Ten Movies — Impressive (or Maybe It’s Enough?) The high-octane "Fast & Furious" series has been around for over two decades now. On one hand, that’s an impressive achievement — the films keep coming out, making money, and delivering something watchable every couple of years. But on the other hand, with each new installment, it’s getting harder to talk about quality in a positive way. I’ve long made up my mind about the movies centered around Dominic Toretto and his “family,” and my conclusion is mostly negative. A new Fast & Furious movie is coming out? Okay. That means setting aside 2–2.5 hours for a so-so story packed with flashy action scenes — including at least one that tries to top anything we’ve seen before — plus a new nearly invincible villain, and, of course, someone who was previously “dead” somehow coming back. Honestly, based on these traits alone, you could guess the franchise in a quiz. Which exact movie? Pick almost any of the recent ones. It’s kind of sad. The tenth film brings back the familiar team of characters, now played by actors who have clearly aged. You can feel the fatigue — doing these over-the-top stunts doesn’t look the same when you’re no longer in your late 30s or early 40s. Tyrese Gibson’s jokes aren’t as funny anymore, Ludacris’s high-tech gadgets aren’t that impressive, and Nathalie Emmanuel’s character (still not “old,” of course) seems to have lost some of the charm she had in earlier films — the same charm that once made the creator of the “God’s Eye” system stand out. Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez still do a decent job, but it’s harder to care about their characters now. Maybe it’s just fatigue. Or maybe it’s the constant repetition and weak writing. Most likely, that’s exactly the issue. "Fast X" simply doesn’t have much new to offer. That’s probably why the film reaches back to Fast Five, which came out over a decade ago. It borrows from that story — more specifically, it brings in a villain connected to those events. Turns out Dom’s crew messed with Jason Momoa’s character back then, and now he’s back for revenge. And yes, his revenge is supposed to be brutal. But Momoa doesn’t quite fit the role of a classic tough villain. He’s dangerous and causes chaos, but the character feels inconsistent and unclear. There are a couple of amusing moments, sure, but not much more. The villain’s “master plan” often feels less like clever writing and more like forced plot convenience. It’s hard to believe — just like it’s hard to fully believe in Momoa’s character. The action scenes are still strong — as expected. But without an engaging and original story, they don’t hit as hard. Then again, that’s become typical for the franchise. You kind of know what you’re getting: a couple of hours of entertainment with cool stunts, dramatic speeches, and lots of intense staring between characters. "Fast & Furious" feels like a dying franchise. It’s unfortunate to admit, but each new film seems to get worse. These movies are just entertainment now — nothing more. They used to stand out with engaging stories and memorable characters. Now, the creators just can’t seem to recapture that. 5 out of 10