This post contains spoilers for “Fast X.”
When Alan Ritchson was first announced to be starring in the new “Fast and Furious” movie, it wasn’t a huge surprise. The guy’s now famous for playing Jack Reacher, a former military police officer who goes around kicking ass and taking names.
Much like “Fast” franchise protagonist Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Jack Reacher might seem cold and scary at times, but he’s got a soft side that makes viewers root for him. By all accounts, Ritchson should feel right at home in this franchise.
Ritchson’s inclusion makes even more sense once his “Fast X” character — Aimes, the new head of The Agency — starts interacting with Dom in person. It’s clear that Aimes isn’t going after Dom because he’s evil, but because he has a different moral code and he sees Dom’s methods as outdated. Aimes captures Dom, and soon after they’re both attacked by Dante (Jason Momoa) forcing them to unite against their common enemy.
If that sounds familiar, that’s because it’s basically the sped-up version of the same arc that happened with Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Dom in the fifth and sixth movies, in which the lawman reluctantly teams up with the criminal with the heart of gold, and they slowly develop an understanding.
Throughout the first two-thirds of “Fast X,” the role of Aimes clearly seems to be as Hobbs’ replacement, which is what makes Aimes’ big reveal (that he’s been on Dante’s side this whole time) actually sort of surprising.
It’s silly, sure, but the film’s positioning of Aimes as Hobbs 2.0 serves as a decent misdirection. This movie isn’t just aware of what audiences have come to expect from this series; it plays around with those expectations too.
The meta commentary
Universal Pictures
It’s fitting that so much of Aimes’ character arc takes advantage of the audiences’ knowledge of the real-life falling out between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, which is what seemingly would’ve led to the franchise creating a replacement for Hobbs.
After all, Aimes is a uniquely meta character from the moment he’s introduced. His first scene lets him give a bewildered, self-aware monologue about how improbable the adventures of Dom’s crew have been up until this point.
It’s fun, but it raises the question: is getting more explicitly meta the right choice for this franchise? These movies have always been fairly self-aware of how silly their storylines and action scenes are, but it’s only in these past two movies that the characters themselves have started directly talking about it.
It’s easy to see how the writers would want to make it clear they’re in on the joke, but it’s harder to feel invested in the story when characters like Aimes and Roman are constantly on the verge of realizing they’re in an action franchise.
“Fast X” sets up what should be a tense, climactic eleventh film, one that’ll presumably want its audience to genuinely worry again about the main characters’ safety. So, as fun as Aimes’ meta-commentary was in “Fast X,” let’s hope it doesn’t escalate too much further from here.
News
Reacher Season 3 Gives Us First Look At The Dutch Giant, Olivier Richters, On Set And He’s Already Messing With Alan Ritchson
Clash of the (literal) titans! (Image credit: Marvel Studios) Paulie is a character that Reacher fans have been curious about ever since it was confirmed that Reacher Season 3 – the hit show available with an Amazon Prime Video subscription – would be adapting the…
Gerard Butler’s Den of Thieves Sequel Finally Sets Theatrical Release Date
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has finally gotten its theatrical release date. A date has finally been put on the board for Gerard Butler’s upcoming action sequel Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. A sequel to 2018’s Den of Thieves, the new film has been…
Gerard Butler is in Talks To Star in The Action-Thriller Comedy EMPIRE STATE
Gerard Butler is in talks to star in an upcoming comedic action-thriller titled Empire State, which is about the Empire State Building being attacked. Butler will re-team with Den Of Thieves director Christian Gudegast on the project, which will involve two first responders who don’t…
Gerard Butler’s ‘Den of Thieves 2’ Finally Sets a Release Date After 6 Years
Butler will star opposite O’Shea Jackson Jr. for the sequel to the hit heist film. Image via STXfilms THE BIG PICTURE Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is set to release on January 10, 2025 with the original cast returning for another heist…
Kriti Sanon Reveals Her Fangirl Moment With Gerard Butler, Calls Him Humble: ‘I Was Like Oh My God’
The Crew actress mentioned that the incident took place when she was shooting for her Telugu film with Mahesh Babu in London. Kriti Sanon is gearing up for her next release Do Patti with Kajol. Well, recently the teaser was…
The Top 10 Films Featuring Gerard Butler, According to Critical Acclaim
Known for his commanding screen presence, Gerard Butler has secured his place among the luminaries of the film industry. From his early beginnings with a background in law to becoming a standout performer in film and television, the 54-year-old Scottish veteran has…
End of content
No more pages to load