Fast X Review - Action Gets Bigger, Logic Gets Smaller

Louis Leterrier's Fast X, the 10th film in Fast and Furious, stars Vin Diesel as the main protagonist and Jason Momoa as the leading antagonist. Justin Lin's replacement news had been quite a topic of discussion, but it seems that Louis Leterrier understood his assignment even in his first film of the franchise. He knew what fans wanted from the franchise and what else could be added to an action-packed ride that hadn't been done before. He stuck to the plan but forgot that there is a thing called good, sensible writing before taking up the script on the floor. Fast X is easily one of the most explosive entertainment films of recent years, but it also reminds you about how poor writing can be.Fast X sees Dante Reyes (Jason Mamoa), the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes, set up multiple challenges for Dom, aka Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel). Cipher (Charlize Theron) describes him as a devil in her so-called last moments as she confronts Dom. His first threat is Vatican City, as he plans to bomb and wipe out the town, but Dom, along with his family, saves the black day for Rome. The mission is somewhat successful, but it puts Dom and his family in legal danger as Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is put behind bars and the rest of the members are on the wanted list. Dom then has a race with Dante, but is again defeated by his smart trick. However, he is not going to stop. Jakob Torretto (John Cena) and Tess (Brie Larson) help Dom, but will it be enough?Fast X is perhaps the most pacy action film in recent times, since Furious 7. The higher the action goes, the lower its logic falls. Frankly, you don't look for logic in these movies. We have Nolan movies for that. Fast X was never supposed to be a logical film, but this time it went even lower than that expected mark. The whole structure is set up as per the action sequences, not what the storyline demands. You never see a burning time bomb rolling all over the city, but you see it here. Dom can never get hurt, no matter how hard he falls, how high he falls, how terribly his car bumps, or how many shots come at him. Needless to say, he can drive anywhere, and gravity does not exist there. The next thing left for him to do is drive a car on the moon, and I'm sure the 1/6 gravity equation won't be applied.Fast X is made watchable by its action scenes and chase sequences that are highly illogical but extremely entertaining. The Vatican City segment will blow your mind, for sure. There are two more extravagant action set pieces that are simply amazing. This is what a big screen blockbuster means. Nothing goes wrong there except theories and optional 3D viewing. The glasses don't help for two and a half hours. Those crowd-pleasing punchlines are there too. "You made one mistake. You never took my car". Hell yeah, we all clapped. But after a moment, I was like, "Is a car such a big weapon after all?"Vin Diesel has been donning Dominic Torretto for years, so he knew the job. It's just another day in the office for him, even though Dom's character graph needed a few changes here and there. Jason Momoa appears as a monster to be remembered. Easily the most devious villain in the Fast and Furious franchise and the craziest one too. The homosexual appearance didn't really bother me as long as he was playing smart. Momoa just didn't drop the bearing for a second. Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Momoa, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Brie Larson, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Rita Moreno and Ludacris have important roles, but their short runtime doesn't give them enough chance to leave any special impact. Though you'll scream at the entries of Cena, Statham, Gal Gadot, and Dwayne Johnson like a massy, single-screen viewer.In terms of the technical aspects, Fast X proves to be a winner. The cinematography is top-class. I am curious to know how someone got zoomed-out shots from surface to top view and between cars. Sheer talent! The background score and a few songs pump up the scenario in between, so you get some recall value too. Louis Leterrier has laid the foundation for a trilogy that I'd like to check out in the future. An assembled version of the entire family can't be that difficult. What he envisioned can interest all die-hard fans, including neutral cinegoers, but I doubt how many people can hold the same excitement when things are getting too repetitive. Leterrier makes sure that you get more than expected from an action film, so be assured that your ticket money and popcorn will get their worth. You just have to keep your brain at home.