I recently watched these two movies in the last month (The Killing Fields was actually a re-watch for the third time; it goes without saying that it's a great classic film that I highly recommend!).
These two movies have almost nothing in common except for one scene where the main characters find themselves needing to create a passport in a desperate situation.
If you've seen The Killing Fields, based on a true story, then you may remember the heartbreaking scene where the American journalists (including Sam Waterson and John Malkovich) rush to create a passport for their endangered Cambodian colleague Dith Prahn (Haing S. Ngnor) so he can escape imprisonment by the rebelling militia. Sadly, the journalists can't develop a decent photograph / passport fast enough and can't help him escape, leading to Prahn's four years of enslavement in the death camps of Cambodia.
In Fast X, the young son of Dom and his uncle (John Cena) escape the bad guys by creating a passport using digital photos and a printer in a matter of seconds in the trunk of their car. I couldn't help but think of how people 50 years ago would or could use the technology we have today.
Fast X is what I'd call a "dumb fun" / guilty pleasure movie. Almost every situation is pretty ridiculous, especially the ending (spoiler alert). The writers have a challenge to explain how Giselle (Gal Gadot) is back; was she hiding all these years by Mr. Nobody? Did she not die at the end of Fast 6, falling out of that plane? If she survived with bone fractures, paralysis, or loss of limbs, it would make a little more sense, and an action hero with a disability is something we haven't seen in this series yet. Or is she Giselle's long lost twin sister? Two years is a long time to wait for the answer! But they have me hooked!
I liked Rita Moreno's cameo in the beginning, but why was she all by herself visiting? When an abuela (grandma) comes to visit doesn't she normally come with at least a caregiver / sister / aunt / cousin or two? How about bringing in some additional characters/cameos? Gina Rodriguez could play cousin Myra. Or Bad Bunny could play Cousin Jaime.
By the way, when the bad guys come breaking down the walls and doors of the house to attack Dom's family, I was hoping Rita Moreno wasn't still in the house. I must have missed the scene where she left because I thought she was still in there. Bad / choppy editing in my opinion.
I liked that Dom's young son has a bigger part now that's a little older, and is able to take part in the action some more himself. I think this series is going in the right direction by setting up the next generation of heroes!
Also, Laura from Laura's Misc Musing also enjoyed this movie, too! Read her review at her blog here.
