Fast X Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

Downs...

5. The Underwhelming Action Sequences

It's fair to say that the Fast franchise peaked between Fast Five and Furious 7 - at least where the ambition and bonkers creativity of its set-pieces are concerned.

F9 at least made imaginative use of magnets during one action sequence, but aside from a rabble-rousing opening set-piece in Rome, there's an oddly pedestrian, been-there-done-that feel to the mayhem this time around.

It all ends up coming off as a bit too familiar - large vehicles flipping over, giant objects rolling around iconic cities, cars driving out of planes and dragging choppers around, and of course, characters defying the laws of physics as they fly through the air while suffering minimal harm.

The blame can't even really be levelled at new director Leterrier, because visually the action looks absolutely fine for the series, but there's a disappointing lack of ingenuity in how the carnage is designed.

Given the relatively forgettable nature of the action throughout Fast X, it's easy to believe that the creatives have simply run out of gas - which, over 20 years into the franchise, isn't remotely surprising.