After hitting the road 22 years ago, the Fast and Furious franchise reached its 10th movie with “Fast X”, which was released May 19.

“Fast X” brings back many familiar faces such as Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), Tej Parker (Ludacris), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). 

But this time, the cast faces antagonist Dante Reyes, played by Jason Momoa. 

This movie opens with a powerful scene introducing viewers to Reyes. The audience witnesses Reyes’ tragic past, which fuels his criminal behavior throughout the film. His father, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), was the villain who was killed by Toretto and Brian (Paul Walker) in “Fast Five” after they stole his safe.

This helps the audience understand Reyes’ personal stakes of why he wants to “make the world suffer” in “Fast X”. 

Viewers then dive into the present where Dom, Letty, and the other cast members find themselves facing a global conspiracy (continued from the last film), which takes them on a journey throughout the world. 

When it comes to the action sequences, car chases and stunts, this film definitely wowed the crowd. From the impressive visual effects to the cinematography capturing the high-speed chases, the crowd is on the edge of their seats. This film excels in the delivery of thrilling action, amazing visuals and nostalgic callbacks.

But a couple of speedy chases and flashy punches isn’t enough, even for a franchise named Fast and Furious. 

The plot of “Fast X” feels too overdone, with its far-fetched attempts to web together too many subplots. And a lack of focus can only mean one thing: poor character development.

Throughout the movie, characters stayed the exact same with little to no growth. Plot twists and some deaths didn’t feel necessary. It suffers from what many other long-running series do, milking nostalgia rather than giving substance by calling back previous films. There’s even a small cameo featuring the late Walker at the beginning of the film.

Although this movie from director Justin Lin was very visually impressive and delivered all the action and stunts that Fast and Furious fans expect, there was little to no emotional connection with the characters. It’s a nice addition to the series but isn’t a standout, overshadowed by the films that genuinely take risks and offer growth. The ending does seem promising though, raising hopes of a more satisfying continuation in the future.

Overall, I would rate “Fast X” a 3/5.