F9: The Fast Saga 4K Blu-ray
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD
Universal Studios | 2021 | 143 min | Rated PG-13 | Sep 21, 2021
The Fast and the Furious franchise celebrates its 20th anniversary with their ninth installment in the series that, if director Justin Lin has anything to say about it, should see at least one more movie or perhaps even a spin-off franchise. What started off as a fun story about underground street racing mixed with cool muscle cars and hot girls gyrating in parking lots has slowly evolved into this outrageous “save the world” series with supercars most of us would never know exist outside of this movie, along with more gadgets than a James Bond film, an impressive list of guest stars and cameo appearances, and yes, the occasional group of dancing girls.
For this ninth installment it seems the script was written to support the singular idea of somehow adding John Cena to the cast, perhaps in a desperate effort to replace Hobbs’, Dwayne Johnson who can no longer work with Vin Diesel. At least Shaw (Jason Statham) gets a few minutes on screen in a post-credit stinger, so make sure to stick around for that. So now we have Cena who plays Jakob, Dom’s younger brother who has somehow gone unmentioned for eight previous movies; so much for FAMILY. F9 quickly becomes a convoluted mixing pot of new and old characters and crazy plot threads that slowly unravel until there is nothing left but an endless stream of insane action sequences that defy logic, physics, and common sense…and I LOVE IT!
This is a check-your-brain-at-the-door movie, and if you are here for any other reason than to see awesome cars doing impossible things then you are watching the wrong movie. In order to shoehorn Jakob into the story we need to revisit Dom’s past as shown with a sepia-filtered opening stock car race that ends with Dom’s father’s death. This sets up the rift between the brothers that last decades until Dom comes face-to-face with Jakob on a super-secret spy mission to retrieve a device that will end the world. Let the sibling rivalry commence, and it does for more than two hours of car chases and fight scenes, and even a trip into space.
F9 looks amazing in 4K with Dolby Vision that accentuates the color and contrast of every frame in this film. The resolution boost over the 1080p Blu-ray definitely adds greater detail and superior overall image quality to the movie; something I noticed almost immediately when rewatching the film on Blu-ray to listen to the commentary. The Dolby Atmos audio mix is as impressive as it gets; perhaps the best I’ve heard this year, but you kind of expect that with an action movie like this that boasts a fantastic soundtrack with perfectly mixed and balanced dialogue and incredible sound effects for explosions, a crazy magnet gadget, and of course, all the wonderful engine noises spanning sports and muscle cars, trucks, and even a rocket-propelled Fiero.
F9 comes packed with extras; nearly two hours not including rewatching the movie for the commentary. First, you get two versions of the movie, the theatrical release and a Director’s Cut adding seven more minutes to the experience. There is a fantastic Audio Commentary from Producer/Co-Writer/Director Justin Lin on both versions of the film that is loaded with insightful narration on the making of the film. Next up is a Gag Reel with about three minutes of flubs and goofs while making the movie. Other bonus features go into great detail on the stunts in the film, how becoming a parent in real-life influenced Dom’s character in the movie, how an internet campaign brought a beloved character back from the dead, a complete day on the set with Justin Lin, and John Cena getting to look at some of the most exotic supercars in the world.
And then we have F9: All In, a nine-part series of supplements that go into exhaustive detail on every facet of the film and the franchise. This series covers script writing and how the franchise evolved from street racing to saving the world before taking a look into one of the movie’s more demanding chase sequences through a mine field. There is a feature dealing with the female cast and how their characters have developed over the course of the series along with a special feature exploring Vin’s infatuation with Helen Mirren and how she got put in the film. We learn about new characters and how they fit into the franchise before taking a long look into the thrilling chase sequence filmed in Edinburgh, and then we explore the ties of this film with Tokyo Drift before concluding with a feature on how the cast really is just one big family.
Reviewing F9: The Fast Saga is almost pointless because if you have watched any or all of the previous eight movies it is highly likely you are going to watch this regardless of what I say. Thankfully, I get to say that this movie is fantastic, in that dumb-fun kind of way. This is a classic summer popcorn flick designed to make you laugh, gasp, and possibly cringe at some of the more unbelievable elements, and fans of the franchise are sure to come away satisfied. The sheer amount of bonus material along with the commentary and a director’s cut option makes this physical release the preferred way to watch versus streaming, so pick up your 4K copy of F9: The Fast Saga today and buckle up for one wild ride.
