Here’s the premise: In this installment, we meet Dom’s brother Jakob (John Cena) who has a score to settle with Dom and so he sets out to kill Dom and his crew. Through flashbacks, we learn what tore them apart and how they got to the point of hating each other.
While I have loved most of the FAST AND FURIOUS movies, this one is definitely the very worst of them all, I sat there thinking of things I would be enjoying more (root canal, IRS audit, etc) and wishing I could get the time I spent on this movie back. Along with the tired story, is the ridiculous stunts that had me shaking my head, as a movie lover I often have to suspend belief but this took it to a whole new level. I never minded some of the stunts that looked tough but believable, meaning a normal driver could not do but a stuntman could make it happen, but to have a car go INTO SPACE!!!! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!
OK, enough griping, now to the good parts; the chase scenes (that were believable) were still cool, and the actors are comfortable and really look like a group of old friends so the whole “team” vibe still works. The writing is getting old, and there were only a few actual funny parts as opposed to good comedy scattered throughout the film. The cinematography was still really good for the most part, and most of the acting is still pretty decent.
I know that F9 will make plenty of money, especially since people are craving the theater experience, but I cannot in good conscience recommend this movie.
Russell Lockhart
