In February 2019, the London film crew began filming a new "Fast and Furious" film series, and then in November of the same year, the project was announced to be completed and entered the post-production stage. The film originally scheduled to be released in North America on May 22, 2020 had to undergo three revisions and postponements due to the global pandemic, and finally postponed the release date by a full year, falling on June 25, 2021. On April 15, 2021, for the audience of Chinese mainland, there was finally good news that the film will be released in Chinese mainland, and the release date is earlier than that of North America, set for May 21. But surprisingly, just days before the film's release, Universal Pictures announced that it had canceled the film's China launch event, due to threats to the film, which sparked a series of controversies and speculations.
When it comes to the "Fast and Furious" series of movies, many Chinese audiences can talk about it. Since the first film came out in 2001, this racing series produced by Universal Pictures has gone through a full 20-year journey, and the latest sequel has been filmed for the ninth part. It is worth mentioning that according to relevant news, the "Fast and Furious" series is still in full swing to prepare for the 10th and 11th parts, showing that this series has no intention of ending.
As a veteran "Fast Fan", I deeply love the "Fast and Furious" series of movies. Among them, the four original protagonists of "Donald" Vin Diesel, "O'Connor" Paul Walker, "Letty" Michelle Rodriguez and "Mia" Jordana Brewster are like friends to me. Every time a new work is released, I can't wait to go to the cinema to see it, and every year I will revisit this series of classics, starting from the first one. Although "Fast and Furious 3" is a bit special and belongs to the gaiden, the Tokyo Drift story line in it also adds a lot to the entire series. However, as sequels continued to be introduced, especially to Fast and Furious 7, the series gradually lost some of its original charm.
"Fast and Furious 9" has gone through countless twists and turns and is finally going to meet the audience. This is undoubtedly a great news for fans around the world. Chinese mainland fans are even luckier, because this time Universal Pictures decided to release the film first in China, setting the date earlier than North America, falling on May 21, and North America on June 25. This arrangement is the first in the series.
The promotional slogan of the new work, "The Smoke Rises Again, The Return of the Strong" clarifies the theme of the film: extreme racing, thrilling fights, fierce gunfights, and so on. The official Chinese version of the ultimate poster vividly expresses this theme, and the colorful wolf smoke and various sports cars constitute a visual feast. In this series, "car" has always played a pivotal role, not only as a means of transportation, but also as one of the core elements of the story.
Universal Pictures plans to hold a large number of movie promotion events in China, which is expected to attract a large audience. However, there has been unexpected news recently, and the official statement said that the "Fast and Furious 9" China conference scheduled for the 18th was canceled due to threats. This sudden change made many fans regret.
Judging from the performance that the pre-sale box office has exceeded 50 million, the prospects of "Fast and Furious 9" in the Chinese film market are very optimistic. This series of films has always been loved by Chinese audiences, and it can be said that choosing the premiere location of the film in China is a smart move by Universal Pictures, and it also reflects the importance they attach to the Chinese market.
In addition to featuring thrilling drag racing scenes and action scenes, the series emphasizes the importance of family and team. Behind these super racers is a group of family and love stories. However, in the continuous sequels, this feature gradually faded and was replaced by more stunts and explosion scenes. But in Fast and Furious 9, the director seems to intentionally return to the original theme of the series, exploring family emotions and recalling the original characters en masse, giving the audience a chance to experience it again
This deep emotional bond. In particular, the return of Brother Han and the powerful villain played by John Cena have become the two major highlights of "Fast and Furious 9". At the same time, the various thrilling scenes in the film cannot be ignored, from cliff speeding to magnet suction cars, to rocket cars ignition and takeoff, every scene is full of visual impact and stimulation.
However, as the gangsters of the group demonstrate, the series already faces some challenges. The decision to quit by Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham has made the film lose some of its former excitement and weakened the audience's expectations for a sequel. At the same time, the leading actors also got into some trouble in the movie. Tyrese Gibson's comedy role gradually became blunt and far-fetched, and the absence of Paul Walker also cost the entire series an important role.
In pursuit of realism, 200 cars of all kinds are crashed in the movie, and the investment and detail of this action scene is amazing. However, whether the film can continue to pursue high-intensity action while maintaining the coherence of the plot and the depth of emotions is still a question to be solved. Vin Diesel tries to attract the audience by returning to family feelings, but in an action movie, how to balance emotion and stimulation still requires the ingenious arrangement of directors and screenwriters.
The success of the film will largely influence Vin Diesel's place in the series. Although he has always been the soul of the series, the aesthetic trends of the audience have changed over time. Especially in the huge market of China, the demand for movies is also constantly evolving. Whether Vin Diesel will be able to adapt to this change and continue to maintain his golden signature is still unknown.
Overall, although "Fast and Furious 9" has experienced many twists and turns, it still stimulates the curiosity and expectation of the audience. Whether it is the return of those classic characters, or the presentation of new exciting scenes, it provides audiences with an exciting cinematic experience. However, the series also faces some challenges, such as how to maintain excitement while focusing on emotions, how to attract a new generation of audiences, which need to be carefully planned and managed by filmmakers.
As a die-hard fan of the "Fast Furious" series, I hope that this film can maintain excitement while not forgetting its original intention and focusing on the presentation of emotions. I believe that no matter what the future holds for the film, it will leave a deep imprint on the hearts of the audience and become a unique classic series.