Vin Diesel is allegedly balming Jason Momoa's overacting on the poor reception for Fast X.
It looks like a new Fast and Furious feud is underway despite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s notable absence from F9. According to Radar Online, Vin Diesel allegedly has a bone to pick with Jason Momoa this time around, and he’s gone so far as to blame Fast X’s critical panning on his portrayal of the film’s villain, Dante. But despite the film’s supposed poor critical reception, many fans of the familial franchise think Jason Momoa was actually the breath of fresh air that Fast and Furious needed.
By now, we all know that the Fast and Furious franchise is Vin Diesel‘s baby, and he’s going to protect its legacy at all costs, even if it means he has to take shots at his co-stars. But despite the bad blood that Diesel seemingly has with Jason Momoa, the film fared quite well at the box office with a $546.1 million gross against a budget of $340 million when this article was written. The reviews aren’t as bad as Diesel is making them out to be, either.
Fast X is currently pulling in a 55 percent critical score and an 85 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which many would consider to be a mark of success. And even if the critic scores are mixed, it’s worth noting that the first three Fast and Furious movies occupy the same territory on the critical front. If you look at the aggregated reviews based on audience scores, you’d be hard pressed to wonder why Vin Diesel is beefing with Jason Momoa because F9, The Fate of the Furious, and Furious 7 all presently have lower audience scores than this most recent effort.
Jason Momoa’s introduction to the Fast and Furious franchise was a long time coming and was originally hinted at the end of Fast Five before he was ever considered to be cast in Fast X. Through some expertly placed retroactive continuity, we learn that Dante’s father was killed during an elaborate and over-the-top bank vault heist, and now he’s out for Dominic Toretto’s blood, and his family. In Fast X, Dante emerges as a worthy adversary to Dom, so it’s only fitting that Vin Diesel is carrying this feud into off-screen territory, considering that many fans feel that Momoa stole the show.
As Dante, it’s hard to tell if Jason Momoa was overacting or simply leaning a little too heavily into the source material that was provided to him. Pitted against Vin Diesel’s Dom, we are greeted with an arch nemesis that is as flamboyant as he is menacing. It’s almost as if Dante is a composite character made up of the Joker and Aquaman when it comes to his delivery, but we’re not saying this like it’s a bad thing.
The Fast and Furious films have always been a bit corny and over-the-top, and we love these films for being self-aware about these things in a way that allows us to suspend disbelief and watch some bald guys blow things up. So we can’t really blame Jason Momoa for giving the audience exactly what they wanted in Fast X (aside from his flowing locks). Considering that this is the eighth Fast and Furious film featuring Vin Diesel, it’s worth noting that launching a Pontiac Fiero into space so it could crash into the International Space Station is hard to top.
Despite Diesel’s distress, it’s safe to say that we’re going to have to get used to Jason Momoa for the next two theatrical installments. Hopefully, the two stars can bury the hatchet and continue to pulverize us with their feud on-screen rather than off-screen.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLXAp6ufqpWWuKq60aiZqKxemLyue8Snq2iumaN6pbXErJylZZGjtLPFjKOYrKeeYrqwuc6aZaGsnaE%3D