'F9' adds John Cena, but 'The Fast Saga' feels like it's just spinning its wheels
CNN
Marking the ninth movie in 20 years, "F9: The Fast Saga" finally speeds into theaters, with its bloated mayhem serving as an invitation to return to -- mindless fun!
The inevitable challenge of these movies involves providing the adrenaline rush that audiences seek, while adding a few new accessories to provide points of differentiation from previous installments. Plus, with two decades of skid marks and explosions in the rear-view mirror, there's plenty of room for callbacks to past adventures, even if that means Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron dropping in just long enough to collect a check. The big wrinkle in "F9" involves exploring the past of Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), revealing an estranged brother, Jakob, who has clearly spent as much time in the weight room. He's played by John Cena, and to say there's a sibling rivalry doesn't come close to covering things, as they pursue a device with world-threatening consequences on parallel tracks.President Joe Biden on Sunday delivers his first commencement address of the 2024 season at Morehouse College, where the president may for the first time in months have to confront the angst that’s been percolating on college campuses nationwide toward his administration’s policies on the Israel-Hamas war.
Arab and Palestinian Americans left a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday night frustrated they did not have a clear understanding of how the Biden administration might act upon their concerns as the Israel-Hamas war devastates the civilian population in Gaza, participants told CNN.