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Ludacris

Fast X: Faith, Family Values and Fiery Wreckages

May 25, 2023 by Steve Norton

After 20 years, the Fast franchise has done it all. 

And, with its 10th film, Fast X, the series seems to have finally begun its last ride. Built as the first of a two-parter, this entry is supposed to signal the end of the story of Dominic Toretto with a final, non-sensical bang. 

But dangit, it’s fun. In fact, it might even be one of the best of the franchise. 

In Fast X, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have finally settled down for a life of peace and family bbqs. However, when Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) emerges from the shadows of their past, the team are called back into the field for one last mission. But when the job goes bad, the team find themselves hunted by a team determined to shatter their family once and for all.

For some reason, no one really questions what’s happening or why in this franchise… and, perhaps most strangely, no one seems to care. To be honest, the franchise abandoned all sensibilities for genuine thought years ago. In fact, even the franchise itself acknowledges that the Fast films may have started to run out of gas. (“I can’t believe we’ve allowed them to go on this long,“ one character muses.) This is a series that began about illegal street racing but now has seen the crew launch themselves into space due to the funding of underground spy organizations. These films earn their box office bucks by creating a ruckus on screen with old friends. In so many ways, Fast X feels like a film that was made with your college buddies (if they’d been given $200 million dollar budget, of course). Stunts make little sense and characters return from the dead without any thought given to logic or consistency.

But, somehow, the insanity has become part of its charm.

This is a franchise that people can see themselves in it. The world of Furious has become the most bankable multi-cultural superhero franchise in years and, maybe, of all time. Diversity has always been key and, as it expands, so does the series’ palette of ethnicity. Whereas Marvel and Star Wars initially built their Empires upon the backs of predominantly white casting, the Fast family has always rooted itself in multiculturalism. It’s set them apart from other mega-franchises and has opened the door for everyone to feel like they belong.

But, more than this, there’s something relatable about these characters. Underneath the spy gear (!), nuclear submarines (!!) and space travel (!!!), the world of Dominic Toretto remains a story about family values. Frankly, it never ceases to amaze me that the Fast franchise is embedded with its own sensibilities of Conservative Americana amidst the chaos. Yes, they may be saving the world, but these are still simple people that emphasize family BBQs on Sunday, tucking their kids into bed and doing the right thing. Espousing ‘family’ as his most prominent F-word, Toretto fights to preserve the rituals that he holds most dear. (In fact, at one point, brother Jacob even chastises Toretto’s son for swearing, arguing that it’s only appropriate in certain circumstances.) For a franchise that started off about fast cars and booty shaking, Diesel has morphed it into a story about friends, traditions and family values. 

While the next installment offers nothing particularly different, it does have a couple of new elements than make this ride enjoyable. First and foremost, one of the more crucial elements comes in the form of director Louis Leterrier. Known for films such as Clash of the Titans and Now You See Me, Leterrier has built a career on films that look pretty but never take themselves too seriously. Set in a film that features cars attached to helicopters, racing down exploding dams and nuclear pinball in the streets of Rome, Leterrier’s willingness to lean into the wild serves this franchise well.  

However, easily the biggest laurels lie at the feet of newcomer, Jason Momoa. As the villainous Dante, Momoa may be the first villain added to the series that seems to be having more fun than the cast themselves. (In fact, Momoa literally dances around the screen with the playfulness of Nicholson’s Joker.) In doing so, he somehow matches the tone of a franchise that usually takes itself so far too seriously when its villains are concerned. In every film, Fast villains have been fierce, furious, and, for the most part, forgettable. But Momoa is entirely different. He is an agent of chaos, determined to make Toretto suffer rather than simply try to kill him. 

For Momoa‘s Dante, bedlam is the victory. 

However, was most apparent in this film is that Toretto‘s new F-word is ‘faith’. In the darkest of circumstances, Toretto clings to his crucifix with the belief that everything is going to turn out okay. While the film never directly addresses any specific Christian values, Toretto’s actions and heroism are rooted in a belief that good is on the horizon. Amidst Dante’s wanton destruction, clinging to that belief gives them hope and gives them the strength to keep going.

As a result of its goofiness, Fast X proves to be critic proof. The reality is that, if you’re not already a fan of the franchise, this is not going to be the film that wins you over. Fast X doubles down on all the things that have made the franchise so much money over the years and continues to expand upon them. However, if any part of you has become invested in these characters, Fast X provides the necessary, nonsensical thrill ride that the franchise deserves.

Fast X is available in theatres now.

May 25, 2023 by Steve Norton Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Dwayne Johnson, Fast X, Gal Gadot, Helen Mirren, Jason Momoa, Jordana Brewster, Louis Leterrier, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Paul Walker, Sung Kang, Vin Diesel

3.17 Fighting the FATE OF THE FURIOUS

April 23, 2017 by Steve Norton

https://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/6.17-Fate-of-the-Furious.mp3

Breaking box office records, FATE OF THE FURIOUS filled theatres because of it’s (many) big booms and stunts… but is there more to the film? ?What keeps us coming back to this franchise, despite the fact that they get more outlandish with each entry. ?In a relaxed episode, Steve welcomes back Greg Banik and ScreenFish newbie Julie Levac to explore the world of the FURIOUS franchise.

Want to continue to conversation at home? ?Click the link below to download ?Fishing for More? ? some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.17 Fate of the Furious

Thanks Greg and Julie for coming on the show!

April 23, 2017 by Steve Norton Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: action films, box office records, Charlize Theron, Dwayne Johnson, F. Gary Gray, Fast and the Furious, Fate of the Furious, Helen Mirren, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Scott Eastwood, The Rock, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel

Furious 7: Relationships Make The Journey Matter

September 15, 2015 by Jacob Sahms

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In 2001, Universal Pictures made a ‘little’ film about street racing called?The Fast & The Furious. Fourteen years later, the film series has topped itself in each of the six sequels, providing more eye-popping stunts and spectacularly delivering snapshots of the best action and car chases that all other films seem to be chasing. Boasting a stunning multinational cast, the?Fast and Furious?franchise truly is one of a kind. But are we overloaded with bigger bangs and crazier stunts? What could the franchise do to keep us engaged?

The short answer??Furious 7?took it to a more personal level.

After the crew led by Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel) took down Owen Shaw, Shaw’s brother, Deckard (Jason Statham) went on a bloody, explosive trail of vengeance that began with the death of Han (in the plot of?Tokyo Drift). Now, the elder Shaw is?pursuing them while they’re recruited to pursue him by shadowy black ops leader Frank Petty (Kurt Russell). This launches the film off in a series of explorations of the past, like Torretto’s interaction with Lucas Black’s Sean Boswell in Tokyo and an attempt to help Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) regain her memories.

While the action is breathtaking and globe-trotting, it’s the internal motivations and struggle of the crew that make the film stand out. It’s not all bad though: Brian Conner (Paul Walker) and Torretto’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), are trying to settle down and raise a family.

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But maybe you come for the cast and the explosive stunts, and then you stay because the family dynamic is different. Maybe there’s something about capturing us visually that hooks us, while we want more because we’ve come to care about these characters.

Rock hard Toretto, more compassionate Conner. Willful Lettie, sensitive Mia.

Whether it’s the car chase that ends up with a bus going off of a cliff, the air-jumping of cars out of a cargo plane, the crashing of a race car out of a skyscraper into another, or the hand-to-hand combat that sends a rotating crew of baddies like Statham, Ronda Rousey, and Dijmon Hounsou at our heroes, there’s plenty to visually captivate you.

I’m not sure that?Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation?topped its opening scene with the plane taking off and a ‘helpless’ Tom Cruise strapped on to the outside. But?Furious 7?sets up a string of moments, and one-liners, that keep us strung along to the story. It helps that guys like Diesel and Dwayne Johnson are bigger-than-life (inflated?), but James Wan (who took over for Justin Lin) knows his way around a battle?and?gave the film a creepier, vengeance-oriented feel.

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The film still has a good cop/bad cop, buddy film feel to it, even though Walker tragically died in a car accident on?November 30, 2013. We know that the relationship between Toretto and Conner, who have both broken the law and crossed the line to doing things their own way, both have a desire to stop evil and protect their family. Their family might be multicultural and wildly broad, but it’s their community and they know it’s their job to support them.

The banter, all-out harassment, and sometimes brutal?one upping of each other is hilarious. Those foibles spring out from Diesel and Walker, but they branch out into the relationships they have with Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej Parker (Chris Bridges AKA Ludacris). Brothers at arms, these guys are always breaking rules, but lately, they’ve become the government’s version of the 2015 Dirty Dozen.

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Whatever you think of the film, it will always be remembered as the ride off into the sunset for Walker. The cast and crew remember him with nods throughout the film, but the ending is ultimately about sending him off in style. It’s a beautiful ending, one that blends reality with fiction, and makes us hope for a better day. It’s certainly weird seeing Walker on screen and knowing he’s not here anymore, but it’s a better way to remember him than as an obituary online.

I doubt?Furious 7?has many ‘deep’ moments that we’d all agree on, but the focus on family, on doing what’s right, and on being true to yourself is apparent. If you let this one roll and you find yourself hoping for a better day in heaven for Walker and the rest of us, then you’ve opened the door to faith. Sometimes, we just have to follow our path and proceed on faith.

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September 15, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Filed Under: DVD, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: car, Dwayne Johnson, explosions, Fast and the Furious, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Paul Walker, Ronda Rousey, stunts, The Rock, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel

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