MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Action/Stars: Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Rita Moreno, Luis Da Silva, Michael Rooker, Cardi B, Leo Abelo Perry, Don Omar, Tego Calderón, Pete Davidson, Meadow Walker/Runtime: 141 minutes

If memory serves me right dear reader, and for my sake I certainly hope that it does, I seem to recall mentioning at the end of my review for Furious 7 I said that I felt that in a perfect world that installment in this long-running franchise would have been a brilliant place to end this series once and for all. Not because I feared any follow-ups would ruin the series by any stretch, but simply because I felt that the ending of the 7th film served as a logical conclusion to everything that had come before it. Apparently though dear reader this particular request of mine that I sent out, through the power of thought, to the powers that be didn’t quite make it before a different memo came in. One that said “to heck with logic! Let’s just see how far we can take this franchise in terms of sheer downright insanity before the public decides to no longer give us their time or money!” As a result, not only did we get an 8th and 9th installment in this franchise, but now a 10th (with at least one if not perhaps 2 more installments on the way) as well. A 10th installment that happens to be the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today dear reader and which also is an extremely tricky movie for me to review for what it’s worth. Not because I’m don’t know what I can and can’t say to you in regards to spoilers, but rather because I am still trying to process just what exactly it is I sat through. That and let’s be honest dear reader: it really doesn’t matter what I say about this slice of cinema. I say that because even if the movie was the worst film I had ever seen, which this most assuredly is not, a lot of you out there would still go see it because you’re either fans of this franchise or you just happen to love gloriously dumb popcorn cinema. Having said that though, you should know that although this slice of cinema is highly flawed to say nothing of magnificently dumb it is also by no means the worst thing you could choose to watch. Indeed the action beats are fairly well done if not delightfully over the top in the finest way possible with the rest of the work behind the camera gleefully following suit to say nothing of the truly immense cast in front of the camera very much in on the joke with particular regard to Jason Momoa who, as this film’s villainous force, is having an absolute blast with every minute of screentime that he is given. Thus no Fast X is by no means a perfect slice of cinema, but on a weird level this is one film that is the best kind of stupid entertaining you could hope to witness.

The plot is as follows: Following a prologue featuring the end events from a previous installment in the series albeit through a different point of view, Fast X gets its petal to the metal yarn underway by showing us that, yet again, it looks like Dom and co. have finally managed to found peace. Yet, following most of the team with the exception of Dom and Letty, taking off for another assignment in Rome we see that peace horrifically shattered. A shattering that occurs when a rather distinct individual shows up at Dom’s door of all places and tells him that he and the rest of his “family” are in danger. Putting two and five together, Dom and Letty realize that the mission in Rome was more of an insidious trap and quickly go off to warn the team. Unfortunately for them, we see that doing so has now put everyone in the crosshairs of a guy by the name of Dante Reyes. A man who, besides being an unapologetic and merciless member of that distinct group known as sociopaths, also harbors a fierce and intense vendetta against Dom for reasons and is now dead set on seeing him suffer on the level that he allegedly made him suffer years ago. As a result we see that, despite the best efforts of the entire team, Dante is able to not only pull off the first stage of his diabolical plan, but also is triumphant in having the team’s cloak and dagger government agency sponsor to both turn their backs on them as well as make them out to be no more and less than terrorists out to cause chaos on a global level. An action that is able to both scatter the group, but also see them have to go on the defensive. Thus we see that as Letty finds herself getting caught and subsequently being made a rather reluctant “guest” of a covert government prison, Roman, Tej, Ramsay, and Han make their way at first to jolly ol’ London in order to get some aid of their own, Dom and Mia’s brother Jakob is relegated to being the butt kicking protection detail for Dom’s young son, and Dom makes his way, with the aid of an enigmatic young woman by the name of Tess amongst other allies, to Brazil in order to locate this madman and put a end to his scheme before it can fully be unleashed upon the world. Thus can our team, as splintered as they are, come together and stop this homicidal maniac and his dastardly machinations or is this one time where they just might have to learn what it’s like to lose? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself…..

Now right off the bat, it should be noted that, even when taking into account the directorial shake-up that occurred which saw Justin Lin exit stage right and Louis Leterrier taking his place, Leterrier actually manages to show that he is more than up to snuff when given the chance to play in one of modern action cinema’s looniest sandboxes. Indeed not only does he showcase a wonderful awareness and comprehension of the gonzo and no holds barred tone that this series has shown itself to operate with, but with the aid of a script penned by both Lin and Dan Mazeau, this slice of cinema is one that is more than willing to have some fun with whilst also gleefully admitting how over the top this franchise has gotten. I mean not only do we see characters in the movie actually make some pointed comments on the rather unlikely evolution of the franchise’s core group from low-tier members of the criminal element to globe-trotting government contract agents of a sort, but there are also jabs at the character of Dom and all the times he talks about family to name but a few examples. Suffice it to say that, much in the same vein as its immediate predecessor, this slice of cinema is not only aware of its own pratfalls, but also has no qualms about making us aware that it too knows just how loony this franchise has managed to become. This insanity also manages to incorporate the action beats in this slice of cinema as well. Indeed be it a scene with a huge Crash Bandicoot snowball-style bomb just tearing through the streets of the Vatican, an old school car race in Brazil with a deadly twist under the hood, or even a showdown on a bridge between two cars and a literal onslaught of other vehicles to name but a few examples on display I would not be surprised in the least to learn that the crew behind the camera each drank a whole pot of coffee before bringing these to life. I mean not only are these and the other action beats in this all inherently yet gloriously ridiculous in every way possible just in terms of the ideas behind them, but the crew behind the camera also has no qualms about bringing them to life in such a way that it will make you, the viewer feel like you are watching something that is less an ”objective reality” so to speak and more like a version of reality that is found in a video game in the vein of Grand Theft Auto where all of the characters involved have managed to find the cheat codes and have traded in completing the story in favor of just running amok and causing complete and utter chaos wherever they go.

Of course, it should also surprise no one to learn that the other big component that must work in order for a film to work overall takes the shape and form of the performances given by the cast of players in front of the camera. In that regard, it should be noted that whilst the cast here all do fairly good work there is one teeny tiny problem. That being that, since this slice of cinema is operating with at least 3 distinct narrative threads throughout much like Avengers: Infinity War from 2018, there are characters who are only in it for maybe 10-20 minutes at most. Now, in the case of Infinity War, this wasn’t an issue because the movie gave each of its expansive roster a moment to shine and as such the film works phenomenally well despite the fairly frequent zipping around. In the case of this slice of cinema however, it doesn’t feel that way. Rather, it feels at times like some of the characters here are in the movie simply because the creative minds that be thought “well they were in the previous ones so we better include them here”. I mean don’t get me wrong: the performances by this truly expansive cast are by no means bad. Far from it. It’s just that I feel some of them might have been slightly better off if their whereabouts were simply explained, they weren’t brought back at all, or they were saved for the next movie instead. Faring slightly better would have to be some of the new kids on the block like Brie Larson, Alan Ritchison, and Daniela Melchior. Yes, all three aren’t given nearly as much screentime as you might expect, but they all do fine with their respective material. Out of everyone though, perhaps the best performance given is the one in the antagonist role and to be sure this is a franchise that has given some truly iconic talent in the last few to fill that slot. Even with that in mind though, there is no denying that there has been no villain in this franchise quite like the one brought roaring to life here by Jason Momoa.  Indeed, if I could think of a proper comparison for the character of Dante Reyes, it would certainly have to be The Joker as Momoa is able to merge together an over-the-top style with a giddy grin and more than a helping of sadistic behavior to match. I mean if you really want an example of just how demented this guy truly is then keep this in mind: there is a scene where Momoa is just hanging out with some pony tails in his hair and, whilst he is engaged in the next phase of his diabolical scheme, we see him (I kid you not) pain the toes on 2 corpses whose faces have been contorted to showcase some truly frightening smiles. Suffice it to say that you might be left curious as to why this guy sat on the sidelines for as long as he did before deciding to come forth from the shadows, but Momoa’s gleefully and unapologetically twisted performance to say nothing of the overwhelming degree of both chaos and destruction this personified wrecking ball brings to bear is more than intriguing enough to be able to not focus on those elements and I am definitely curious as to how things are going to play out between him and Dom before this series comes to a close.

All in all and now that the Tylenol has helped me put my thoughts down on paper, I find myself at a bit of a crossroads when it comes to my overall opinion of this slice of cinema. That is because, as previously stated in this review, it really does not matter in the least what grade I give this because you already know whether or not you are going to see this slice of cinema. With that in mind though, please do not take this moment to either start a petition, beg, repeatedly message me, or all of the above to give this a perfect 5 out of 5. I mean I might not fully know what to give it, but I also promised to always grade honestly so I’m sorry, but this is by no means a 5 out of 5. Rather, having now actually thought about it, I think this is one movie that, although flawed, is so gloriously stupid and flawed that it winds up becoming an entertaining watch all things considered. Yes the action beats in this make me feel like I just saw what it would like if someone drank 5 Red Bulls with 5 shots of espresso each and then directed an action movie. Yes the rest of the work behind the camera is very much representative of that previous description as well in many respects. Finally, yes the work done by the cast in front of the camera is not too bad despite quite a few people being shortchanged in terms of either screentime or just a meaningful reason to be a part of the narrative with the clear standout being Jason Momoa who is having an absolute blast here as easily the most unhinged antagonist in the long and storied history of this franchise. Thus if you are in the mood for a gloriously gonzo and idiotic beyond any and all doubt popcorn action film then I think it’s safe to say that you most assuredly have come to the right place. On the other hand, if you are wanting to see a prestige picture that is most likely going to be on the list of nominees for Best Picture at the Oscars next year then I’m going to be polite when I say this, but I don’t think you are in the right theater. Be that as it may be, Fast X might not be an “excellent film” per se, but in terms of sheer entertainment value then I should definitely advise you to put on your seatbelts and hang on tight because you are in for quite a ride! Make of that what thou will! On a scale of 1-5 I give Fast X a solid 3.5 out of 5.