F9: The Fast Saga had a lot to live up going into its theatrical release and, fortunately for fans, it delivers on nearly everything. After The Fate of the Furious and Hobbs & Shaw garnered criticism for their treatment of Han’s character and an overall staleness, hopes were high that Fast and Furious 9 could reestablish the franchise as the charming and ridiculous cinematic titan it’s been. And, thankfully, with the return of Justin Lin to the series’ director’s seat, F9 succeeds at nearly everything fans have been asking for.
While Fast and Furious is far from high drama or cutting-edge storytelling, the franchise has established a reputation for itself as being greater than the sum of its parts. The characters and dialogue are cheesy, but they're charming and easily likable. The action is absurd but in a really fun way. And while the overarching Fast and Furious saga story can now essentially be described as James Bond with supercars, it’s remained compelling for a massive fan base spread all over the world.
Going into F9, there were a number of things fans wanted to see. So, does the movie deliver on all those expectations? The short answer is yes. F9: The Fast Saga is the best the franchise has been in years, thanks to a fantastic ensemble and a series of excellent creative decisions.
F9 Is Full Of Cameos And Callbacks
A big part of what’s made Fast and Furious so fun is its sprawling, interconnected world. Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, F&F has established a huge ensemble of characters who continue to pop up again and again, years after they were first introduced. F9 continues that tradition with both major characters like Han and Cipher, and guest characters like Fast & Furious’ Michael Stasiak, and The Fate of the Furious’ Magdalene Shaw.
F9 also makes a bunch of interesting callbacks to the series’ past that play into the story in fun ways. The flashback scenes to Dom and Jakob’s youth show moments that have only been described in the past, while also adding new depth to the Toretto family. Characters like Han and Brian O’Conner are treated with respect, and the film does a good job of tying in plot threads from all the previous movies, sometimes in absolutely absurd ways.
F9 Makes Tokyo Drift Better
Most Tokyo Drift characters return in Fast and Furious 9, with the noted exception of Neela. Having left Japan, Sean, Twinkie, and Earl have all gotten jobs building and testing experimental rocket engines – a skill that plays into the film’s finale in a hilarious and amazing way. Aside from its introduction of Han, Tokyo Drift has always been the one Fast and Furious movie that’s felt disconnected from the rest of the series. But by bringing in the old crew and basically making them Dom’s personal team of experimental mechanics, F9 finally ties all of Tokyo Drift back into the rest of the series in a complete and satisfying way.
F9 Makes Its Female Characters Better
For years, both the fans and cast of Fast and Furious have been calling for improvements in how the series’ female characters are written and portrayed. F9 makes major strides forward in that mission, introducing a new and compelling character in Anna Sawai’s Elle and incorporating fun stories and great action scenes for Letty, Mia, Ramsey, Cipher, and Queenie. There’s always more work to be done in the interest of equity, but F9 does a lot, and stars Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster seem to be happy with the result. There's even been recent talk of a spinoff film starring all the women of Fast and Furious, which could be a great addition to the franchise.
F9 Helps Give Justice For Han
Perhaps the biggest question going into Fast and Furious 9 was whether or not the film could properly give justice for Han after his attempted killer Deckard Shaw was made part of the family in The Fate of the Furious. That story still has chapters to tell, but it’s safe to say that F9 does right by Han and his story. His survival is explained with an incredibly ridiculous and complicated flashback, but it does what it needs to do – it gives him enough justification to return, and it makes him central to the story once again.
F9 also makes it clear that, though he briefly teamed up with Dom in The Fate of the Furious, Deckard was never truly accepted into the family. Dom aligned with him because he was the only hope of saving his son from Cipher, and after Shaw successfully accomplished that task, Dom felt obligated to end their feud. Shaw is nowhere to be seen in F9 however, emphasizing that while he teamed up with Luke Hobbs in Hobbs & Shaw, he’s not part of the core saga’s crew. In the film’s post-credits scene, Shaw is finally seen in some secret location, and the final shot shows him being confronted by Han. That means that while F9 does a good job of restoring Han’s character and legacy, his story of justice is far from over.
F9 Takes The Family To Space
For years, fans have been calling for Fast and Furious to go to space. F9 not only fulfills that wish but does so in the best way possible. At the end of the movie, Roman and Tej are the ones selected to go into orbit and destroy the satellite being hacked by Jakob and Otto. The decision to send them instead of Dom is perfect because it turns what could have been a ridiculous but self-serious moment into comedy gold. Roman and Tej being in space is one of the high points of the movie, and it finally gives the people what they’ve wanted for so long.
F9 Is All About Family
After the tragic death of Paul Walker and the poor treatment of Han’s character, Fast and Furious looked like it may have lost some of its central focus on family – a theme that is so heavily associated with the franchise that it’s become a meme. If there were ever any doubt that family would continue to be the glue of the series, that doubt has been erased by F9. The introduction of Jakob Toretto’s character gives some great dramatic depth to Dom and Mia’s story, and his absence from the previous films is explained pretty convincingly.
Han’s story also ties into the theme of family in a cool way. It’s revealed that Han had been working secretly as Elle’s bodyguard for years, basically becoming her adoptive father. It was only in the interest of protecting her that Han faked his death and disappeared. Because family is such a common motivation for characters in the Fast and Furious universe, incorporating it into Han’s story makes his past absence a lot more believable. Is it completely realistic? No. But in this odd world where people race submarines and jump hypercars between skyscrapers, loyalty to family is the one rule that can explain away nearly any plot twist.
F9 Pays Perfect Tribute To Paul Walker
Out of everything it does, F9’s treatment of Paul Walker’s Brian character might be its most impressive accomplishment. It would be easy to let the character fade into the background, but that wouldn’t be accurate to the story of the previous films. Instead, F9 creates ways to keep Brian in the story without showing him on screen. Furious 7 established that he wanted to give up his action-packed lifestyle to protect his family, so it makes perfect sense that he’d be the one watching over the kids while the rest of the crew is chasing Jakob and Cipher.
The final shot of F9 is also a perfect nod to both Paul Walker and Brian. After the whole family sits down to say grace at the Toretto backyard barbecue, Dom observes that one chair, next to Mia, is still empty. Mia smiles and says that he’s on his way, clearly meaning Brian, and suddenly the sound of a car engine is heard in the distance. The whole crew turns to look, and Brian’s iconic blue Nissan Skyline is seen pulling into the driveway. It’s a beautiful moment not just because it pays tribute to the character and the star who played him, but also because it reiterates to the audience that Brian still matters in this world. The whole table turns to look at him because, though he doesn’t appear on screen in F9: The Fast Saga, he’s still a huge part of the family.