'F9' delivers tense, fast-paced action

It’s kind of hard to believe that a street-racing movie in 2001 would spawn a franchise that’s still going strong to this very day — a full two decades after the first ‘Fast and the Furious.’

The whole franchise has become one of the highest-grossing franchises ever churning out hit after hit. Now, fans can finally see the big screen return of Dom Toretto in ‘F9: The Fast Saga.’

In the action-packed ‘F9,’ Toretto is living the quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, but they know that danger always lurks just over the peaceful horizon. This time, that threat forces Dom to confront the sins of his past to save those he loves most.

His crew soon comes together to stop a world-shattering plot by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered — Dom’s forsaken brother.

‘F9’ is easily one of the most insane installments of the entire franchise. The ninth ‘Fast’ movie (well, tenth if you’re counting the ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ spin-off) delivers lots and lots of explosive action and numerous surprises along the way.

Indeed, the action sequences are a tad over the top. But, that is all just part of the fun that the series offers. The action never slows down and the entire movie is extremely fast-paced. There are a few dramatic moments as well, especially when the movie flashes back to when Dom lost his father during a race (which was mentioned and talked about in the first movie).

The story-line that involves the fan-favorite Han character returning is very believable and actually works. The reveal of Han’s return probably could’ve worked a little better if the trailers didn’t already reveal it earlier in their marketing. The big action scene in the third act is really awesome and adrenaline-pumping. There’s another little surprise scattered throughout the big action scene. You’ll have to see the movie to see what it is.

Overall, ‘F9: The Fast Saga’ will definitely not let fans of the adrenaline-pumping series down. It has action, heart and a little bit of a nostalgic feel at the end. Also, make sure to stay for a mid-credit scene that you wouldn’t want to miss!

The cast: Vin Diesel (Bloodshot) as Dom Toretto; Michelle Rodriguez (Widows) as Letty; Jordana Brewster (Furious 7) as Mia; Tyrese Gibson (Netflix’s Christmas Chronicles 2) as Roman; Ludacris (Show Dogs) as Tej; Nathalie Emmanuel (Maze Runner: The Death Cure) as Ramsey; Charlize Theron (Netflix’s The Old Guard) as Cipher; Helen Mirren (Disney Plus’ The One and Only Ivan) as Queenie; Kurt Russell (Christmas Chronicles 2) as Mr. Nobody; Lucas Black (NCIS: New Orleans) as Sean, Shad Moss as Twinkie; Michael Rooker (Love and Monsters) as Buddy, Anna Sawai as Elle; Sung Kang (Raya and the Last Dragon) as Han and John Cena (Playing with Fire) as Jakob.

The sequel is written by Daniel Casey and Justin Lin and also directed by Lin (who also directed ‘Fast 3-6’ and ‘Star Trek Beyond’).

Principal photography for the movie began in June 2019 and wrapped up that November. This is the first ‘Fast and Furious’ movie that Justin Lin directed since 2013’s ‘Fast and Furious 6’.

It was just announced that the main franchise will return with two more installments that will wrap up the main franchise. There are also plans for more potential spin-offs after the main series wraps up.

During its opening weekend, the action-packed movie earned an estimated $70 million, a record opening during the pandemic.

‘F9: The Fast Saga’ is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language and has a running time of 145 minutes.