- Director : Justin Lin
- Media Format : 4K, NTSC
- Run time : 2 hours and 30 minutes
- Release date : September 21, 2021
- Actors : Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, John Cena
- Producers : Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth
- Studio : Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- ASIN : B097SFHT6W
- Writers : Daniel Casey, Justin Lin
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 2
What has made the Fast and Furious franchise
thrive over the years is the ensemble cast of characters and the star power of
the actors that played them. You could argue that it is also the over-the-top feats
accomplished in cars, but I think F9 is evidence that the cast matters
more. Even with the unlikely return of some forgotten characters from the past,
it is glaringly apparent that several of the characters both original and added
are missing from this installment. Obviously Paul Walker’s passing has left the
presence of Brian off-camera, what really feels missing is Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson)
and Shaw (Jason Statham). The resulting film feels off-balance, like a recipe missing
ingredients.
Much of what is
missing from the film is the lightheartedness the franchise has embraced in
recent installments. There are several flashback sequences giving us insight
into the past of Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), mostly to develop an explanation for
the sudden existence of his estranged brother Jakob (John Cena), who appears as
an elite assassin who steals a part of a device named Aries, which can hack
into any computer weapons system. The team is put together to get the device
back, and to stop Jakob for getting the remaining pieces for Cypher (Charlize
Theron) in some Bond-level plot to destroy the world or something. None of it
is very believable, especially when dead characters from the franchise are
suddenly alive again.
As much as I
feel he adds to the franchise, many people were upset by Shaw being embraced as
a member of the team given his part in the death of Han (Sung Kang). If nothing
else, F9 mixed that problem for the next (and final?) film in the
franchise. It is revealed that Han isn’t actually dead when he exposes himself
as having secretly been working with Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), in an effort to
stop Cypher and Jakob. And for good measure Mia (Jordana Brewster) joins in the
efforts, because Jakob is her brother and because it gives a reason for Brian
not to be there, shown from an exterior shot to be watching the kids.
As usual, there
are number of high-octane action sequences that test the audience’s suspension
of belief. And yet, it feels as though the studio out minimal effort into this
installment. The CGI effects used in the action scenes is the worst it has ever
been in the series, and it doesn’t help that it feel like there is less
practical work. Part of this is due to the stunts getting increasingly outlandish.
Somehow a car in space is nowhere near believable, and even less enjoyable.
Even when the action was less than realistic in the past, the good-natured cast
made it enjoyable. Whether it is the cast members left around this time or the
writing, but even the one-liners felt perfunctory and ineffective.
The 4K Ultra HD
release of F9 comes with a number of different ways to watch the film,
and two different versions to choose from. There are three copies, including a
Blu-ray disc and digital copy, on top of the 4K disc. The discs also come with
the option to choose from the theatrical cut of the film and the director’s
cut, which is seven minutes longer. I honestly couldn’t tell you what was added
and wouldn’t claim it makes a big difference to the end result, but die-hard
fans may be excited to see a bit more.
They must have put all of the deleted
scenes into this cut, because there are none contained in the special features
included on the discs. The only additional footage included is a gag reel,
which is at least moderately more funny than the script they wrote. A majority
of the extras are featurettes and behind-the-scenes looks at stuntwork. A lot
of this just comes off as self-congratulatory promotional material, but there
is also a director’s commentary on both cuts of the film with Justin Lin. And
as much as I complained about the quality of the special effects, I will admit
that the film looks much richer in 4K. You can’t polish a turd but watching
this film in Ultra HD is as close as it gets.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 6/10
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