The latest high-octane trailer for the ninth Fast & Furious movie, F9, has arrived, bringing more of a look at Han's return and some of the inevitable, incredible action set-pieces alongside not one but three songs. Considering the franchise's penchant for gleeful excess and building story on top of story and augmentation on top of vehicular augmentation, the multiple song approach makes sense. But what are the songs and what do they say about the movie.
F9's major pre-release conversations were dominated by what appears to be the movie's three major narrative points: the arrival of John Cena's Jakob Toretto (Dom's long-lost brother), the small matter of a trip to space, and, even more notoriously, the return of Han Lue. From the trailers released so far, it's obvious that the ninth chapter in this particularly beefed-up franchise will deliver on everything fans will already have become well-accustomed to: escalating action, comedy, and family. The fact that this new trailer brings in the much-talked-about space travel is obviously big, but such is the trajectory of the Fast & Furious franchise that it also feels strangely natural. After all, in a world where cars are projectiles, babies are the POV in hand-t0-hand fight sequences, and cars race submarines, a rocket car is an organic progression.
Alongside the exciting story revelations - including new looks at some impressive set-pieces - the trailer also packs in three songs, offering some more narrative hints as well as a reflection of the movie's energy. It begins with "Family" by The Chainsmokers and Kygo, then segues into Migos' "Is You Ready", and finally mixes in Kanye West's almost choral, somewhat controversial "Selah" from Jesus Is King. All of them tie in the energy of the sequel in different ways.
The first song almost picks itself given Dom Toretto's now oft-parodied fixation on the notion of family, but F9 will explore the idea in a new way with the introduction of Jakob and the bad blood between the Toretto brothers. For someone whose systems of morality and loyalty are built on the notion of a close-knit family-like community, the revelation that he turned his back on Jakob is a big challenge to Dom's mythos. Looking at the song's lyrics, it almost could have been written for F9, with the words focusing on the strength and support of a friend group. Meanwhile, the Migos track should be familiar to MCU fans as it was used recently in the trailer for Disney+'s The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, as well as for Mile 22, for which it was recorded originally. It's your fairly typical tub-thumping accompaniment to action sequences.
The final song is also an interesting one, because of its narrative implications. It features a version of the Sunday Service Choir's rendition of "Revelations 19:1" (so strictly speaking there are four songs in the trailer), a biblical verse traditionally associated with the wrath and power of God and, crucially, the cleansing of sins. Accompanied by military drums, which West employed to convey attitude, it's almost like a chant of power, and coupled with F9's revelations about Dom's past and his family, it's a particularly fitting choice.
