Fast & Furious 9 did what a lot of franchises do at some point: it took the action into outer space. This seemed to me like a good point to call it quits. But with the money still rolling in, nobody in Hollywood was going to end this cash cow; thus we have Fast X, the first in a rumoured three part finale (until the inevitable reboot).
I've been on board with the franchise since the start, sticking with it as it moved from the street racing world into more James Bond territory, the action getting more and more ridiculous with each chapter. Seeing how each movie would top the one before in terms of craziness is what kept me entertained. But Fast X is just dumb, and it's not even dumb fun.
The stunts are more preposterous than ever, but the film is never thrilling, every interminable action scene enhanced by rather ropey CGI (the flames, in particular, look really bad). There are some dreadful attempts at humour (mostly courtesy of Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris), and we get all that inevitable crap about the importance of family (if I see the gang having another barbecue I think I'll hurl).
And then there's Jason Momoa as villain Dante...
I can see what they were going for -- kooky flamboyant psycho capable of almost anything -- but Momoa is absolutely awful, his performance bordering on camp, not helped by the character's dubious choice of attire. It's hard to find Dante menacing when he's flouncing about in a silky shirt. I'll no doubt watch the next two films for the sake of completion, but with Momoa on board it'll be hard going.
Fast X is easily the weakest of the series so far, but I'll give it 3/10 because I guess things could get even worse.
