Fast & Furious: First F9 Reviews Released

The ninth installment in the beloved Fast and Furious series may still be a month away from its theatrical debut, but the film was screened for some critics this week and the first reactions and reviews are starting to find their way online. Fans looking forward to F9 have been hoping to see a big, loud, bombastic movie filled with stunts and conversations about family. Regardless of how the individual critics feel about the quality of the film as a whole, they all agree that this is actually what you’re going to get when you sit down in the theater next month.

The reviews are fairly mixed so far, but there have only been a handful to count. And there have been more positive reviews than negative ones, which is always promising for fans to see.

Critics who find themselves on the positive side of things say that F9 combines all of the elements that make the latter F&F movies great, while director Justin Lin helps the series drift back in the right direction. Those on the negative side argue that the new movie is more ridiculous and nonsensical than its predecessors, and maybe all logic has truly left the franchise.

You can take a look at the early reactions and reviews below!

IndieWire – David Ehrlich

“No, what matters is that F9 continues to make the saga feel bigger while bringing it home. The world of F&F has never felt more outta control than it does here, but for the first time in a long time it feels like it’s drifting in the right direction.”

You can read IndieWire‘s full review here.

The Hollywood Reporter – John DeFore

“At their best, these later, save-the-world Fast flicks allowed viewers to thrill to stunts even as they guffawed at their absurdity. But in F9’s would-be showstoppers, the thrills are mostly AWOL or the feats are simply too idiotic to embrace, even guiltily.”

You can read The Hollywood Reporter‘s full review here.

Screen Daily – Tim Grierson

“Gloriously ludicrous and stridently melodramatic, F9 is fuelled by its own goofy energy, delivering comically grandiose chase sequences and shameless fan service all in the name of giving audiences an uncomplicated good time.”

You can read Screen Daily‘s full review here.

Variety – Owen Gleiberman

“Sometimes, when you least expect it, a successful franchise will essentially morph into a different series. Over time, the Mission: Impossible films became Bond films. The Fast and Furious films have become Mission: Impossible films. But F9 isn’t constructed around an exciting mission. It’s built around Vin Diesel and John Cena playing out the angst from the Toretto brothers’ past. The family plot ‘works’ (even as you’re aware of how thinly written Cena’s character is), but it’s not enough of an anchor; it’s more like an excuse.”

You can read Variety‘s full review here.

The Wrap – Alonso Duralde

“These films demand that you just roll with the cockamamie plots, and in return, Justin Lin (the best of the F&F directors, back at the helm for the first time since #6) will craft a breathtaking melee of automotive destruction that plays like Wile E. Coyote and M.C. Escher competing in the Cannonball Run. (Lin and Daniel Casey share screenwriting credit.)”

You can read The Wrap‘s full review here.

Joel Meares

Courtney Howard