It has been one wild ride for the Fast and Furious franchise. What started as a simple film about street racing and heists has become an action-packed saga full of excitement and absurdity. Yet one must wonder where does road end for the series? Time and again the series has had moments where it could ride off and it would have made sense, but the franchise proved that it still had some more gas in the tank. However, it appears that the end has come and the series has one more road to travel, and it starts with the new summer blockbuster Fast X.

Fast X sees Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and the crew on another global adventure, but the stakes are at their highest as the mysterious and eccentric Dante Reyes (Jason Mamoa) has vowed revenge on Dom and his entire family for killing his father ten years ago. The tenth installment has been confirmed as early as 2014, but later it was confirmed that the movie (and the 11th installment) would serve as two-part finale for the series and would be released back-to-back. However due to some setbacks, plans changed and production on Fast X was altered. The movie saw its biggest change when director Justin Lin left the project, but fortunately the film was able to move forward with Louise Leterrier in the director’s chair. Between its star-studded cast and massive action sequences, Fast X looked like another exciting installment in the series. Yet for me the question going into this one was would this film be a good start for the series’ end? While the movie had its bumps, I think Fast X managed to be a stellar, and somewhat surprising, entry in the Fast Saga.

The Fast Saga has done just about everything. The movies have seen Dom and the gang go across the globe and pull off one crazy stunts after another. So, with that in mind, it was not going to be easy for Fast X to bring to something new to the table, but the movie certainly tried While it kept true to the series’ formula, the plot tries something a little different by splitting up the crew into various subplots. This direction was appreciated and I particularly liked the story between Jakob Toretto (John Cena) and Dom’s son Brian (Leo Abelo Perry); however, this move was also a detriment for the film. Having the plot cover so many points stretched it too thinly, and the story’s fast-moving structure made parts feel spotty. Yet despite this the story still featured that sense of entertainment the series has been known for, and the conclusion of this tale made all the difference as it was both surprising and refreshing.

The cast of Fast and the Furious have proven to be an impressive ensemble that have gotten more enjoyable over time, and it was no different for Fast X. While Dom and the rest of the family did not have major development in this film, the crew were still effective and showed that they can still work when they are split from each other. Along with the crew the cast also featured additions both old and new, and each character brought something to the table; from Jason Statham returning as Deckard Shaw to even Brie Larson as newcomer Tess. However, if there was one standout in this cast it was none other than Jason Mamoa as Dante. While Dante’s eccentric nature could be overbearing in places, it was even out by his sinister intentions; and thanks to Mamoa’s charismatic performance the Fast and Furious has perhaps found its most impressive villain to date.

If there one thing this series strives towards, it is being an action-packed experience; and despite getting ridiculous at times, the franchise usually hits the mark in this area. In the case of Fast X, the action played out expectedly. The movie featured an array of car chases and fight scenes, and both lived up to the series’ standards. Granted, in comparison, the car chases were not the most extravagant seen in the series’ tenure; although the final sequence was without a doubt the film’s best. The fight scenes were certainly impressive with the stellar choreography creating great highlights such as Letty(Michelle Rodriguez) versus Cipher (Charlize Theron). Rounding things out for the film were technical elements like the visuals and the music. While both elements were nothing groundbreaking, they were still effective in creating the extravagant atmosphere that the Fast Saga is known for.

Fast X is a steady start to the finish line. While the latest installment had some issues in its execution, particularly in its storytelling, the movie managed to live up to its series’ name with to enjoyable cast and stellar action. Fast X had an important task in setting up the series’ last race, and I think it accomplished this goal as I am eager to see what happens next in the long running franchise. If nothing else Fast X fits right in with its predecessors by being an enjoyable blockbuster for the summer season.