ABOUT THE MOVIE

F9 (also known as Fast & Furious 9) is a 2021 American action film directed by Justin lin, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Daniel Casey. It is the sequel to The Fate of the Furious (2017), the ninth main installment, and the tenth full-length film released overall in the Fast & Furious franchise. The first film since Fast & Furious 6 (2013) to be directed by Lin and the first since 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) not to be written by Chris Morgan, F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron.F9 was originally scheduled for worldwide release in April 2019, but was delayed several times, first due to the releases of Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and No Time to Die (2021), and then the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released in Hong Kong and South Korea on May 19, 2021, and is scheduled to be in the United States on June 25. Initial reviews to the film were mixed, with praise to its plot and Lin's direction but criticism for its unrealistic action sequences.

Premise

After the events of The Fate of the Furious, Dominic Toretto and his family must face Dom's younger brother Jakob, a deadly assassin, who is working with their old enemy Cipher, and who holds a personal vendetta against Dominic.

Production

Development

In November 2014, Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley told The Hollywood Reporter that there would be at least three more films in the franchise after Furious 7 (2015). In October 2017, Diesel revealed in a Facebook live video that Justin Lin, who directed from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift through Fast & Furious 6, would be returning for the ninth and tenth films. In May 2018, Daniel Casey was hired to write the screenplay after Morgan left due to his work on the Hobbs and Shaw spin-off film.

Casting

In April 2017, Diesel and Dwayne Johnson confirmed their returns. In October 2017, Jordana Brewster, who portrayed Mia Toretto in five of the franchise's films, would be returning for the ninth and tenth films. On April 4, 2018, Johnson stated that he was unsure if he was returning for the ninth film due to working on the spin-off,and he confirmed in January 2019 that he would not be appearing in the film.

In June 2019, John Cena was officially cast in the film, after an initial announcement from Diesel in April.In July 2019, Finn Cole, Anna Sawai, and Vinnie Bennett joined the cast of the film.That same month, it was announced Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron would reprise their roles,with Michelle Rodriguez was also confirmed to reprise her role.Michael Rooker and MMA Fighter France.were added to the cast in August.In October 2019, Ozuna and Cardi B joined the cast of the film.

Filming

Principal photography began on June 24, 2019, at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, England. Filming took place in Los Angeles, Edinburgh,and London, and also took place in Thailand for the first time, with Krabi, Ko Pha-ngan, and Phuket used as locations.Part of the film was also shot in Tbilisi, Georgia.Filming wrapped on November 11, 2019.

In July 2019, stuntman Joe Watts, who doubled for Diesel, sustained a serious head injury during filming at Leavesden Studios. In September 2020, Michelle Rodriguez confirmed the film would be set in outer space as well, which was teased by Diesel.

Music

F9's official soundtrack will be released concurrently with the film. In the lead up to the soundtrack, a mixtape titled Road to F9 was released on July 31, 2020, and features music inspired by the film. The mixtape was preceded by the lead single "One Shot" by YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Lil Baby.

Release

F9 is scheduled to world premiere in South Korea on May 19, 2021,and is to be released in the United States on June 25, 2021. The film had five previous release dates in the United States between 2019 and 2021; primarily changed due to the releases of Hobbs & Shaw and No Time to Die as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, before moving to its current date.

Reception

Box office

Over its five-day international opening weekend, F9 was projected to gross $160–180 million from eight countries, including China, Russia, and South Korea.it went on to debut to $163 million, the biggest international opening since the pandemic began in March 2020. It also set the pandemic-record for IMAX gross ($14 million), and was the second-biggest May international opening ever, despite playing in 26 fewer countries than the current record holder, Captain America: Civil War. The top markets from the weekend were China ($136 million; the second biggest-ever opening of the franchise in the country), South Korea ($9.9 million), Russia ($8.3 million), Saudi Arabia ($2.67 million), and the UAE ($2.64 million).

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 23 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.50/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "F9 sends the franchise hurtling further over the top than ever, but director Justin Lin's knack for preposterous set pieces keeps the action humming."According to Metacritic, which assigned the film a weighted average of 54 out of 100 based on 11 critics, F9 received "mixed or average reviews".

From TheWrap, Alonso Duralde summarized the film by writing that "Physics, gravity, and logic in general have long since been thrown out the window, but the jolts of pleasure keep coming."Variety's Owen Gleiberman found one of the opening scenes to be "the suspenseful high point of the movie" and wrote, "The scene is so over-the-top ludicrous that it's if the filmmakers were saying, 'Let's put what would have been the grand climax of Fast and Furious 4 in the opening half hour.' Good enough. But what do you do for an encore?"

Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, John DeFore said that the feature "probably sounds like more fun than it is", and concluded his generally negative review by saying that "Furious 7 was a lot more fun. And, not that anyone cares, but it was more believable as well."Meanwhile, IndieWire gave a more positive response with a "C+" rating, and praised Justin Lin's direction, writing that "This is a movie that sling-shots so far past self-parody that it loops all the way back to something real."