Starring Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron and Leo Abelo Perry

Directed by Louis Leterrier

Universal, out now

A decade after the Brazil heist that started their new lives, Dom is menaced by Dante Reyes, the son of his Brazilian foe. He has unlimited resources, no ethics and knows Dom’s one weakness: family.

If you haven’t already seen these movies then this is pretty much the worst possible place to start. If you have, then you’re getting exactly what you think, at least at first. Leterrier, whose teeth were cut on the criminally under-rated Now You See Me and Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, knows how to stage smart action and get good performances out of actors in big set pieces. He also knows, based on this, how to stage exuberantly stupid action because there is a bucketload of that. Aimes, the new Agency head played by Reacher’s Alan Ritchson, jokes at one point about how if it defies the laws of gravity Dom’s team have done it twice and he is not wrong. The terrifyingly crunchy game of bomb pinball that opens the movie is just the start of a two-hour meat grinder and Leterrier mostly lets the action speak. There’s a couple of fights which are very choppy but for the most part this is either a miracle of CGI, stunt driving or both. That Rome sequence is spectacularly cool and also spectacularly silly and if you don’t think ‘HELL YES!’ when I say ‘crane pinball’ then this is not the movie for you. If you do? Buckle up.

Jason Momoa is the most interesting nemesis the franchise has had since Charlize Theron’s Cypher, and the fact she’s back too is an added bonus. The latter isn’t exactly family yet, but her extended plotline with Letty is a nicely handled way to process some leftover beats from the last couple of movies and also have Theron, Michelle Rodriguez and their stunt doubles cut loose in a nicely built fight that’s one part Atomic Blonde and one part street fight.

Momoa in the meantime is having the absolute time of his life and from the second he walks into Cypher’s penthouse and uses the families of her henchmen to steal then he’s clearly both very clever and utterly broken. It’s a lazy comparison I know but he honestly feels like he’d be a surprisingly great Joker based on this performance; Dante is exuberant in his fragmentation, joyous of his wounds and abjectly merciless. He’s also distinctly metrosexual and there’s going to be some interesting commentary about whether the character playing with their identity like this is a good thing or a bad one. For me, it worked, not just because it plays as sincere but because Dante has so clearly set himself up as the antithesis of Dom’s buttoned down patriarch. It does also lead to some truly inspired moments of comedy and the scenes between Momoa and Brie Larson in particular could have stood more screen time. Larson is playing former Agency head Mr Nobody’s daughter and her combination of deadpan and sass is a perfect foil for Momoa’s gleeful murder teddybear. Here’s hoping they get to play together more in 11. Or is that X2?

Where Leterrier struggles is where the movie struggles; there are too many characters and most of the fun ones aren’t on screen enough. Jason Statham and Helen Mirren’s Deckard and Queenie Shaw are barely in more than two scenes and suffer the Marvel curse of their fate being set up as part of the next movie. Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang fare a little better and in fact Tyrese’s Roman Pearce and Emmanuel’s Ramsey both get some really smart character development. Roman is finally, eleven movies into this franchise, shown that his ego writes checks his talent cannot cash. The moment he actually admits he was wrong to Tej is one of my favourite in the entire franchise, which is not something I’d ever think I’d say about Roman. He’s better than he thinks he is, and Tej shows him that because, well… family. Ramsey meanwhile has finally graduated from Damsel and McGuffin wrangler to fully fledged teammate and Emmanuel clearly relishes the chance to do some more.

You’ll notice we’re barely halfway through the cast list. This movie is a Lot, in every way and Leterrier does an admirable job of wrangling the cast even if it doesn’t quite work. Especially as you get cameos from multiple other cast members, a very sweet resolution to a plot from Fast Five and multiple locations from previous movies returning. There’s so much going on that you almost get lost despite the best efforts of the vast cast. The fact you don’t is a testament to both their skill and the skill behind the camera. Every time the movie threatens to topple over under its own colossal mass, something cool happens. John Cena has the time of his life as cool uncle Jakob, Vin Diesel’s Dom is allowed to have more than one emotion this time and Leo Abelo Perry is fantastic as Little B, Dom’s son. He’s the one the movie, and I suspect the franchise legacy, rests on and if so he’s a great choice. Even if the kid is going to need so, so much therapy given the field trip to hell he goes on here.

The 4K edition has the expected clarity of vision and sound; the bonuses include a full commentary from director Leterrier, some less than brilliant bloopers, and deeper dives into some of the key scenes and characters. They’re all well worth a look, although you’re unlikely to return for a revisit (or at least not till Fast XI is imminent).

Verdict: Fast X is loud and stupid and sweet and funny and exuberant. It’s too big, too crammed, too diffuse and too everything. That’s the point of this franchise and every time something doesn’t work, something else does. If you’re a fan, this is going to be for you. If you’re not, watch the others first. It’s always worth checking in with family. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart and Paul Simpson

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