For the first time in the Fast & Furious saga’s history, things are uncertain as the series enters its last chapter. Fast X, however, is also robbing the series of precisely what made it unique in the first place while setting up the next and, as far as we know, last sequel.
The fundamental truth that often the strongest friendships are formed in the process of grieving people we have lost has been overlooked in a movie series that is overly focused on family. Fast & Furious once understood this lesson, and it would be in their best interest to do so before it is too late.
Important Fast X spoilers are ahead.
The first of two films that will conclude the Fast & Furious series is Fast X, which was directed by Louis Leterrier. In 2011’s Fast Five, Dominic Toretto and his gang stole the family riches and murdered Dante Reyes’ father. Dante Reyes, a fashionable and psychopath, seeks retribution against Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) in this film.
You can instantly see how Dante’s reasons are eminently Fast & Furious, a series that has become so laser-focused on its core idea that everyone has a secret sibling or sister. But the conclusion of Fast X shows how the Fast Saga has been openly struggling with what was once its greatest strength.
WHAT HAPPENS AT FAST X’S END?
The story finally comes to a dark, confusing end. It doesn’t stop at Dom’s neighbourhood BBQ, where there will be reggaeton playing and icy cold Coronas. It comes to a close with a portion of the “family” believed to have perished in a flaming plane and Dom’s vintage Charger at the bottom of a river at the base of a dam. What gives the film a true feeling of dread that hasn’t been felt in these films in a long time, if ever, is the uncertainty of knowing for sure if they’ll come out okay in the end.
But the moment there is any feeling of stakes, there is yet another “resurrection.” Fast X now concludes with Gisele alive and unharmed, having arrived to free Letty and Cypher from the Antarctica jail after Han’s ridiculously complicated return in Fast 9. Gal Gadot is making her second unexpected cameo of the year, and yes, it is her.
Gisele’s reappearance robs Fast X’s climax of any stakes or significance in death, despite the fact that her sacrifice in Fast & Furious 6 was one of the most significant in the series. Similar to how it zaps all the air in the apparent demise of John Cena’s Jakob in Fast X, who is simply too important to be eliminated so carelessly. The Fast & Furious has repeatedly shown that it would use all means necessary to avoid death as long as it can pay the actor’s contract.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS IF NO ONE DIES?
Suspense, repercussions, and yes, even death, have all been transformed into jokes by the series. In retrospect, the once-ingenious technique used to revive Letty (remember when she was the one who had died?) after Fast Five allowed the series to develop a soap opera-like habit of giving practically anybody a route to rebirth.
The notion of family in The Fast & Furious has frequently clashed with reality, as behind-the-scenes squabbles have sometimes overshadowed the films. Aside from the open feud between Johnson and Diesel, Justin Lin’s absence also casts a shadow on Fast X. Lin, who has been a part of the franchise since 2006’s Tokyo Drift, is almost as connected with it as Vin Diesel. Lin helped these films reach their creative zenith with Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6. Justin Lin is the person who has the right to claim ancestry with these characteristics.
It is no accident that in Lin’s films, Dom’s guiding principle of family was put to the test rather than merely being set in stone. It’s simple to forget today, but loss and apathy are the main themes of Fast Five. Dom, Brian (Paul Walker), and Mia (Jordana Brewster) spend the most of the film alone themselves before Dwayne Johnson appears, continuing the plot of 2009’s Fast & Furious.
They spend a lot of time mourning the individuals they have lost along the way, which is how and why Dom finds it so fulfilling to bring so many diverse people together under one roof. They have established a new family after losing their first one. He salutes them all and says, “The most important thing in life will always be the people in this room.”
