I’m not a fan of the latest three Fast & Furious movies but I am a little excited for Fast & Furious 9. A lot of it has to do with Justin Lin, who’s back at the helm. Justin Lin who directed Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious 4, Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6, is the man who created the sense of shared universe worldbuilding in the Fast Saga. He’s also a helmer who directs the melodrama in the movies with a sense of earnestness. Even something as schlocky and nonsensical as Tokyo Drift doesn’t not feel earnest even for one second. And I’m confident that amidst the flying cars and crazy action blocks in Fast & Furious 9, there’s also going to be proper character melodrama and I’m all down for it.
Another thing I’m curious about is the return of Han, who died at the end of Tokyo Drift after Deckard Shaw sets off a bomb on him. What is the purpose of bringing him back? In an interview with MTV International, Justin Lin talked about how Han is a special character to him.
You’ll find out, but Han is a very special character for me. He’s been kind of a special character throughout, and when I left in [Fast & Furious 6], we kind of left together. One of the reasons for me to come back was to bring him back.
I was at a Q&A for a film and someone in the audience said they were confused about what happened. It really kind of got in my head and inspired me that if we’re gonna continue, we should have justice for Han, for sure.
But why something happens and how something happens are two completely different things. After all, Han supposedly blew up to pieces. So, how on earth did he come back to life? While Lin gave a vague response to not spoil anything, he did give us a little tease:
It’s all connected, let’s just put it that way. Everything happens for a reason in the Fast Universe.
Fast & Furious 9 hits cinema 21 May 2020.
