Fast X Movie Review

If you had said in 2001, that after the modest success of ‘The Fast & The Furious’, we would have 9 sequels and a spin off, everyone collectively on the planet would have laughed. Yet here we are. Fast X, as its title would suggest, is the tenth entry in the famed Fast and Furious franchise. Collectively, the films have grossed over $7.47 billion at the worldwide box office, and that’s not including merchandise and physical media sales. Its insane to see just how much money these films make and just how popular they are with fans. It was announced that Fast X would be the first instalment in a new trilogy that would farewell our favourite big-screen family. The film opened in April and pulled in over $750 million worldwide, below expectations, however, the film has recouped some of its massive budget through merchandise and home media sales.

Fast X was directed by Louis Leterrier (Transport 2, The Incredible Hulk, Clash of The Titans, Now You See Me, Grimsby) and follows Dom Toretto (played once again by Vin Diesel) and his family as they come under threat by the vengeful son of drug Kingpin Hernan Reyes, Dante Reyes played by Jason Mamoa. Our group of heroes must band together and put a stop to Dante before the family is torn apart for good! 

The film is a good old fashioned revenge story, topped off with the Fast series signature style of over-the-top action set-pieces, the word family (which is uttered 56 times in the film) and a star studded cast with the likes of Vin Diesel, Jason Mamoa, Brie Larson, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Alan Ritchson, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Charlize Theron, Nathalie Emmanuel and Helen Mirren, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun!

Fast X may not be the best entry in the franchise, but its ability to remain energetic, fast-paced and fun is something a lot of films just can’t manage, and the Fast series is doing this in its tenth instalment!  The action isn’t remotely believable, but man oh man is it fun. The characters are put in unbelievable situations but manage to escape just in the nick of time. It makes for some amazingly entertaining set pieces that you don’t seem to find in a lot of modern action blockbusters.

Another strength of these films is the characters and the amazing cast who play them. As I mentioned, the cast is stacked with some of the best actors and actresses working today. Vin Diesel leads the family as Dom, but the real strengths lie in the supporting cast. They all have wonderful chemistry with one another that has been established over the course of 10 films. You feel the history and the comradery amongst the group, they really do feel like a family. The real standout here though is Jason Mamoa’s turn as ‘Dante’. He really relishes in the villainous role, bringing a flamboyance to the character that has been lacking from the films villains up until this point. Whilst his revenge plot isn’t new to the franchise, it’s the way that Dante goes about his plan. He clearly enjoys being a bad guy, and in turn, the audience loves watching him!

Overall, Fast X doesn’t offer anything new to the table, but it really doesn’t need to. Fans know exactly what they’re getting with each instalment in the fast saga, and we’re fine with that. The more action, the more times Family is uttered and the more explosions, the better. I am looking forward to where our core group will go next and am excited to see just how they will wrap this story up!

Fast X is now available on DVD. Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD, be sure to pick up your copy, you won’t want to miss it and shop all things Fast & Furious below, Sanity has you sorted!

Long live physical media!

Buy all Fast & Furious Movies on DVD, blu-ray or 4K UHD here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here