having fun just as much as the next guy, but these films are just getting more and more ridiculous. You do not have to think about character development, plot, an unexpected event, or deeper messages. All you have to do is sit back and watch Vin Diesel talk about family for the thousandth time, cars driving really fast, and massive explosions. Fast 9 will please the die-hards, but I just want this franchise to end. So, let's dive in!
Synopsis
Dom and Letty are living a simple life with Dom's son. After taking some time to recharge, the crew shows up to tell Dom and company about a new job. A new villain has emerged: Dom’s brother, who is played by John Cena.
What I love
I loved John Cena in this film. I do have a lot of bias because I am a huge wrestling fan and John Cena was my favorite wrestler of all time. Me being a fanboy aside, he did a great job. This is the best film he has done in his acting career so far. He never got to portray a villain in his wrestling days, but he does it so well here. Cena has been landing huge roles recently, and I expect to see him grow more and more like an action star.
One thing the Fast and Furious franchise I believe does better than most action movies are the set pieces. The crew goes to Mexico, London, and Edinburgh. The scenery was very well done and entertaining.
What I did not love
As I said earlier these films are getting more and more ridiculous. The stunts are outrageous and are used to distract you from how insane and half-cooked the story is. I got a kick out of Ludacris' character saying “as long as we obey the laws of physics we will be okay.” I sat there and said to myself, "when have they ever obeyed the laws of physics in any of these films?" They literally built a rocket car contraption, flew to space, survived, and now you’re talking about obeying the laws of physics? I know it is an action film, but as I said these big stunts are done to make people not use their brains too much.
I am tired of this franchise using near-death experiences as a way to reach the climax of the story. At 10 films in, it is so played out. If you know you are not going to kill the character why have them go through this near-death nonsense to reach the climax? I will get on any action movie for this, even the Marvel universe. How many times do we have to see Dom, Letty, Han, or any other character go through near death when we know they won’t die? It’s pointless, and I will not be at all surprised if this happens again in Fast 10.
This franchise just needs to end. Honestly, I have grown tired of hearing Tyress yell annoying quips, Vin Diesel talking about family, and Michelle Rodriguez constantly bringing up the past. It’s tiring, and I wish we could see a fresh story in this franchise. Nothing new is being told, just recycling old stories to make fans happy.
Verdict
Fast 9 will please the die-hard fans of the franchise, however I think the franchise needs to search for an ending. 2.5 out of 5 stars.
