I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about cars. Whether it’s a vintage one or a cutting-edge racecar, if it can get me somewhere safely, I’m usually not too fussed. But whether you’re a car nerd or you haven’t even got your license, F9 had something for all audiences.
Having been delayed a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, fans of the film will be excited to see the ‘family’ back together on the racetracks again with Justin Lin returning to direct. F9 added a few old faces back into the mix such as Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) and Han Lue (Sung Kang) raised from the dead. And of course it wouldn’t be a Fast and Furious film without some other big names, with this film also guest staring Helen Mirren, Cardi B and newcomers John Cena and Anna Sawai.
Set a few years after The Fate and the Furious, this film sees the Fast and Furious family come out of retirement to re-enter a life of danger, fast cars and action in order for Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) to confront past familial issues. John Cena enters as character Jakob Toretto, Dom and Mia’s brother who has been estranged from the family for years. Deepening the theme of family, viewers are offered an insight to Dom, Jakob and Mia’s past, the film depicting how the Toretto family came to be. Avid watchers of the series will be drawn in by their favourite character backstories whilst new watchers will be enthralled with the narrative all the same. Considering how long the same characters have been around, I was impressed that the movie still found ways to build extra layers of personality into each character.
F9 continues what it does in its previous movies by combining big action scenes and stunts with themes of love and building touching moments between characters. For lovers of action the stunts are even crazier than the last film, with the trailer delivering on its promise of cars flying off cliffs, on rickety bridges and in the air (once again). At times the stunts bordered on unrealistic, which was widely felt by the audience who laughed ludicrously at some of the death-defying stunts as opposed to being impressed with them.
However, F9 still had something that could speak to most audiences. The action and stunts were complimented with necessary amounts of character building and dialogue. And to get the full movie experience, hang back for the post-credits scene!
Fans will feel at-home with this new addition to the saga. And new audiences of the series will be fans by the end of it!
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F9 is in cinemas exclusively from June 17