Movie Review: F9 (2021)
As the world prepares to return to normalcy, franchise and blockbuster films are in store for the moviegoing public this 2021. And what a way to kick things off with one of those films, the Justin Lin-helmed “F9” starring Vin Diesel & Co.
If there’s anything we’ve learned as this long-running franchise has carried on even after Paul Walker’s untimely death, it’s that the filmmakers are more focused on bringing back action as the main focus of the films. And truly, after The Fate of the Furious, audiences are left with the inevitable truth about the series: Screw narrative cohesion and reason, and just enjoy the spectacle.
With “F9,” we get just the thing. This is an unapologetic film that never really tries anything other than give the viewers the adrenaline rush it feels they need.
And with director Lin at the steering wheel, everything else takes the proverbial backseat.
Family is Everything—But Why Keep Secrets?
The film begins with Dom (Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) together with their son Brian enjoying a rather idyllic afternoon, when former associates pay a visit. Tej (Chris Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) show Dom and Letty a video of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) calling for help as his plane is shot down.
After giving it some thought, both Dom and Letty join the trio for search and rescue. After all, old habits die hard, and it’s become apparent how both of them miss the thrill of their old lives. While on site, the team retrieve a mysterious device, but in doing so are ambushed by someone straight out of Dom’s buried nightmares: his brother Jakob (John Cena).
Before anything else, it’s understandable to wonder why it took 9 films before the reveal that Dom and Mia (Jordana Brewster) have a brother. After all, Dom’s creed throughout the franchise has always been about family.
Then again: Screw narrative cohesion and reason, and just enjoy the spectacle.
Jakob, as it turns out, is a handful. Dom’s hatred for him stems from a tragedy involving their father, which Dom pins squarely on Jakob. And now, he may or may not be working with Dom’s enemy Cipher (Charlize Theron). And he’s got the mysterious device, which could grant its user power over the world.
Does Seeing Familiar Faces Also Mean Bringing Back the Dead?
With the device in Jakob’s hands, the team scramble to locate him. Mia joins in the fray, much to Dom’s chagrin (“Jakob’s my brother too”), leaving the audience to wonder why Brian let her on her own.
Then again: Screw narrative cohesion and reason, and just enjoy the spectacle.
The team split into three groups, with Dom going to London to see a familiar face; Tej and Roman traveling to Cologne to see a trio of familiar faces; and Letty and Mia heading to Tokyo to see a reaaaally familiar face.
At this point, it goes without saying that the franchise has become a revolving door of cameos and familiar faces that come and go without notice. And “F9,” in all its audacity, continues the tradition. Hence, as the whole film unfolds, audiences would get the idea about how the film would end.
And yes, more or less, they’d probably be right.
F9: All About Throwing Caution (and Logic) to the Wind
Using the concept of electromagnets and running amok with it; stopping a mysterious device called the Ares Project from falling into the wrong hands; forcing Dom to confront his past that he’d long buried in secret; reinforcing the idea that “family is everything.”
That’s basically “F9” in a nutshell.
Running the familiar fabric of the franchise in terms of spectacle, emotional heft, and the repercussions of the characters’ actions (or lack thereof); “F9” feels like a re-tread of the first 8 ‘Fast & Furious’ films, along with the spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw.”
Fortunately, the filmmakers seemingly chose to present this latest film as a ‘best of’ compilation of the good bits of the previous movies. It’s not always pretty; in fact, oftentimes it’s just messy. But it does a wondrous job at being messy, so much so that we tend to forgive the nonsensical (and derivative) narrative it’s drawing us into.
Because here’s the thing: At the end of the day, “F9” is a mixed bag of entertainment—an action film unabashed by its unrealistic action sequences that defy the laws, not only of science, but also of logic. I mean, for goodness’ sake—the team went to space.
But by wearing that same sheer ridiculousness proudly on its sleeve, Justin Lin’s latest instalment in this long-running ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise is a return to form.
After all, this is a movie that openly engages the viewers’ sensation more than their intellect. And in that regard, the film largely succeeds.
