Highlights
- Despite the nostalgia and reunion of past characters, Fast X continues to repeat the mistakes of previous entries, resulting in a low Rotten Tomatoes score.
- Fast X introduces new elements, but the franchise's increasingly audacious plots have led to questions about its long-term sustainability.
- Fast X's Rotten Tomatoes score is lower than previous films in the franchise, highlighting the need for the series to prioritize innovation and reclaim its former glory.
Initially starting as a series focused on street racing, the Fast and Furious franchise hasn't shied away from exploring and experimenting with the genre, even taking the fast family into space. Over the years, Fast and Furious has shifted its focus to multiple protagonists, including the late Paul Walker as Brian O'Connor, Lucas Black as Sean Boswell, and Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto.
The recent Fast X is said to conclude the series with a 3-part movie. Part 1 saw the family reunite with almost every cast member from throughout the series, including characters that many believed were dead. While it provided a nostalgic ride, Fast X continued to repeat the same mistakes as the previous five entries which is evident by its low low Rotten Tomato score. Despite Fast X being the last mainline movie, it is said to be a three-part movie with more spin-offs planned for the future and it appears the franchise is here to stay for a while. Going forward, Fast and Furious may need to take an entirely different approach if the series wants to reclaim its glory, and winning back the trust of the audience seems like a difficult task at this point.
What is Fast X about?
Fast X follows Dom as he confronts the ghosts of his past once again. This time, the main antagonist is Dante Reyes, played by Jason Momoa. However, Dante has a history as the son of Hernán Reyes from Fast 5, from whom Dom and Brian stole the vault containing his father's fortune. In a flashback sequence to Fast 5, Dom is shown ramming a de-aged Dante throwing him in a river, but he manages to escape death and devises a revenge plan against Dom in the following years.
The film centers on Dom and Letty, who reunite with the rest of the crew for a family gathering. During the reunion, the team is assigned a heist in Rome, but Dom and Letty choose to stay behind. Later, it is revealed that the team was betrayed, and Dom's family is infiltrated by a cyber security team at night. Hurrying to Rome to save his family, Dom discovers that Dante has a surprise in store for them in the form of a pinball bomb, which the crew plays around within the whole city of Rome before eventually driving it away in a river where it explodes and destroys a large portion of the city
Being painted as international fugitives, the team goes their separate ways, each facing their own challenges and also reuniting with past foes and friends. It falls upon Dom to protect his family, especially his son, who is being pursued by Dante. The movie ends with a cliffhanger, leaving the fate of the furious uncertain.
What is Fast X's Rotten Tomatoes score?
The Rotten Tomato Critic and Audience scores have consistently failed to reach a consensus, especially in recent years. Fast X is yet another example of this disparity. While it holds a relatively unimpressive 56% critic score, the audience score soars to an impressive 85%. This stark contrast underscores the subjectivity of viewers' tastes. Critics tend to focus on the film's foundational elements, including its sometimes over-the-top narrative, but most audiences are there just to have a good time which Fast X obviously does with over 2 hours of jam-packed action.
However, spanning across two decades, the franchise's trajectory has prompted questions about its long-term sustainability. Fast and Furious has evolved into a meme-worthy topic, with many jesting about the franchise's increasingly audacious plots. For instance, Fast 9 famously sent Roman and Tej into space. Fast X continues this trend by introducing long-lost secret siblings, essentially becoming a self-parody. While the franchise may have lost some of its original identity, box office figures paint a different picture. Regardless of the controversy it generates, Fast X remains a significant point of discussion
Is Fast X's Rotten Tomatoes Score The Lowest In The Franchise?
Fast X's Rotten Tomatoes score makes it the fifth-lowest-rated movie in the Fast and Furious franchise. Surprisingly, it ranks lower than even the original Fast and Furious movie and the classic 2 Fast 2 Furious installment. This marks a departure from the franchise's previous trend, as the critical acclaim had been consistent from the fourth entry onward, up until Fast 9.
Fast X's poor reception breaks this longstanding streak, delivering the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score since the fourth movie in the series. Despite this, Fast X's Rotten Tomatoes score is higher than the average score of all Fast and Furious movies.
The dropping score since Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw is definitely a sign of concern for the franchise showing that it is getting worse with every entry. With at least two mainline entries left in the franchise, Fast and Furious must prioritize innovation over recycling tired, uninteresting plots and a sole focus on action. There's still an opportunity for the last two movies to chart a different course and potentially recapture the franchise's former glory.