Delayed more than a year due to the pandemic, the latest Fast and the Furious adventure is finally ready to hit the gas.
F9 features the return of director Justin Lin, who helmed four consecutive installments from 2006's Tokyo Drift to 2013's Fast & Furious 6. That was also the last appearance of Han (Sung Kang), who was presumed dead after a car crash caused by Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). But now the family is back together for another absurd mission. Based on the teaser at the end, the crew may not quite make it to outer space, but will at least push the limits of the atmosphere.
John Cena plays this outing's big bad. The former wrestler plays Jakob, Dom's heretofore unseen brother. He's a thief, assassin and racecar driver (sure) who's ready to thwart Dom's attempts to stop him from executing the nefarious plans of Cipher. She's played by Charlize Theron, reprising her role from The Fate of the Furious (2017). Also joining the cast are Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), and rapper Cardi B. Making return appearances are Helen Mirren (The Fate of the Furious) and Shane Black (Tokyo Drift).
F9 opens in theaters on June 25.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
