Let’s be honest, The Fast and The Furious franchise jumped the shark awhile ago. Was it before the nuclear sub? Maybe. But as we close in on the end of the saga (maybe) the series has gone full comic book with Fast X.

If Vin Diesel’s Dom is Batman then Jason Momoa’s character, Dante, is the Joker, and Momoa leans into that description.

Oh and his character also gets inserted into events ten years prior as he is introduced as the son of Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). Thus he has a personal reason for hunting down Dom and his friends, wanting to extract suffering from Dom in return for the death of his father.

The core cast is here, and added to. And I know Paul Walker has passed, but with everything that is going on, even the barbecue at the Toretto homestead, his character Brian would be involved. Heck, Mia (Jordana Brewster) is there. I know they didn’t want to recast the character, but here it does provide some glaring plot threads.

Anyway.

When Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej, (Ludacris), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Han (Sung Kang) take a ‘mission’ in Rome, things go sideways quickly, as it’s all part of Dante’s plan, forcing Dom and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) into the game.

The entire family gets involved including all the supporting characters over the years, and yes as the film races towards a climax, and Dante steals Dom’s son Little B (Leo Abelo Perry) that there may be a personal cost this time around. Maybe.

We’ll see how it plays out in the next (and final?) film.

At this point, I think everyone in the the film is very aware of the fact that they’re moving into superhero movie territory, because this one is beyond ludicrous, it’s simply silly. But it’s still somewhat enjoyable.

And surprise, this one ends in a cliffhanger, setting the stage for what is to come. I’m sure it will be incredibly over-the-top, but it may be some fun.

You can tell that they are prepping for a big finale, and you know there are characters waiting in the wings (or mid-credit scene) to take the stage. Things are being planted, and while things are kind of dire, I’m sure the Toretto family will be fine (mostly).

I will say, Momoa looks like he’s having a wonderful time playing the Joker. I man Dante.

It’s big, loud and silly. It’s a popcorn movie.