F9: The Fast Saga - Turbine Collector Series 3D Blu-ray

“As long as we obey the laws of physics, we’ll be fine.” 

F9: The Fast Saga is the very definition of “turn your brain off” entertainment. As this franchise had long ago Tokyo-drifted into absolute illogical absurdity, F9 is the high-octane payoff 20 years in the making. Now between Mr. Duarte’s 4K UHD review and Mr. Kluger’s Theatrical Review, I find myself caught somewhere in the middle. I genuinely think F9 is a very stupid movie, but it’s also a very entertaining stupid movie. This is a movie that proudly wears its numbing intelligence on its shoulders. And hey, I’ve got to hand it to Justin Lin for just going for broke and blowing up everything in front of him. 

Sure, I could harp on how the “Brother We Never Knew About” plot thread is just a dumb daffy way to introduce a new WWE star (John Cena) since Dwayne Johnson wanted nothing to do with this film. If I wanted to, I could comment on how all of the flashbacks were completely useless and only sluggishly added 30 minutes to the runtime. Of course, I could knock Vin Diesel’s performance as little more than a series of grunts with occasional “family” needle drops. Yeah, I could raise a few questions about the necessity of saddling a stunningly beautiful woman like Charlize Theron with that horrible haircut. And I absolutely could throw a few barbs at the so-called “physics” of the film - but what’d be the point? You either enjoy this franchise entry and all its gas-powered absurdity, or you don’t. I’m not saying every speedy and angry franchise entry is perfect; I thought Fast X was a pretty dreadful misfire for this series. In the case of F9: The Fast Saga - I was entertained when I saw it on IMAX and had a blast getting to watch this in 3D again in the comfort of home. It’s still a stupid movie, but it’s a fun flick too.

Read Mr. Duarte’s 4K UHD Review
Read Mr. Kluger’s Theatrical Review

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 3D
The fourteenth film in the growing Turbine Collector Series line of Blu-ray 3D releases, F9: The Fast Saga comes home in all three dimensions. Like past releases in this line, we get a single-disc Region Free BD50 disc housed in a sturdy clear case with reversible insert artwork. Depending on your TV or projector setup, the disc automatically triggers over to 3D so all you have to do is select your language option.

While the film itself might not be the most logical or intelligently plotted, I’m happy time and care was paid to the 3D conversion! While the 3D conversion of F9 might not be very aggressive for the parallax or “pop-out” into your living room end of the screen, the depth mapping for this film is often visually exhilarating. From that explosive drive through the jungle minefield to the magnetic car chase in Rome to the hilarious outer space adventure, the 3D visuals are a hoot offering an impressive range of foreground, middle, and deep background object depth. As a take-it-or-leave-it fault, the 3D mapping does expose a lot of the weightless CGI effects. Letty getting knocked off her bike mid-air and rag-doll flopping onto the hood of Dom’s Charger is but one of many, many moments of cartoonish visual effects made all the more silly thanks to that blend of practical physical objects and computer-powered fakery in 3D. Overall details are sharp and crystal clear without any issues there and colors are bright and vivid without any darkening problems from the glasses. Once again Turbine delivers a terrific Blu-ray 3D experience. It’ll be fun to see if any of the other films in the franchise get to see 3D Blu-ray releases too.

Keeping with their usual pattern for audio devotion, Turbine gives this 3D release of F9 the full treatment with an excellent Atmos audio track. Playing back against the 4K disc, I found these experiences to be neck-and-neck. I felt the need to pop up my volume a notch or two for this 3D disc, but it was a relatively inconsequential adjustment. The track is a full-throated immersive experience with wall-to-wall engine roars, explosions, and gunfire circling the soundscape. Dialog is clear… but really we’re not paying good money for this film’s dialog are we? Given all of the drones and helicopters and the number of aerial stunts there’s plenty of distinct height/overhead activity and imaging across the horizon channels is a fantastic experience. Given all of the crashes and impacts, LFE has plenty of rumble to rattle the floors too. Play it loud and have fun! The German language track is the default, so you have to switch it over to English - or French, Spanish, or Italian if you so wish.

In keeping with this line of releases, there aren’t any extra features. Getting the film in 3D is the reward. 

It’d been a while since I saw F9: The Fast Saga. After that first IMAX showing I don’t think I watched it in the time since grabbing the 4K disc. I remember it being a pretty dumb movie, but a fun one, and I was glad to see that hasn’t changed a lick! Running through this in 3D was a true blast of entertainment. A genuine turn-off-your-brain show, the absurdity of the action sequences, and the bonkers plot were made all the more exciting in three dimensions. Turbine delivered a fantastic 3D disc complete with an excellent Dolby Atmos audio mix. Not the best entry in the franchise, not the worst, but it’s a lot of fun - especially if you’re a 3D Glasses-wearing junkie like myself. And if you are, call this one Highly Recommended for your 3D Blu-ray collection. 

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