The Fast & Furious franchise is hardly designed to trouble the awards season race, but in terms of sheer entertainment, there are few brands in the industry that know how to send the fans home happy as well as this one. Each new installment is more preposterous and nonsensical than the last, which in the case of these movies is very much a good thing.
Almost every mode of transport has been destroyed or blown up at least once so far, so the next logical progression would be for the Fast & Furious series to head into outer space. People have wanted to see it for years, and it was teased by Ludacris before Michelle Rodriguez confirmed that next year’s ninth entry will finally head beyond the stars. Quite how the plot takes the gang there is anyone’s guess, but it probably won’t make a lick of sense and we’re absolutely fine with that.
In a recent interview, Fast & Furious newcomer John Cena admitted that the creative team has an obligation to the audiences that have been following these characters for almost 20 years, and as a result, F9 is going to pull out all of the stops to ensure that everyone goes home with a smile on their face.
“Fast 9, they have this global fanbase because they’ve been making these movies for twenty years. It’s been a legacy project. And the newest installment, everybody knows Fast is going to kill it when it comes to action. The thing I love about Fast 9 is people are going to see it weave that legacy together. It’s not nearly ‘What is Fast gonna do next for action’, it is action on the edge of your seat, but story. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you get questions answered, you get new questions you can develop, it’s another foothold to the narrative. That’s the stuff that I love.”
After being delayed by an entire year as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, the longer wait will only increase expectations and excitement surrounding Fast & Furious 9. Based on what we’ve seen so far, though, and what we now know, the latest outing is poised to enjoy bumper box office success and reinforce the franchise’s reputation as the most unashamedly stupid and yet endearingly entertaining game in town.