After having its initial release pushed back a year, like most everything else, F9: The Fast Saga has finally landed in theaters. As much as I’ve enjoyed watching the previous films at home, there was something particularly nice about seeing the bigger than life nonsense on a huge screen with other fans. My theater was still pretty empty, but at least there was one guy who wasn’t afraid to laugh out loud.
Now that it’s been a few weeks, I think we can talk openly without fear of spoilers.
The general reaction so far has been tepid at best, with even professional reviewers who praised other installments saying that F9 is running on fumes. Yet neither is anyone saying that the series has run out of gas. I can say with some certainty that while it won’t win the series any new fans, F9 doesn’t have anything to sour us devotees. There’s no ham-handed agenda-neering. Men aren’t put in their place. Climate change isn’t the problem (which would be a big problem for a series run on gas-guzzling cars).
That said, let’s go back to the theme of this essay series: why do The Fast and the Furious movies continue to draw audiences? So far we’ve talked about the resonate themes of chivalry, honor, loyalty, ritual, and redemption as key factors, all under the umbrella of (say it with me!) Family.
In that vein, this time around the villain is Dom’s (Vin Diesel) long-lost brother, Jakob (John Cena). We crossed into soap opera territory a long time ago, so let’s not hear any complaints about that. Sure Dom and Mia (Jordana Brewster) have never mentioned a third sibling before, though to be fair Dom disowned him and Mia hasn’t really had much to do or say since bringing Brian back into the fold.
Arguably, the one subtle thing in the entire movie is Dom’s implicit guilt in breaking up his own flesh and blood family. He still blames Jakob for killing their father and hates him for it. The vengeful desire to satisfy old wounds is in conflict with the regret that comes with new wisdom. That’s the real conflict in this story, and it’s the chicken wire that keeps this whole raging machine from falling apart.
Jakob (now a formidable super-spy) needs two pieces and a key to complete a super-weapon. He kidnaps Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell in the a barely there cameo), and partners with a spoiled rich German (Thue Ersted Rasmussen) and Cypher (Charlize Theron) in his quest to be the biggest, baddest guy in the Fast universe. We’re told over and over and over again that he feels inferior to Dom, but we’re never really shown why that would be the case. But boy do they tell us.
You’d think just keeping all his hair would be enough.
For all the missteps here, making Jakob an estranged sibling was the right move. If he was just some guy there wouldn’t be any sort of emotional investment. It’s unfortunate that all the interpersonal conflict has to center around Dom’s personal life now, but what else can they do? None of the other characters is central enough to carry the narrative.
Restoring the Toretto family in the midst of international intrigue and car chases could have made for a really good movie. However, new screenwriter Daniel Casey isn’t able to really explore the idea with any depth, and returning director Justin Lin is only able to cover by making everything bigger and louder. It’s a classic case of fixing the noise in your car by cranking up the radio.
F9 never finds the right balance. The flashback scenes to Dom and Jakob’s youth seem to be from one movie, the present day action scenes seem to be from another. Instead of an awesome, hybrid hotrod, we end up with a Frankencar.
Since I haven’t hear anyone else say it yet, I will: It’s not great. It’s not terrible. It’s just F9.
And yet… and yet the engine of Family continues to rumble away, spluttering at times from lack of fuel, but still there. In a world where anyone can be damned for something they said decades ago, we appreciate stories of forgiveness all the more.