‘Fast 9′ is the funniest installment of the franchise that’s so over-the-top that it doesn’t even care how ridiculous it is anymore

• Warning: There are minor spoilers ahead for "F9," the ninth "Fast & Furious" movie.
• "Fast 9" is the most unapologetic, over-the-top installment of the "Fast Saga."
• "F9" has the weakest villain of the franchise, but takes the saga back to its roots with John Cena.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

At this point, the "Fast and Furious" franchise feels like a giant telenovela.

Characters are returning from the dead (#JusticeForHan) and, now, Dom (Vin Diesel) has a long-lost sibling we somehow never heard about for the past 20 years.

And you know what? If you suspend your disbelief for the film's two-hour-and-25-minute runtime, it's kind of glorious.

"F9" isn't the best of the franchise ("Fast Five" still holds that title by a few quarter-mile races), but it is the funniest of the saga thanks to its self-referential humor.

Is it a little too meta sometimes? Frankly, this "Fast" fan didn't care. And I imagine most others won't either.

Though I had the privilege of watching the film in Hollywood's iconic TCL theater, I watched it largely with press who either didn't get or didn't appreciate some of the jokes or references that I know longtime fans will smile at and go nuts over in opening weekend screenings.

Nine films and 20 years in, Universal Pictures and the "Fast" team knows its audience expects this franchise to be over-the-top and it leans into it, unapologetically. Most of the time, because of the effortless chemistry between Tyrese and Ludacris, it works.

The ninth installment in the franchise, dubbed the "Fast Saga," introduces Dom (Diesel) and Mia's (Jordana Brewster) younger brother, Jakob (John Cena). The majority of the film dives deep into the Toretto lore to explain why we've never heard of their other sibling.

If you recently binge-watched the last eight films, there are moments that will make you question Jakob's existence. Leave those questions (and many others about how some of the action sequences in this film work) at the door.

The introduction of Jakob wasn't planned from the start of the franchise, but the reveal works. If you're a diehard "Fast" fan and have racked your brain over how they could possibly explain away Jakob's absence, you may have figured it out. It doesn't take anything away from the film. If you've struggled with an estranged family member, you'll likely find the storyline immensely relatable.

Going into "F9" that's all you really need to know.

There's some other stuff with a bad guy who has some scheme to take over the world who Dom and the team need to stop. Honestly? It's better to not get caught up in the details.

I don't know if I still fully comprehend what the team was trying to stop because it's glossed over quickly. But it doesn't really matter or affect your understanding of the film.

"Fast" knows you're really here to see the cool cars and massive action sequences and "F9" has plenty of them. The first action sequence, near the film's start, is so large that it feels like the sort of set-piece you'd see in a film's third act. Knowing that, the film's action sequences only continue to up the ante and get more absurd and ridiculous as the film progresses.

A highlight of the film is a long-awaited fight extended scene with Mia and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). After nine films, the sisters-in-law are finally getting long overdue time to connect and kick butt on screen together without any men around to help.

"F9" ratchets the action up so high that it's difficult to know where they're going to go with the final two films in the franchise. (Maybe the only place left for the Fast fam to go is to "Jurassic World" for a Universal Pictures crossover.)

But director Justin Lin, who was convinced to return for the final trilogy, told Insider he's been working on the story with Vin Diesel for years.

If the franchise is going to stay true to itself, it may as well be in the hands of the two men who, at this point, feel like godfathers of the franchise.

Even with Lin and Diesel at the helm of the franchise, there are some curious blunders in "Fast 9."

The biggest shock of the film is a huge misdirect. Cipher (Charlize Theron) isn't the big bad of this film though teasers would have you believe that she coordinated working with Jakob to get back at Dom. Nope!

Instead, Theron and her character's new haircut are confined to a glass box for most of the film. (Maybe that's her punishment for the dreadlock hairstyle she asked director F. Gary Gray to have in the last film, according to the "F8" commentary.)

In reality, Theron should've been the main villain in "F9." It would have been fun to see her pit the two brothers against one another. Instead, the film's real villain is a letdown. Played by Thue Ersted Rasmussen, Otto, described in the production notes as a "flamboyant aspiring autocrat," isn't even important enough to get his own approved character still by the studio. Instead, he lurks in the background.

(Theron, on the other hand, has three officially released photos and appears on one of the film's marketing posters despite being a glorified background character for the majority of the film.)

Otto's probably one of the worst characters to ever be introduced in the franchise as he feels like a whiny caricature of himself. He also gets one of the film's most awkward scenes in which he and Cipher execute a painfully exhausting "Star Wars" joke that Disney will be none too pleased with.

Otherwise, if you were expecting some really wild in-depth explanation as to the return of Han (Sung Kang), who was previously "killed" off at the end of "Fast 6" (or "Tokyo Drift" depending on the complicated timeline of the franchise), you may be left thinking it's a bit silly and underwhelming.

And that's where you see some other shortcomings of "F9."

Nine movies in, the franchise starts to fall victim to, what I call, 'Game of Thrones' final season cameo syndrome.

Did we need Cardi B in this film? No. An extremely small scene with the singer feels like it's just there because Diesel invited her to set.

Neither did we need the return of the "Tokyo Drift" gang, even if it was cool to see them back. Though they enter the story for a pivotal moment fans have been waiting years to see, their return seemed like it would be tied more directly to Han's (Sung Kang) return from the grave. (Spoiler: It's not.) The trio does share one of the film's funnier moments.

Maybe Lin is setting up something that will pay off in one of the last two "Fast" films. For the time being, this just felt like a glorified way to get Lucas Black and "Bow Wow" back.

Helen Mirren, in an all too brief cameo, has one of the film's best scenes when she outraces cops through London with Dom in the passenger seat.

But, again, was Mirren's cameo necessary? Not at all. The film could have done without it. With it, the actress finally checks off a bucket list item by racing an expensive 2020 Noble M600 in a "Fast" movie.

Despite any shortcomings, the film honors Paul Walker's legacy respectfully without overdoing it in a few moments.

In particular, a scene near the film's end will make longtime "Fast" fans a bit emotional not only as it pays tribute to Brian, but to 20 years of the "Fast" franchise.

Lin told Insider he "constantly" considered the "most respectful way" to handle Walker's character in the sequel.

Whether you love or take some issues with "F9," one thing's certain, a mid-credits scene will get fans immensely excited for wherever the franchise is heading next in "Fast 10," as it sets the stage for Han to be front and center.

If you're looking to nitpick every little thing in the film and question how cars can have rockets strapped to them, then maybe sit this one out. As Lin has previously said on the "Fast Five" commentary, these movies aren't meant to be fact-checked. They're just made to be enjoyed.

If you want to watch Vin Diesel get in a massive brawl with John Cena, see the return of Han, and watch Roman continue to make it out of dire situations without a scratch then just sit back, grab a bucket of popcorn, and enjoy the ride.

"F9" is mindless fun to enjoy on the big screen with a rollicking crowd, something we've all been waiting for after a year of being cooped up inside during the pandemic.

"Fast 9" is in theaters on June 25.