Seven Fast and Furious movies are coming to Netflix on Friday, August 15, including the franchise’s greatest hits. The Fast and Furious franchise has been exciting fans since the first movie was released in 2001, getting bigger and brasher with each sequel. Although it started as a street racing franchise, the more recent movies have branched out into more varied action.
Fast and Furious 11 looks like it will bring the behemoth action franchise to an end, but fans will undoubtedly continue rewatching the movies for many years. Although the franchise has often been criticized for its ridiculous stunts and melodramatic storylines, this is all part of the appeal, and audiences can revisit some great Fast and Furious movies starting on August 15.
7
The Fast & The Furious (2001)
Rewatching The Fast and the Furious over two decades later highlights just how much the franchise has changed. One notable difference is that Brian is the sole protagonist of the first movie, although Dom would eventually take over in the sequels as the franchise abandoned its roots as an unorthodox police story.
The franchise has gotten bigger with every sequel, which means that The Fast and the Furious‘ street-racing looks relatively quaint. However, the more grounded style makes it even more exciting. The first movie is the one that franchise newcomers are most likely to enjoy on a first watch.
The Fast and the Furious feels like a product of its time, much more than other movies in the franchise. The soundtrack, fashion and overall style of the movie could only ever have come from the early 2000s. This has given the movie a nostalgic quality, especially for fans who have watched the entire saga unfold.
6
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
2 Fast 2 Furious is the only movie in the franchise without Vin Diesel as Dom Toretto. It seems like a natural progression of the story to follow Brian rather than Dom, but this decision does mean that the movie looks odd in retrospect. The franchise took a while to solidify its style, and 2 Fast 2 Furious almost feels like a spinoff.
Although Vin Diesel is absent, 2 Fast 2 Furious adds some more of the franchise’s mainstays. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris star as Roman and Tej, respectively. They become the source of comic relief in later sequels, but their humor is more subtle in 2 Fast 2 Furious. The plot relies on them as Brian and Roman team up to take down a drug lord.
2 Fast 2 Furious showed that there was franchise potential, but it didn’t quite explore this potential fully. For those who are only familiar with the franchise’s action blockbusters that came much later, 2 Fast 2 Furious is a more down-to-Earth story, albeit with a sense of humor and a willingness to have fun.
5
The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is the franchise’s first spinoff, with a new set of characters on the other side of the world. There isn’t much that links Tokyo Drift to the rest of the franchise, other than the brief cameo from Vin Diesel right at the end. This tees up his full return to the franchise in the next sequel.
Tokyo Drift lacks a lot of what makes the Fast and Furious franchise so popular. It isn’t a compelling street-racing story like the first movie, nor is it an explosive, all-out action blockbuster like the later sequels. Tokyo Drift does introduce Han, however, one of the franchise’s best characters. There are also some driving scenes which stand out.
4
Fast Five (2011)
Fast Five changed the franchise forever, finally striking upon the right formula that could sustain many more sequels. Dom leads his crew in an audacious heist in Rio de Janeiro, which mixes the usual car-based stunts with plenty of other exciting action scenes.
Overall, Fast Five is one of the best movies in the Fast and Furious franchise. It raises the stakes and delivers more thrilling action than ever before without fully losing the plot. The heist narrative feels genuinely tense and intelligently written, when it could easily have been an afterthought. For once, the franchise is just as interesting in between its action scenes.
Fast Five is also an important step in the franchise’s progression because it introduces Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, the man tasked with catching Dom and his crew. Hobbs later becomes an important ally, but it’s fun to see him playing the antagonist in Fast Five. Johnson and Vin Diesel are brilliant to watch together.
3
Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Fast and Furious 6 builds on the same formula that made Fast Five such a success. This time, Dom’s crew are forced to team up with Hobbs to help him catch a dangerous criminal. Bringing Letty back adds a more personal touch to the story, and this raises the stakes even further.
Fast and Furious 6 makes great use of the ensemble cast. Brian gets a chance to shine as he goes undercover in prison, Hobbs and Dom’s fiery dynamic is entertaining, and Roman and Tej’s comedic banter is in full flow. There are also some of the Fast and Furious franchise’s best action scenes, like the chase through London and the wonderfully over-the-top tank chase.
2
Furious 7 (2015)
Furious 7 is famous for being Paul Walker’s last movie. The actor who played Brian sadly passed away partway through production in an unrelated accident, and the movie gives his character a touching send-off. This makes it one of the franchise’s most emotional movies, and it’s also one of the most exciting.
Furious 7 sees the introduction of Jason Statham’s character, Deckard Shaw, who seeks revenge for what Dom and his team did to his brother Owen in Fast and Furious 6. Statham is another fine addition to the franchise as a veteran action star, and it’s a rare treat to see him playing a villain for a change.
Statham gets a few occasions to show off his martial arts scenes, and the fight between Letty and Ronda Rousey’s character is another highlight, but Furious 7 doesn’t neglect its duty to outrageous car stunts. It goes bigger than ever before, with cars jumping between glass skyscrapers and even being dropped out of planes.
1
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson teamed up for their own spinoff in Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw. This offers a chance for the two stars to continue their enjoyable dynamic from The Fate of the Furious, as they pair comedic dialogue with some hard-hitting action scenes.
Hobbs and Shaw is an unusual Fast and Furious movie in some ways, and not just because the ensemble cast is absent. It continues the franchise’s drift into sci-fi territory, with Idris Elba playing a cybernetically enhanced villain. This makes for some great action scenes, with Deadpool 2 director David Leitch behind the camera, but the spinoff lacks heart.
There are many other Fast and Furious characters who could have spinoff movies after Hobbs and Shaw, including Mr. Nobody, Queenie and the duo of Roman and Tej. Hobbs and Shaw were good candidates at the time, but their spinoff is a mixed bag. Although there are some outstanding action sequences, it doesn’t really show the full potential of the Fast and Furious movies.
The Fast and the Furious
6/10
- Release Date
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June 22, 2001
- Runtime
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106 minutes
- Director
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Rob Cohen
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Paul Walker
Brian O’Conner
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