Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Fast X.The primary reason to watch the woefully overstuffed experience that is Fast X is one actor: Jason Momoa. Of the four scattered movies that are playing out in this most recent entry in the Fast & Furious franchise, the one with him at the wheel of it is the very best. While Momoa is not the only new presence to enter the fray, as there is also Alan Ritchson of the spectacular series Reacher who emerges as the most entertaining side character, no one can hold a candle to all the silliness that he brings to the table. Forget the car races, of which there are surprisingly few, and the stunts already spoiled from the trailer, it is this performance that presents the most unrestrained spectacle of the whole experience. As the villainous Dante, who is ludicrously introduced as the son of the antagonist from Fast Five that was apparently just hanging around, Momoa is more memorable than any other villain the series has had thus far. While that isn’t a high bar to clear, he does so with an abundance of flair. The biggest miracle is that the whole film didn’t get reduced to dust after he had gotten done chewing through all the scenery. From start to finish, he is just a continual delight in all he goes for.
Most importantly, as odd as it is to say it, Momoa doesn’t overplay his hand and instead starts out in the opening flashback as just another nameless driver who gets absolutely wrecked by the chaos left behind by Dom (Vin Diesel) as he steals a vault. Specifically, he gets launched into the water. When he emerges from it, it is like this was a bonkers baptism that has now created an eccentric villain to end all villains, just looking to have a laugh while also destroying the lives of the notorious Toretto family. Never mind that it has apparently taken a ridiculously long time for him to do this and that his plan makes no sense if you think about it for even more than a second. Momoa as a villain is all about absurd vibes where you never know what he is going to do next. Send a glorified hamster ball bomb pinballing throughout the streets of Rome while conducting it all like it is an orchestra? Sounds great. Chill with the bodies of the men he murdered after he forced them to assist in this operation? Absolutely yes. For the first time in any of these movies, it is at its best when focused on its villain who stands head and shoulders above everything else. It is Jason Momoa who carries Fast X on his back.
Jason Momoa Has Never Been This Downright Goofy
This isn’t to say he isn’t effectively convincing as a sociopath, but it is intermixed with a silliness that works remarkably well. Most refreshingly to it all is that Momoa is playing against the types of roles he has previously played and the more blandly serious ones around him. While he has been great in everything like the underrated series See to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, he brought a more reserved presence to those parts. However, there was always a twinkle in his eye that showed he had more to unleash if given the opportunity to do so. Now we have seen this in all its glory as he embodies the ridiculousness of these films. Where most of the villains of past films were disposable, Momoa is not content to just fade into the background and instead bursts into the spotlight at every chance he gets. The way he carries himself is as if he is just going for a stroll before bursting into flamboyant action. He is a mesmerizing madman that could be flirtatious in one moment and frightful in the next with natural ease. While so much of the film feels forced and like it is running out of ideas, any moment where Momoa comes cruising through washes that all away. It isn’t enough to save the film from itself, but my goodness does he do everything he can to push it in a better direction. Even if it doesn't get there, the attempt is both admirable and entertaining.
Fast & Furious Should Make Jason Momoa the Focus Going Forward
Of course, because this is the Fast & Furious we are talking about, there is always a chance that they find some way to bring this latest villain into the family. They’ve done it now way too many times with each reversal undercutting any weight to what we’re seeing. With Fast X, it does currently seem like there is a greater commitment to letting Jason Momoa continue hamming it up in future entries. Still, the same could have been said of any of the past villains who, while lesser in terms of what they achieved, also were better at being full-fledged antagonists instead of unlikely allies to be. If that were to happen with Momoa, it would represent a missed opportunity. What remains the better choice is to let him loose even further and cut out all the unnecessary fluff that the film tries to wade through before ultimately getting lost in it. It is only when Momoa is on screen that he is able to tear through all the noise and give a genuinely great performance. Every moment he is gone is spent awaiting his return.
That it occurs in the worst film in the series is unfortunate. The only saving grace is that there is potentially more for him to do in the future. Whether it will follow through on this potential remains to be seen as this series has gotten progressively more and more lost the longer it has gone on. This is a shame as Momoa’s performance is the type of one that brings into focus what is possible with these films if they take more chances instead of getting stuck in a cycle of empty fight after fight. One villain like this is worth building an entire film around which is not something that can really be said of any before this one. Whether the road ahead will see this through and do better than this one is an open question. No matter what happens next in this new supposed trilogy, what will always be true is that the madcap stylings of Momoa ensured he emerged as the best part of both his movie and the series writ large.
Fast X is in theaters now.