Fast X

             Years ago Kevin Garnett had a commercial with the saying “ Anything is Possible.”, which inspired a lot of people to do what they thought was impossible. I like to believe that the people behind the Fast & Furious franchise were part of that group, as they truly believe anything is possible if you have a car. Whatever inspiration they had, it has worked and we are now upon the tenth film in a franchise that started out about a group of street racers stealing VCRs. That was the past, now when they are not having family gatherings they are saving the world, but has this franchise finally run out of gas?

              After saving the world again, Dom (Vin Diesel) just wants some family time. Together with his crew they are enjoying a good ol’ fashioned Bar-B-Q, as Roman (Tyrese Gibson) glows with his first job where he is the leader on a mission to Rome. Going with him is Tej (Ludacris) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) on a job to steal some microchips, something that sounds pretty easy. Meanwhile, Dom and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are just spending time with their son, Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), but peace and quiet isn’t meant for this family, as past deeds once again come back to haunt them. Back in Brazil, when the team stole a safe, a man named Reyes was killed and let’s just say his son Dante (Jason Momoa ) has been planning payback for some time now. Dante’s plan is simple, come for everyone and everything that Dom loves, not killing them at first, but instead making everyone suffer. So once again its Dom and his family against a bad guy, but this time they may have met their match.

Written by Dan Mazeau, Justin Lin, and Guy Scott Thompson, Fast X goes with the “bigger is better “ philosophy as this is the first of the series final three movies. Trading substance for big explosions and impossible acts being done, Fast X has completely embraced what it has become, which is a video game with a story that makes no sense. However in its defense it’s not trying to be more than it is. I do wish they would have tried to do more practical stunts, but I guess you can’t really use a car to hit another car with a helicopter wit some serious safety issues. That’s why these films are so popular, there is no idea that can’t be accomplished, which I have accepted and just roll my eyes and carry on. One shining moment here is Momoa as the villain. He plays it like he’s an early Bond movie. He’s just having the time of his life and it shows.

             I would like to say these movies get better as they got bigger, but the series for me peaked with Fast 5, and now there are just too many warning signs that this franchise is about to break down. Maybe the filmmakers know this, which is why Fast X is the first of the final three. I just don’t know if it is going to make it to the finish line. All of this is a nice way of saying that the Fast movies are definitely operating on worn tires and there are not enough stars, or explosions to cover that up. Even with that said, Fast X  might be the definition of a brainless popcorn movie and for that I give it high marks, but as a movie, this series might have run out gas a while ago and is just running on fumes.