“Exactly what you’re paying for” – Film Review: Fast X

Daniel Evans

Released in May 2023, Fast X is the 10th and most recent addition to the well-known Fast and Furious franchise. Daniel Evans reviews.

Whatever the Fast and Furious franchise once was is long gone, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The set pieces are utterly outrageous, no regard whatsoever is shown for the laws of nature or physics and it is difficult to feel any sense of danger. On the other hand, this is exactly what you’re paying for.

Strength and durability fit into whatever circumstance requires

For all its faults, and there are many, this surprisingly does not feel like a tired film. There is a certain sense of energy, fun and self-awareness, all accompanied by predictable reminders of the importance of family. It is not surprising that the tenth addition, 12th if spin-offs are included, does not break the mould. And why should it? The formula has proven extremely lucrative and there is evidently still an appetite for its brand of mindless action.

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If there is one problem, it is the near-total absence of any stakes. People are more or less indestructible, and death seems to mean absolutely nothing. Strength and durability fit into whatever circumstance requires, and hordes of faceless goons are easily and repeatedly cut through.

This film is also overcrowded. Characters don’t necessarily feel like weak links, but there are simply too many of them to truly care about. Jason Momoa is a scenery-chewing yet enigmatic villain, John Cena is likeable though somewhat out of place and Vin Diesel plays Dominic Toretto with the same gravelly heart as he always does. Even so, Fast X could have benefited from cutting the cast in half and adding greater weight to the action. There is no reason that mindless and cartoonish action cannot still feel dangerous.

The franchise could benefit from some grounding at some point

As sprawling as this film is, it is impressive that it remains fairly concise. This is helped by the simplicity of its story, but I had expected its 2 hours 21-minute runtime to drag far more than it did. Ultimately, Fast X delivers on exactly what you would expect and does so in much the same way as its numerous predecessors. The franchise could benefit from some grounding at some point, but so long as it continues to remain as profitable as it is, it will likely drift further and further from reality.

Daniel Evans