We still have a ways to go before the release of Fast & Furious 9, but critical reactions have already dropped regarding the ninth main installment in the long-running, action-packed franchise — and the tenth movie in the series overall. F9 has already generated plenty of fan-created buzz surrounding the return of one of the franchise's most beloved characters, Han Lue (played by Sung Kang).

The film pits Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto and his Fast family against one of their most personal foes yet: Dom's brother Jakob, played by John Cena, an assassin working with a long-time enemy who has his own bone to pick with his estranged brother. F9 is directed by Justin Lin, who has helmed this and four other Fast and the Furious films to date starting all the way back with 2006's Tokyo Drift, and is also set to direct the next as-of-yet untitled Fast and the Furious installment currently in pre-production. Lin also co-writes the script with Daniel Casey. In addition to Diesel, Cena and Kang, Fast 9 stars Michelle RodriguezTyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Cardi B and Michael Rooker. Additionally, franchise cast members Lucas Black, Bow Wow and Jason Tobin are also reprising their roles.

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Image via Universal Pictures

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Even though we still have nearly a month left to go before the release of Fast & Furious 9, the film is opening in some international territories this week, so it's time to find out what the critics thought. Did F9 floor audience members with its high-octane thrills, or did the tenth Fast movie stall out after all? Check out some of the early critical reactions below — we'll keep updating as more continue to come in:

First, here's what Collider's own Steven Weintraub had to say:

The general consensus is that this installment is sheer fun, with plenty of road still left ahead to maximize the potential of future films: 

This is just the latest Fast film with Lin directing, but it sounds like the franchise is in very good hands: 

Additionally, some reviews are already out, and they are equally positive. Screen Daily wrote:

"Gloriously ludicrous and stridently melodramatic, F9 is fuelled by its own goofy energy, delivering comically grandiose chase sequences and shameless fan service all in the name of giving audiences an uncomplicated good time."

The Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, added:

"The Fast and Furious films have become Mission: Impossible films. But F9 isn't constructed around an exciting mission. It's built around Vin Diesel and John Cena playing out the angst from the Toretto brothers' past."

As for The Wrap, their review writes:

"For audiences who want their 2021 return to the multiplex to deliver big, loud, exciting action, F9 makes the cars go fast, jump high, and generally do the impossible. It's exhilaratingly ridiculous, yes, but it's also ridiculously exhilarating."

KEEP READING: 'The Fast and Furious' Franchise Ending After Two More Films, But Family Is Forever