The beginning of the end of the Fast saga, Fast X cleverly opens by retro-fitting Part 5's big heist sequence to provide a new villain and give Jason Momoa an excuse for familial revenge as this episode's big bad and then re-establishes the importance of family at the iconic Toretto home, before a set-up mission finds the team separated, put on the world's Most Wanted list and pitted against an unstoppably deranged nemesis. Fast X delivers exactly what fans will expect at this stage of the enterprise, built around a run of slickly-demented action sequences across the entire planet and relentless one-liners-filled dialogue, but here with real deep dives and call-backs across the whole of the franchise. Highlights include a gobsmackingly destructive car/bomb chase through Rome, the return of John Cena at his comedy best, and Little Brian simply being adorable. Particular kudos goes to director Leterrier for stepping in at the very last minute and doing such an effective job of marshalling the mayhem. It might go down as one of the unusual 2023 blockbusters that unexpectedly did not set the box office on fire, but Fast X is well made, it has a credible threat (Mamoa is gloriously ruthless and unhinged and brings much to the film) and importantly it brings a sense of fun back to the franchise. Fans cannot complain that it is left on a big cliffhanger (dambuster?) as this was well signposted in the promotion, but this Summer's Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One proved that you can wrap up the first of a two-parter effectively and leave room to carry on. With vague threats of two films remaining rather than initial reports of this being the first of a two-part finale, perhaps the next film should wrap up the Fast saga before it really wears out its welcome.
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