F9: The Fast Saga (PG-13) ★★★

F9, the Fast and Furious Saga continues

“F9: The Fast Saga” is the 9th installment of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise—this year celebrating its 20th anniversary. If you’re a fan of the series, you won’t be disappointed, with plenty of action, and the best avenue the writers could take is bringing back a character from the past. Sung Kang, the captivating actor, plays Han, who was presumed dead. His reappearance is like a breath of fresh air, as he’s always been one of my favorites. For location eye-candy, Tokyo, Edinburgh, and London are captured beautifully.

Vin Diesel stars again as Dom Toretto, the leader of a gang of do-gooders that are again out to fight crime on their own terms. Super-charged cars, trucks, tanks, planes, space vehicles, or any new transport the writers dream up are the norm. New to the series is Dom’s rejected brother, Jakob, played by an angry John Cena; we also see flashbacks to Dom and Jakob as teenagers.

Beginning in a secluded location, Dom is living a quiet life with Letty, and his young son, Brian.
The cast includes Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson and Nathalie Emmanuel. The director is Justin Lin.

Stars of the past series, celebrates 20 years.

In an attempt to please fans, Han, played by the charismatic Sung Kang, who is presumed dead in the past series, makes a welcome reappearance. He indeed raises the bar in the intrigue department adding mystery as well.

The Bottom Line, I’m in three stars out of four; I’ve seen all of the ‘Fast and Furious’ films and truly enjoy them for their over-the-top stunts, family themes, outrageous storylines, jaw-dropping action sequences, and humor. Be sure to watch “F9” in the theater or IMAX as it genuinely is a popcorn-munching, nonstop action-packed great time. The outer space scenes are hilarious!

The Hollywood 360 Podcast will post after the show has aired this Saturday evening.

Sarah Knight Adamson June 25, 2021