In F9, Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) and the gang must stop his estranged brother Jakob (John Cena) from gaining a technology that can bring the world to its knees.
The F&F movies since the third one have done a surprisingly good job of remaining consistently fun over the years. However, Fate of the Furious finally felt like the franchise had hit a plateau and was starting to run out of steam. However, I'm glad to say that this installment brings the magic back. (It probably doesn't hurt that Justin Lin, who helmed movies three through six is back.) The movie just defines popcorn action flicks, having a fun, over-the-top sense of action, including some new car-related gimmicks the series hasn't done before.
I think the trio of Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) really shine in this one. Though I haven't been the biggest fan of Roman in each movie (especially not a fan of him in 2 Fast 2 Furious), he's great here as the comic relief. The movie pokes fun at how unrealistic everything is getting by having Roman start questioning the crazy outlandish situations the cast manages to survive through. He and Tej have wonderful back forth between each other, and Ramsey does a good job as the straight man (also I liked her new look in this.)
It does feel too late in the game to give Dom a brother, not to mention that the long-lost sibling trope is so worn out. Still, the backstory between Dom and Jakob is really engrossing. Jakob makes for a fine antagonist and Diesel really captures the raw emotion Dom has to portray when dealing with his brother and the past. The movie also manages to satisfyingly explain the brothers' backstory while working with the tidbits of Dom's past that were mentioned all the way back in the first movie. (I got to give it to this franchise, it does a surprisingly good job with continuity and and callbacks to past characters; F9 is no different.)
The movie's secondary villain Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen), Jakob's partner-in-crime, is something the F&F series hasn't been done before, he's humorous. Otto's a spoiled rich kid who's kind of honest about what he is, and he's pretty fun. Cypher (Charlize Theron), the main villain from the last film returns. I find her dialogue, outfit and haircut were a step up this time. (The original style appearance didn't match the personality in my opinion.) However, she feels like a poor man's master criminal. The producers are trying to push her as the series' big bad, but she's missing a little something.
Recommended. If you liked most of the films in this franchise, you'll probably like this one.
