F9: The Fast Saga

F9: The Fast Saga

By James Davidson

“F9: The Fast Saga” is the latest installment in “The Fast and Furious” Series. It was released on June 25th 2021 and is exclusively in theaters. It brings back most of Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) old crew as well as some new faces to try to take down Dom’s long estranged brother Jakob (played by John Cena). Jakob is a spy gone rogue working for the international terrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron) and is trying to steal a weapon that will take over all of the world’s weapons.

I love the Fast and Furious franchise, they have become a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. My wife and I usually have a Fast and Furious marathon about once a year and rewatch all of the films. What started out as street racing and relatively small-time theft in Los Angeles has transformed into a team that takes down international terrorists with their cars. In past films Dom’s crew has taken down airplanes, nuclear submarines and in this newest film, a satellite, all using cars. The films are ridiculous fun action flicks that are physics defying and exciting. This newest installment is no exception.

The action scenes in this movie are top notch. They kept me on the edge of my seat and were very well shot. “F9” might be the most exciting “Fast and Furious” movie to date. There are very few slow parts with plenty of car chases and fight scenes to keep the adrenaline pumping.

The plot, while exciting, requires some suspended belief from the viewer. I don’t think that most of the action scenes are physically possible. There are car chases, and rocket launching of cars into space, that’s right, cars, in space, (at this point, my wife turned to me and said she might have reached her limit, whatever that means). In order to enjoy this movie, you just have to turn off your brain and just let the movie happen. While most of the story is ridiculous and probably not possible, it is still fun and exciting. It’s so ridiculous that somehow it works.

The plot of this movie, as with most “Fast and Furious” flicks, reads like a high budget soap opera. There are characters dying and coming back left and right, memory loss and long lost/estranged family members galore, and changing backstories aplenty. Somehow though, in spite of all the ridiculousness this series of movies somehow has found a special place in our hearts.

This film is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language. While there is plenty of violence, there isn’t much gore and the language is fairly mild. There are far less scantily clad dancing people in this installment than its predecessors. I think that other than lots of explosions and the occasional curse word, this film would be appropriate for some preteens and younger teens.

“F9: The Fast Saga” is a fast paced, ridiculously fun action flick, that requires some suspended belief but is definitely a fun time in the theater. If you are a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise this is a must see. This is a great movie to just turn your brain off, sit back and enjoy. It earns a ridiculous 3.5 out of 5 stars.