'Fast and Furious 9': Was bringing Han Lue back to high-octane a good move by the franchise?
Sung Kang's Han Lue was sorely missed and mourned by fans after his death in 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'. #JusticeforHan was doing the rounds when fans felt his death was abrupt, much like his on-screen love interest, Giselle (Gal Gadot). It was literally crash and burn for Han when at the end of 'Fast & Furious 6', he is seen to be struggling to crawl out of his dented and critically damaged Mazda RX-7 that eventually explodes, seemingly killing Han.
And just like that, Han is back in the ninth installment of the slick, high-octane action franchise. Leading to the all-important question: How in the blue blazes did the man return? The Reddit and social media fan theories and speculation were buzzing with some sensible and some outlandish explanations.
Han and John Cena's Jakob Toretto come in along with Jordana Brewster's Mia Toretto in place of Dwayne Johnson and Deckard Shaw. Considering these two heavyweight characters got their own spin-off with 'Hobbs & Shaw', the inclusion of the trio will bolster the franchise and make it a lot more interesting, not to mention extra fan service.
But, is getting Han a good move? Well, yes and no, and there are reasons for both.
Han's return adds to the element of surprise
Even if the trailer spoils it, Han is back and that's a whoop moment. Eight movies and at some point the action no matter how unbelievable it gets pretty boring. We've seen Vin Diesel's Dom practically make the car fly, and while he's sure to pull one more outrageous stunt, there's Han arrival. The chip-munching, smooth-talking soul is back.
Deckard Shaw's redemption
Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw was the big baddie in 'Furious 7'. And despite the man responsible for killing Han, he later teamed up and became one of the good guys. Fans hated it, but it was a storyline that also set up a spin-off elevating his hero role a lot more. And now, hopefully, there's light shed in 'F9' about how Han actually escaped.
Bringing back dead characters is a possibility
It was unfortunate that Paul Walker died during the filming of 'Furious 7'. However, before retiring the character, the filmmakers roped in his brother, Cody to fill in. A bit of graphics and Paul was back. Prior to this was Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), who was shown to be dead in 'Fast & Furious' (Part 4), but was later brought back in 'Fast & Furious 6'. She may have had memory loss, but in due course, she's shown to have recovered. The template comes into play again making Han's entry pretty easy to explain.
But it makes the franchise a lot more of a soap opera...
There's supposed to be an element of believability. One theme that's always associated with the franchise was family. And in many ways, the respects for Han were paid and probably avenged (Deck was in jail for a while). However, this makes it terribly like a drama instead of a slambang action flick.
For now, it's just a wait and watches as to how 'F9' justifies Han's return and how it impacts the franchise.
What are your thoughts on Han's comeback in 'F9'?
'Fast 9' releases on May 22, 2020.