Fast X Review: Jason Momoa's Dante Steals the Show

Fast X Review: The Franchise's Extravagant Tenth Ride

Fast X marks the tenth mainline installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, a series that first roared onto screens in 2001. And if this Fast X review tells you anything upfront, it's this: the film is a gloriously over-the-top spectacle designed to dazzle anyone who buys a ticket. This is Hollywood at its most lavish, most unapologetic, and most expensive.

Let's talk about that extravagance, because it's the whole point. The production is so flush with cash that they cast three Academy Award-winning actresses, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, and Helen Mirren, in roles that could have easily been filled by relative unknowns. All three women have taken home the Best Actress Oscar, and here they are playing parts that any competent supporting actress could handle. That's the flex. The film is shouting, in its own language, that it's a massive project and they spared no expense. They want you to recognize every face on that poster.

This wastefulness makes sense when you consider the franchise's track record. Critics have pummeled many of these films, yet they never lose their box office dominance, generating enormous revenue every single time. The series has already amassed billions of dollars in value, cementing its place in Hollywood history. So this extravagance isn't just showing off; it's a calculated producer's move. You don't hold back on the goose when it's laying golden eggs. That's why every face on that poster is a familiar one, and why the spectacle keeps pulling audiences back in.

Three Oscar Winners in Throwaway Roles: The Ultimate Flex

Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, and Helen Mirren share something beyond their scenes in Fast X: each has taken home the Academy Award for Best Actress. Theron won in 2004 for Monster, Larson in 2016 for Room, and Mirren in 2007 for The Queen. And in this tenth installment of the franchise that started in 2001, all three appear in roles so slight that any no-name actress could have handled them without breaking a sweat.

That is the point, of course. Casting three Oscar-winning actresses for parts that barely require them to show up is a flex. The production is telling you, in its own loud language, that it has so much money it can afford to waste talent. It is the cinematic equivalent of buying a diamond-encrusted lighter when a regular one would do the job just fine.

The move only makes sense when you look at the numbers behind the madness. The Fast & Furious franchise has pulled in billions of dollars at the box office across its run. Critics have panned many of the entries, yet audiences keep showing up in droves. The franchise is like a goat that shits diamonds. Ugly to look at, impossible to explain, but somehow endlessly profitable.

That financial firepower explains why the poster is always packed with recognizable faces. When you have that kind of cash flowing in, you do not skimp on star power, even for throwaway moments. It is a producer's cleverness dressed up as extravagance. Why save the good stuff for later when you can splash it all over the screen right now?

Fast X vs. F9: Why the Tenth Film Blows Past Its Predecessor

If you left the theater in 2021 feeling a little flat after F9, you are not alone. The ninth installment left many fans wondering if the franchise had finally run out of gas. Fast X, the tenth mainline entry in the series that started back in 2001, answers that question with a definitive no. It is a far superior film, one that grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go until the credits roll.

The runtime is long for an action movie, but here's the strange part: you barely notice. The pacing is so relentless that you find yourself breathless in the best way. The adrenaline stays cranked to maximum, and the film never gives you a moment to check your phone or wonder when the next big set piece will arrive. It simply keeps coming at you, scene after scene, with the kind of energy that makes you remember why you love this ridiculous, glorious franchise in the first place.

The centerpiece, for my money, is the Rome sequence. Watching Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, navigate a parade while a neutron bomb rolls through the streets is the kind of audacious spectacle that leaves your jaw on the floor. It is rare to see a set piece this inventive and this chaotic, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. The film also takes you back to the Rio heist from Fast Five with a flashback that fans will recognize instantly. One note here: Paul Walker's character does not appear in those flashback scenes.

The nostalgia continues with the classic nitro drag race on the Rio beach, a callback that lands perfectly. Then there is the wild chase on a Portuguese highway, which is as frantic and over-the-top as you would expect from this series. And the finale? A dam scene soaked in water and explosions, bringing the film to a thunderous close. It is a lot, but it works, especially when you consider how disappointing F9 felt by comparison. This tenth film does more than just recover; it pushes the series forward with confidence.

Jason Momoa's Dante: The Cherry on Top of a Deliciously Absurd Cake

Jason Momoa steps into the role of Dante Reyes in Fast X, the tenth installment of the franchise that began in 2001, and he has already split the audience right down the middle. Some viewers find his performance tragicomic, cringe, and cartoonish. Others insist it fits the film perfectly. Both sides have a point, but the review makes a compelling case that Momoa is exactly what this movie needed.

The criticism is easy to understand. Momoa plays Dante with a flamboyant, almost theatrical energy that feels out of place in a series known for grunting tough guys and family speeches. He giggles, he prances, he delivers his lines like a man who just discovered he is the star of his own twisted show. For viewers expecting a menacing, stoic villain in the mold of a classic action movie antagonist, this can feel jarring. It is a performance that practically begs you to laugh at it, and not everyone wants to laugh at the bad guy.

But here is the thing. This is the franchise that dropped cars from an airplane with parachutes. That actually happened in Fast & Furious 6. This is a series that long ago stopped pretending to be grounded in any kind of reality. It is a world where physics are suggestions and logic is optional. In that context, a villain who chews the scenery like a man at an all-you-can-eat buffet makes perfect sense. If this were a Mission: Impossible film, a movie that takes itself seriously, Momoa's performance would be a disaster. But Fast X is not that movie. It is a film that can laugh at itself, and Momoa's absurdity fits right in.

Momoa clearly drags the film along and is the cherry on the cake of the tenth installment. That is high praise for a performance that some viewers cannot stand. But it is hard to argue with the energy he brings. Every scene he is in crackles with unpredictability. You never know what he is going to do next, whether he is going to whisper, shout, or break into a little dance. It is a unique villain portrayal that you simply have not seen before, and it is genuinely hilarious in places.

Honestly, the film is worth watching solely for Momoa's performance. That is a bold statement, but it rings true. The movie has its moments, including a Rome scene with a rolling neutron bomb during a parade and a flashback to the Rio heist from Fast Five. But the flashback does not include Paul Walker's character. The real draw, the reason to buy a ticket, is watching Momoa have the time of his life playing a gloriously unhinged madman.

Years from now, when fans look back at this franchise, they will remember Fast X as the one with Jason Momoa. That is the prediction, and it feels right. The other films blur together with their car chases and explosions. But Dante Reyes, with his painted nails and his gleeful chaos, is unforgettable. He is the reason this installment stands apart, the weird, wonderful centerpiece of a movie that knows exactly how ridiculous it is.

A Guilty Pleasure: Why Fast X Is a 'Watch and Forget' Blockbuster

Fast X is a watch-and-forget film, and honestly, that is exactly why it works so well. It will not leave a lasting impact, and its story is nothing brilliant, but it consistently tops box office charts around the world, including in Turkey, outside the US and Canada. The secret is its simple, instinctive, and masculine appeal, which targets a mostly male audience. I personally enjoyed every minute of it, and it fully cured the disappointment I felt after F9.

Think of the franchise like a guilty fast food craving. You know it is not gourmet dining, but when the mood strikes, nothing else will do. Fast X is that double cheeseburger you sneak when nobody is watching. You devour it, you enjoy it, and you move on without a second thought. Nobody walks into this theater expecting cinematic art, and that is precisely the point. The series has made billions of dollars at the box office since it began in 2001, and it keeps printing money no matter what critics say.

The film knows exactly who it is playing for. It is testosterone-fueled, packed with adolescent reactions, and unapologetically aimed at a male crowd that wants to see cars do impossible things. Remember when a previous installment dropped cars out of an airplane with parachutes? That is the energy. Fast X leans into the absurdity with a grin, daring you to say "no way" before the next explosion hits.

For franchise fans, this is a treat. For newcomers, it is probably best to skip it. The reviewer loved it, admitting it met every expectation and washed away the bad taste left by F9. It may not rank among the best three films in the series, but it dazzles on the big screen and delivers exactly what it promises: two hours of loud, shiny, forgettable fun.