F9 is a time

IF you’re tuning in for the ninth instalment of The Fast Saga, you’re probably a fan.

That blind loyalty will come in handy when your favourite illegal street racers slash heist ensemble slash good guys start swinging cars off cliffs, using giant electromagnets to bust up baddies and (I kid you not) take the plot to space.

Twenty years in, the franchise has probably earned the privilege of being so utterly over the top and an action-filled, landmine-dodging blockbuster directed by Justin Lin may be the escapist film excursion everyone still embroiled in the pandemic needs.

While the plot of ‘Fast & Furious 9’ between the ludicrous (Ludacris in space) and the familiar (advanced tech falls into the hands of a megalomaniac rich guy, threatening life as we know it), the pandemic-era truth is F9 feels like reuniting with old friends.

These friends feel even older when the film flashes back to Dom Toretto at a race track in 1989 and we meet his brother Jakob, who grows up to be played by John Cena.

Diving into a classic brother versus brother storyline made all the more tense by Toretto’s well-documented feelings about family, F9 gives us backstory, some cool cameos, kickass women stars Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Anna Sawai and even some space comedy in its bloated 2 hours and 25 minutes.

A safe and entertaining bet for fans willing to suspend all logic and wink along when Roman (Tyrese Gibson) addresses the crew’s seeming invincibility and Tej (Ludacris) ponders what everyone is thinking, exclaiming “How in the hell are you not dead?”, F9 is worth a watch in cinemas if done safely and with all pandemic protocols observed.

Hang around for the mid-credits scene and buckle up for F10.

Want to win a movie ticket to see ‘Fast & Furious 9’ (2021) or a movie of your choice at Ster-Kinekor? Simply answer the following question: How old is The Fast Saga? Send your full name, cellphone number and your answer to weekender@namibian.com.na. The competition closes this Friday at 10h00.

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