Review of F9 (2021) by Compi24 — 05 Jul 2021

In a franchise first, I'm finally starting to see what other, higher-minded critics have been seeing in this franchise for the past movie or so. For me, though, it really all comes down to the screenplay.

With this being the Chris Morgan's (the franchise's reigning screenwriter) first absence of any kind since the first two films, oddly enough, you really can feel it. The job done by Daniel Casey and director Justin Lin this time around is serviceable, but ultimately feels too much like a pastiche version of what Morgan would have come up with.

There's only semi-solid performance work, what with the cast conjuring up more "going through the motions" vibes than I would have liked. Still, the set-piece design gets the job done, with John Cena's addition mostly adding something new here and there.

Here's hoping this lesser entry amounts to nothing more than a blip in the franchise's recent hot streak.