FAST 9

When the family is in trouble then only the family can help as Dom believes in one thing and one thing only and that is family., even though a long forgotten member of the family is out to cause trouble for the family. That’s a lot of family issues….right? Did I mention the family?

For a guy who loves his family so much, its quite staggering that Dom (Vin Diesel) during the last eight movies not once uttered the fact that he had a younger brother Jakob (John Cena). Out of everything that happens in Fast 9 ,that moment alone is the most ludicrous and far fetched plot point, even above the return of Han (Sung Kang), the second character of the franchise to return from an apparent demise and before anyone shouts “SPOILER”, the trailer ruined it for everyone, months before the film’s release and of course he appears in the movie poster for all to see.

By now every fan will know what to expect from a new entry from this juggernaut of a franchise. The cool cars, the outlandish set-pieces, an unstoppable bad guy, wisecracks aplenty while the familiar returning faces battle against all the odds to save the world and themselves one more time.

Even now we have reached the stage where one of the guys, Roman (Tyrese Gibson) starts to question how they manage to get into these situations and somehow survive each threat, a running gag that made me smile more than it should during the welcome small breaks from the action not hitting you in the face.

The opening, well most Fast Fans will see it coming. We get the obligatory moment of seeing Dom and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) living in peace before they have the calling to save the world and then moments later we watch as the guys drive across a minefield, with bombs going off left, right and centre.

Even before all that happens, we get the first ever flashback in which we see a young Dom and Jakob witnessing the death of their father, which causes years of tension and hate, ruining any surprises that Jakob himself will be revealed as the new bad guy for this particular film.

The technological MacGuffin for the story this time threatens the world’s defence systems and while Charlize Theron returns once more as Cipher, she spends more time in a glass box like a poorer version of Hannibal Lector than really influencing the storyline even though Rodriguez and the returning Mia (Jordana Brewster) have more to do with even Helen Mirren getting a chance to drive a flashy car.

Bizarrely, the running gag between fans over the last few years that the franchise will eventually end up in space is finally reached as we get that surreal moment which offers no logical explanation, unless its setting up a sequel in which the guys battle against the Biker Mice from Mars, which considering how outlandish its heading, we won’t be at all surprised.

Hardcore fans will lap up every scene of audacity, while the rest of us will just sit back and watch as the series stays in the same gear it has failed to move up on since the stunning heart-breaking finale of Fast 7. If anything, it was the post credit scene that got us more excited than what happened before it and its thanks to that moment we will all be first in the queue when the franchise finally comes to an end with the first of a two part story.

Lets hope we reach the end of the road with a much deserved fast and furious adventure, because everyone involved deserves it, including us fans.