Fast and Furious is the rare franchise that started with crummy reviews then got better and better notices from critics over time. The original The Fast and the Furious from 2001 has a 53 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and most of the early sequels garnered similar scores. Then Fast Five came along. Suddenly, Fast and Furious was a critical favorite. Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7 got mostly positive reviews as well.

That streak came to an end with The Fate of the Furious, which got the weakest reviews of any film in the franchise since Fast & Furious. (That’s the fourth movie if you have trouble keeping track — which is totally understandable because even though there are now nine of these movies, they’ve only had like three different titles between them.) So how will F9: The Fast Saga continue that trend or restore to its mid-saga critical heights?

We won’t know for sure for about a month or so when the full F9 reviews go up online. After the first critics screenings, though, we do know this: It is definitely a Fast & Furious movie. There were a few negative reviews in the bunch, but the overall consensus is: It’s big, it’s loud, it’s fun. Here’s a sample of the early reviews of F9: The Fast Saga.

There were also several full reviews published including...

Owen Gleiberman, Variety:

 The family plot “works” (even as you’re aware of how thinly written Cena’s character is), but it’s not enough of an anchor; it’s more like an excuse.

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap:

For audiences who want their 2021 return to the multiplex to deliver big, loud, exciting action, “F9” makes the cars go fast, jump high, and generally do the impossible.

Tim Grierson, Screen International:

Gloriously ludicrous and stridently melodramatic, F9 is fuelled by its own goofy energy, delivering comically grandiose chase sequences and shameless fan service all in the name of giving audiences an uncomplicated good time.

John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter:

Takes a quantity-over-quality approach, throwing more action, subplots and characters into the mix than any movie needs while still leaving one with the sense that something’s missing.

F9: The Fast Saga premieres in theaters on June 25.

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