RECENT WATCHES: F9: The Fast Saga (2021)

Vin Diesel gets a lot of shit and probably not unfairly. However, one thing is undeniable: The man loves the movies. Diesel's belief in the power of the theatrical experience, how it can bring people together and entrance us all under one massive screen, made him one of the big stars pushing folks to go back to theaters following the COVID-19 pandemic. His insistence that films are best enjoyed on the big screen was surely a factor in "F9: The Fast Saga" being repeatedly delayed for two years until it was safe for theaters to open again. This perhaps saddled the sequel – also Justin Lin's return to the franchise that he had defined, which had arguably suffered in his absence – with expectations it could never live up to. "F9" was intended to be just another entry in this preposterous action series. Instead, it became one of the first big releases after life ostensibly returned to normal. All the muscle cars in the world might buckle under the weight of that, of reestablishing normalcy for millions of people all over the globe. 

Dom Torreto and Letty have retired on a quiet farm, raising their son Brian. That changes when old friends arrive with concerning news: Mr. Nobody, while transporting super-criminal Cipher to prison, was kidnapped by a mysterious agent. Dom quickly deduces that the responsible party is his long-lost brother, Jakob. Soon, the "Fast" team reassembles to chase after two halves of a device that can hack any computer system in the world. Jakob, a rogue agent with plans of world domination, is after the device too, as well as the young girl who can activate it. The mission will reunite them with friends and enemies they thought where gone and take the team around the world and beyond. 

During "F9's" quiet prologue on Dom and Letty's farm, his son asks the action hero who God is. This same moment highlights the cross medal that has become Dom's trademark symbol. Is this, an utterly ridiculous action sequel seemingly most concerned with absurd new ways to blow shit up, asking serious questions about the existence of the divine? That seems to be the case. During the first major action set piece, the series obnoxious comic relief Roman Pierce miraculously survives two events that should've killed him. What could have been a meta joke about the typical action protagonists' immunity to all injury becomes a reoccurring theme. Is the "Fast" team impossibly lucky or somehow being protected by a higher power? The spiritual side of the film reaches its apex during a moment where Dom seemingly dies for a minute and visits his father in the afterlife. Having faith and trusting in the powers-that-be does indeed lead our heroes through another set of improbable circumstances. 

This is, admittedly, a gutsy theme to introduce in a series that doesn't typically seem that concerned with deeper ideas. Inevitably, this premise eventually dovetails with the most prevalent theme in this franchise. Despite his highly memed on discussion of family, we learn in this film that Dom has never forgiven his brother for his apparent role in their father's death. The fear of losing loved ones, and the drive to protect his family no matter what, drives Dom more than ever. (This idea also emerges in a key character returning from the dead in fuzzily explained fashion.) Unsurprisingly, forgiveness is eventually offered to Jakob, despite his super villain status. If the "Fast" movies are about family, above all else, "F9" considers the actual sacrifices necessary to keep those bonds together. 

That I'm managing to find any heady themes at all inside "F9" is impressive, considering this is the entry in the franchise most detached from reality. Lin and his co-conspirators were determined to top the over-the-top action in the previous films. Early on, Dom is swinging his Charger over a gorge by tangling his front axel in a rope. Later, Dom pulls down part of the ceiling on his attackers, his action hero strength long since risen to the level of superhuman. By the end, "F9" pushes into the realm of science-fiction. Yes, this is the one where Tej and Roman fly a rocket-car into a space. That's a moment so deliriously unrealistic that it seems largely tongue-in-cheek, the franchise admitting its own ridiculousness. Somehow, this is more believable than the shenanigans involving an enormous super-magnet tossing people and cars all through a city that comprises much of the past act. 

While I have no issues with the "Fast" franchise's commitment to beyond-the-impossible action awesomeness, once again the constant doubling-down feels more exhausting than exhilarating. The final act becomes a tangled mess of double-crosses and betrayals, the vaguely defined MacGuffins driving the plot long since getting lost in the mix. The pyrotechnics go to such levels that the final image, of a massive armored bus flipping through the air, almost feels underwhelming compared to everything that came before. As in "The Fate of the Furious," the need to pack the movie as full of as much car-related mayhem as possible, alongside the needs of an ever-expanding cast, means the film concludes in a pile-up of set pieces and subplots. 

"F9" does push above its predecessor in one way. Charlize Theron's Cipher – back this time but not yet graduated to a member of the family – was a delightfully campy villain last time. Still, Dom having a morally ambiguous brother is a far better gimmick for an antagonist. The flashbacks are possibly the best thing about the sequel, expanding on the backstory of its hero and finally showing us the trauma that forged him. John Cena is clearly having a good time as a Bond-style supervillain. (The unlikeliness of a "Nordic strongman" like Cena being related to someone who looks like Vin Diesel is so absurd that the script has to comment on it.) Jakob's eventual heel-face turn, to borrow a pro-wrestling term, can be predicated from his first second on-screen. There is something satisfying in watching it unfold though. 

While far from a box office failure, "F9: The Fast Saga" did not join the billion-dollar club like the last two entries in the series. I don't know if this speaks to movie theaters' slow recovery from COVID or if the public is simply tiring of the turbo-charged antics of these movies. The novelty is definitely starting to fade, as the series focuses more on pushing their stunts further and juggling its wide-ranging family of characters. Despite its flaws, "F9" is still a reasonably entertaining time at the movies. I guess the ridiculous charms of these flicks have long since won me over by this point. [6/10]