YNOT at the Movies

It has been 20 years since the Fast and Furious franchise started, and its much anticipated 9th installment "F9: The Fast Saga" (USA 2021 | 145 min.) is finally released after being shelved for a year due to the pandemic. This is the fifth time for Justin Lin to direct in this franchise and he doesn't disappoint the fans by crafting some spectacular action sequences that one can hardly even imagine. He doesn't make them to be convincing (no, they are not). He makes exhilarating entertainment, as if he dares you to see what he can create on the big screen. The film reminds us of what it means to return to normal again—watching loud blockbusters like this one during summer time in a movie theater.

Speaking of loudness, the film opens with a thundering auto-racing, where the young Dominic Toretto (Vinnie Bennett), aka Dom, and his little brother Jakob (Finn Cole) witness their father's accident on the track. After their father's death, the two brothers become estranged and lead separate lives. Dom (Vin Diesel) lives off the grid with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his young son. Living in Edinburgh, Jakob (John Cena) embarks on a career with the ambitious villain Cipher (Charlize Theron) trying to obtain the most powerful weapon.

Dom is pulled out of his tranquil life by an unexpected visit from Tej (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). In a heartbeat, they begin to battle with an army of unknown adversaries at a cargo crash site where they retrieve a small half-geode ball, called Project Aries.

It turns out Cipher is hiring Jacob not only to find the other half of Project Aries, but also to find the key to activate it, which can take control over all the computer networks in the world. That key is an 11-year-old girl Elle (Anna Sawai) in Tokyo under the care of Han (Sung Kang). Both sides fight to the teeth and they put up a jaw-dropping show across the globe, and space.

If the plot sounds preposterous, it is! The story is as thin as any other superhero movie; and even though this movie is not about superheros, they surely act like one. It's always exciting when it's in action, and it could have left the rest out of its two and a half hours running time. Whenever Vin Diesel murmurs in his laid-back deep voice, you can run for your restroom breaks, and you won't miss a thing. But honestly, nobody comes to this movie to see its character development or to make sense of the plot. We come to this movie to hear a lot of loud noises, to see big explosions, to be amused by the outlandish actions, and to be awed by the filmmakers' wild imaginations.

The director Justin Lin knows his audience well and he doesn't fail them when he creates those ridiculously awesome action sequences. He threw in cars, motorcycles, hummers, tanks, airplanes, and even rockets to the chaotic fights and played them like Lego toys. In case that's not enough to entertain the audience, he dropped Helen Mirren into a scene to drive a car backwards for a minute, like inviting a celebrity to make a surprising appearance on a late night show. The most comic relief from the conversations between Tej and Roman are also enjoyable. They hilariously ask questions the audience might have in mind, such as why they can come out of a rain of bullets without a scratch.

By no means is this the best installment of the franchise, but it is definitely a well crafted action flick and makes you wonder what might be in store for its 10th installment.

"F9: The Fast Saga" opens on Friday, June 25, 2021.