- Date of Release: 19 May 2023
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
- Language: English
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Fast X
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I have finished watching the new English film Fast X which is the 10th film of the Fast franchise. It was way back in 2001 when The Fast And The Furious franchise was launched. Back in the day, fast moving vehicles with high-tech engines and good looking people were the norm of the day. It hadn’t been attempted earlier and the franchise did find its audience in what would eventually turn out to be a globally successful franchise. However, I have always maintained that if the number of films in a franchise goes beyond five, the franchise does lose its charm. And that is what has happened with the Fast franchise.
The Fast franchise did begin with a lot of emotions to back the high octane action sequences. And this is why it was able to strike a chord. The franchise did peak between Fast 5 and Fast 7 wherein one of the beloved characters Paul Walker passed away suddenly thus adding to the sentiments of the franchise. But post Fast 7, the franchise has been on the descend so much so that it does show in the desperation of the filmmakers too. The action sequences have become ultra-stylized with action shifting to different celestial bodies too(ridiculous) but in this process, the emotional core has been lost. We have often criticized some Bollywood films for its outrageous action set pieces, but as far as English films are concerned, they are often given a free pass! That said, does Fast X resurrect the franchise which is now in its twilight, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Fast X follows the story of Dom and his family who need to face another worthy opposition who would stop at nothing for extracting revenge for the death of his father. The story here is a simple revenge drama and it is as simple as simple maybe. So from the storyline perspective, it is a complete miss. The screenplay standing at almost 130 odd minutes does make for such a dull endorsement of the franchise. I mean you do have some outrageous sequences but where is the soul in it? Where is the excitement? Where are the Avengers?(oh wrong franchise but you never know, the way things are going).
The drama does open with a little blast from the past involving a heist followed by the death of a few individuals. And this does form the core of the rest of the drama to follow. Now, when the storyline is simple, the least the writers could do was to add some moments in the screenplay which would make you stand up and take notice of the proceedings. But the events are so dull and ultra cheesy that there is a sense of disconnect early on in the film. It won’t be entirely fair to judge this three part finale just yet but would you still need time to invest in the characters who are already popular over the previous films. Come to think of it, with characters returning from the dead, this drama was almost like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi but on wheels!
It is clear that this franchise has now become just a cash cow of the highest order. Neither does the drama connect nor do the emotions and instead, what you are served is some mind numbing and unintentionally funny action sequences that will make you want to slsp youtself so hard for going through this mess. I can’t even say that thhis part 1 of the three part finale was a world building exercize. Picture this, a bomb of the shape of a huge ball is rolling on the streets of Rome and is finally evaded in the most ridiculous manner yet! Was this the film from the 80s?? Are we fools? Where are the Avengers again? Ok, I’ll stop!
The multiple tracks do not evoke your interests too. I was far too distracted to even bother on who is doing what and was barely going through the motions. The tracks get even more cheesy when the writers decide to introduce bits of humour. When the humour is cheesy when shouldn’t this film be a part of the infamous Race franchise particularly Race 3? It was unfunny and a shame in the name of entertainment. The events leading up to the final act do have their share of twists and turns but I couldn’t care less as the stakes were never increased. The finale act does set up things for its second part in a decent manner but overall the screenplay was expectedly a mindless slog that would numb your brain cells.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are far too corny and cheesy that may disgust the staunchest of fans of the franchise. The music and the BGM are good and they atleast try to set up things well during action chase sequences. The cinematography too is pretty good although the VFX is a suspect in so many scenes. Director Louis Leterrier just doesn’t try to build on any sentiments and keeps serving one action set piece after another thereby losing the plot completely. It was ridiculous to witness a franchise hit reverse gear in the manner as it has wherein the lesser said about the direction the better. Where is Farhad Samji again??
Performances
The ensemble cast does comprise of characters from the past which ought to have evoked a sense of nostalgia. But none of them standout and that is the sad reality. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris are just reduced to being clowns here. Nathalie Emmanuel and John Cena have very little to do. Likewise for Sung Kang, Charlize Theron(outrageous how her character is written) and Michelle Rodriguez who are more or less on the sidelines here. Even Vin Diesel as Dom looked uninterested and barely going through the motions like our very own Bhoi. Only Jason Momoa as Dante is seen to be enjoying himself and he puts forth a commendable and eccentric act!
Conclusion
Fast X is the kind of sh*t that needs to stop in a franchise that has now hit reverse gear. As Anmol rightly summed it up on his Youtube Channel, Fast X is Kasauti Zindagi Ki On Wheels. Steer Clear! Available in a theatre near you!