Honestly, nobody goes to see a Fast and Furious movie for a lesson in Newtonian physics anymore. We stopped doing that somewhere around the time a safe was being dragged through the streets of Rio. But when F9 The Fast Saga finally hit theaters in 2021 after a massive COVID-19 delay, it pushed the "suspension of disbelief" button so hard it basically broke.
It was wild.
Dom Toretto has a brother? Since when? Jakob Toretto, played by John Cena, just appears out of thin air as this master assassin and high-performance driver. It’s the kind of retcon that usually kills a franchise, yet somehow, the 20-year-old series leaned into the absurdity. If you're looking for a grounded crime thriller, you’re in the wrong place. F9 The Fast Saga is essentially a superhero movie where the capes are made of carbon fiber and the superpowers are shifted into sixth gear.
The Brother Nobody Mentioned for Eight Movies
The biggest hurdle for the audience wasn't the car magnets; it was the family tree. Justin Lin, returning to the director's chair, had to explain why Dom—a man who literally won't stop talking about "family"—never mentioned he had a younger brother.
The movie uses flashbacks to 1989 to solve this. We see a young Dom (played by Vinnie Bennett) and Jakob (Finn Cole) working the pits at a racetrack where their father, Jack Toretto, dies in a fiery crash. It’s a heavy scene. It attempts to ground the cartoonish action in some actual emotional stakes. Dom thinks Jakob killed their dad. Jakob knows the truth was more complicated.
It’s a classic soap opera trope.
But here’s the thing: John Cena actually sells it. He doesn't try to mimic Vin Diesel’s gravelly mumble. Instead, he plays Jakob with a chip on his shoulder the size of a Dodge Charger. He’s the anti-Dom. While Dom is all about the cookouts and the Corona, Jakob is isolated, working for a spoiled billionaire's son named Otto. The sibling rivalry drives the whole plot, from London to Edinburgh to Tbilisi.
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Let's Talk About the Space Car
We have to talk about it. You can't mention F9 The Fast Saga without talking about Tej and Roman in a rocket-strapped Pontiac Fiero.
Fans joked about the series going to space for years. It was a meme. Then, the writers actually did it. To stop a satellite-based weapon called Project Aries, the crew decides the best course of action is to send two guys into low Earth orbit in a car wrapped in duct tape.
It’s ridiculous. It’s also kinda brilliant in its audacity.
Director Justin Lin actually consulted with NASA scientists to see how much fuel it would take to get a car into orbit and how it might behave. He wanted the physics to be "grounded" in some reality, even if the concept was total lunacy. Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson provide the meta-commentary for the audience. Roman spends half the movie questioning how they are still alive after ten years of madness. He’s basically us. He’s the audience surrogate realizing that they have become invincible.
The Resurrection of Han Lue
Another huge pillar of this movie is "Justice for Han." After the internet campaigned for years to bring back Sung Kang’s character—who was supposedly killed by Deckard Shaw—the franchise listened.
Han is back.
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He didn't die in Tokyo. Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) helped him fake his death so he could protect a girl named Elle, who holds the key to Project Aries. The explanation is a bit hand-wavy, involving holograms and some clever editing of the Tokyo Drift footage.
Seeing Han back behind the wheel of an orange-and-black Toyota Supra felt right. He brings a coolness that the movie desperately needs among all the shouting and explosions. However, his return also highlights the weird moral vacuum of these movies. If Han is alive, does that mean we forgive Shaw? The movie doesn't really answer that yet, but it sets the stage for the massive ensemble we see in the later installments.
The Tech and the Magnets
Action-wise, the standout feature of F9 The Fast Saga isn't just the speed; it's the magnets. Jakob's crew uses high-powered electromagnets to flip cars and pull them through buildings.
One of the best sequences happens in Edinburgh. Cars are being yanked through storefronts like they're made of paperclips. It’s a creative way to change up the standard car chase. Instead of just driving fast, they’re using physics as a weapon. The final chase in Tbilisi involves a massive "Armadillo" truck that is three stories tall. It’s pure spectacle.
But sometimes the CGI gets a bit blurry. There’s a scene where Dom uses a cable to swing his car across a chasm—literally "car-swinging"—and it looks like a video game. For some, that’s where the movie loses its grip. For others, it’s exactly why they bought the popcorn.
Why F9 Still Matters in the Franchise Timeline
This movie served as a bridge. It moved the series away from the street-racing-adjacent heist films and fully into the realm of global espionage.
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- It expanded the lore of the Toretto family.
- It brought back the Tokyo Drift crew (Sean, Twinkie, and Earl).
- It introduced the idea that the "Family" is more of a private intelligence agency than a group of outlaws.
Charlize Theron’s Cipher remains the overarching villain, lurking in the shadows and trapped in a glass box like Hannibal Lecter. She doesn't do much in this specific entry, but she’s clearly the endgame.
Critics were mixed on this one. It holds a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is lower than the peak of Fast Five or Furious 7. People were starting to feel the "Furious Fatigue." Yet, it still cleared over $726 million at the global box office. It proved that despite the logic gaps, people still want to see Dom Toretto do the impossible.
Actionable Takeaways for a Fast Saga Rewatch
If you’re planning on catching up with the series, don't just jump into the middle. The continuity is actually surprisingly tight for a series about car crashes.
- Watch the Flashbacks Closely: The scenes with young Dom and Jakob provide the context for the ending of the film and Jakob's eventual redemption arc.
- Pay Attention to the Post-Credits: There is a scene involving Han and Deckard Shaw that is crucial for the events of Fast X.
- Look for the Cameos: Cardi B makes a brief appearance as Leysa, a woman from Dom’s past. It’s short, but it hints at Dom's much larger world of connections.
- Check the Physics: If you want a laugh, look up some of the "science of F9" videos on YouTube. Real engineers break down why the magnet scenes are both awesome and utterly impossible.
The movie ends with a classic Toretto barbecue. There’s an empty chair. Just as they are about to pray, a blue Nissan Skyline pulls into the driveway. It’s a tribute to Brian O'Conner (the late Paul Walker), showing that in this universe, he’s still alive and still part of the family.
It’s a sentimental note to end on, reminding us that no matter how many cars go into space, the movies are still trying to hold onto that original heart. Move on to Fast X next if you want to see how Jakob fits into the team when things get even crazier.