In today’s movie landscape filled with massive scale superhero movies, Fast Color is a welcome change of pace, showcasing a more grounded superhero story. Now I love the superhero movies as much as the next person. As of this writing, Avengers: Endgame is still the best movie of the year for me. Infinity War was top 10 last year. I’m not complaining about the abundance of these massive movies. But Fast Color focuses on a more personal side of the superhero story.
When we first meet Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), she already has her powers and has clearly been on the run for some time. In about the only predictable part of the story, a shadowy, unnamed government agency wants to track her down so they can study her and her unique abilities. But thankfully that’s only a subplot. The main crux of the plot is Ruth trying to come to terms with her past, and wanting to accept who she is in the present, so that she can have a real future. The fact that she even has powers feels almost secondary at times.
If that sounds like an incredible simple story line for a supposed superhero movie, it’s because it is. And that’s where I’ve seen some criticism of Fast Color. And while I can see that point, I think there’s one specific thing the movie has going for it that negates all that: Mbatha-Raw. She gives an incredible performance as Ruth. With a small cast and simple story, it was critical that she nailed this role. Anything less and the movie would have suffered greatly.
And the fantastic cinematography certainly doesn’t hurt. Fast Color lives in a dystopian-esque near future, where it has been years since the last rain. That lack of water would obviously lead to a desolate, plain-looking world. And the set pieces and overall design capture that feel perfectly. Because the natural look of the environment is so subdued, this isn’t a visual achievement that’s going to jump off the screen. But it’s still every bit as impressive as anything else out there. It may not have the same flash as Endgame, or the awesome color scheme of John Wick, but it’s not that kind of movie. It’s impressive in its own way.
And that goes the same for the movie as a whole. It’s not focused on a global threat. It’s devoid of humor. There aren’t any fight scenes. But that’s all okay. It does its own thing, and it does it quite well. And sometimes, that’s all you need.
| Letter Grade | My Score (Range) |
| A+ | 98-100 |
| A | 94-97 |
| A- | 87-93 |
| B+ | 84-86 |
| B | 80-83 |
| B- | 75-79 |
| C+ | 67-74 |
| C | 60-66 |
| C- | 55-59 |
| D+ | 50-54 |
| D | 40-49 |
| D- | 30-39 |
| F | 0-29 |
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