Sunday Lists: The Fast and the Furious Franchise – Best to Worst

This week we’re looking at the little (or big) franchise that could. A franchise that I thought had ended came back in 2009 and kind of has gotten bigger and badder in its mission of over the top action in the following years. The Fast and the Furious started as a small scale movie but launched the memorable roles for both Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker as Brian O’Connor. The franchise has yet to end despite the tragic passing of Paul Walker and seems to be greenlit until at least a 10th installment. This franchise holds a great spot in my heart and ranking is going to be really tough (and it truly was). The list will be updated for the next two movies as they are released and reviewed.

For now, here is the best to worst for The Fast and the Furious franchise (according to us, of course):

Fast Five (2011)

Fast Five is an awesome addition to the franchise. Its hard to imagine any of the films in this franchise beating this one. It has some over the top car stunts however compared to its later ones are slightly more believable. The team assembled here is at its best. Dwayne Johnson makes his first appearance here as memorable as ever. The location of Rio de Janeiro is fantastic as well as the villain here is competent. This film takes the strategic turn that the movie is not only about cars and family and the cast but also that this is a fantastic heist film with an awesome heist involving stealing the entire bank safe and dragging it as a team down the street in an adrenaline-filled escape.

You can read our review HERE.

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

The next three are the hardest to separate and rank higher and lower in this franchise. They each have their pros and cons that rank them fairly level. Fast & Furious 6 rank slightly higher because the team manages to be complete. In the sixth one, we see Dwayne Johnson join in almost like a team member. There are some incredibly over the top moments jumping across freeway gaps and a too long to be true airplane take-off. There are some emotional moments and plans for the future from other members and this sets up the stage to what seems like the plan for Justin Lin the moment he took over the franchise. Its fun and entertaining and does deserve a ton of props for getting here and being acknowledged for all the crazy stunts they do here.

Check out the review HERE.

Furious 7 (2015)

Furious 7 does a lot of stuff right. The only reason that it ranks slightly lower is because its success lies heavily on those familiar with the characters here particularly Paul Walker’s character Brian. The movie does a great job at saying goodbye to his character because of his passing in real life. However, this sentiment stays strong for those in love with the franchise like myself because he get s worthy farewell however might not for the random person dropping into the franchise. Of course, before the goodbye, there are more than enough competent moments. One of the best being the great scene of driving a super car through the Dubai buildings. The setting and the adrenaline rush and the competent villain played by Jason Statham along with its emotional value all give this a worthy top 3 spot in the franchise.

Check out the review HERE.

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

The Fate of the Furious in terms of entertainment value don’t rival that of Furious 7 and Fast & Furious 6. In fact, they are still plenty of adrenaline rush moments. There are a ton of characters added to the mix along with new allies and old ones that make an appearance which plays to the fans of the franchise who love every single member that has joined into these missions no matter how big or small their role may seem. The only thing that makes this one fall a little short is that Charlize Theron while a competent actress and does a great job as the villain really doesn’t seem to have enough to do. Perhaps its the sheer amount of characters that are involved in this franchise now that its starting to remain fun but hard to not feel that its getting slightly convoluted. Its still a fun time especially as they head into a car chase down an ice field.

Check out the review HERE.

Fast & Furious (2009)

The true struggle in this whole ranking was where to place this. This movie sparked my love (or refueled my hope) for this franchise. The story was captivating and there was some great car stunts. The moments here that truly remind us of the greatness of what started this whole franchise up was notched up and done better. Sure, it doesn’t rank very high on Rotten Tomatoes but I do beg to differ. Here is where we see the reunion of everyone and where the events here bring everyone together. The effects here are a little iffy at times but it was the stepping stone the franchise needed to breathe some new life into it and give it the renewed vibe in the right direction.

Check out the review HERE.

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

The start of this franchise was The Fast and the Furious and there is no way that we can discount it. While it doesn’t quite shine like its second start in what feels like the revival of the original team in Fast & Furious, there’s something here that makes me nostalgic about it all and the reason why it took so long to figure out where to place this. We learn about Dom and Brian, the values they hold and the start of a conflicted friendship that probably changed the life of the four people intertwined here. For that, this one holds quite a bit of place but then, its hard to not feel that while on a small scale it worked, the revival beats this one just a tad.

Check out the review HERE.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) 

A completely new cast takes on this third entry to the Fast and the Furious. The characters are horrible and pretentious. The races are lackluster. Its only saving point is the character of Han and the surprise ending and the fact that Justin Lin takes over the franchise and in later installments, we realize that this film being out of place actually fit into a grand plan that he had mapped out. Was it deliberate? It would definitely seem so. And for that reason, this one manages to hang on just barely and escape the worst movie in the franchise. If this ranking was solely based on the first five films, it would place last because lets be honest, for those familiar with Initial D, its pretty much an American version with a similar idea.

Find the review HERE.

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

For the longest time, 2 Fast 2 Furious ranked a little higher than Tokyo Drift however for the reasons above, I had no choice but to push it to the bottom. This one’s only purpose was to bring on Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson who gave us the comedic banter that happens between Tej and Roman in the more recent films. For myself, the film also saw Jin Au-Yeung (more commonly referred to as MC Jin in the Hong Kong world) have a little role here which was pretty nice to see. Aside from that, nothing here really does stand out.

Check out the review HERE.

Are you a fan of The Fast and the Furious Franchise? 
How would your best to worst differ from ours?

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

And we’re here moving the Fast and the Furious series to Japan with no one of consequence from before.  Nothing but cars and they don’t even do drag race, they just drift.

Before we start, for me to rewatch this one is ONLY because Furious 6 decided that it was going to loop by to make this one relevant in Furious 7.  This one was my most despised from this entire series and if you think otherwise, I’ll just look at you and blink in confusion but that’s okay.  I give second chances, and here is Tokyo Drift’s second chance to impress me, now that its become relevant. Kind of.

Let’s check it out! *hesitates before pressing play*

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

Director: Justin Lin

Cast: Lucas Black, Nathalie Kelley, Sung Kang, Brian Tee, Shad Moss

Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is a rebellious kid.  His actions and desire to mostly street race in a destructive way has caused him to be in a lot of trouble and because of all this, him and his mom has had to move from city to city so that he can actually go to school. When his lastest illegal street race against his school rival destroys a housing project along as totalling his car, his mom sends him off to Japan with his father who is in the military to avoid jail time. Although his father sets rules for him to follow and forbids him to ever touch a car, he ends up messing with the nephew of the mafia and his girl.  To his surprise, Tokyo racing is all about drifting and he knows nothing about that.  When he totals Han’s car, Han takes him in to not only recover his debt to pay off the car he destroyed but also, to teach him a thing or two about how things work in Tokyo.

What the hell did I just write? Before we do this, let me tell you, watching this movie took a whole lot of junk food and writing those previous two Fast and Furious posts to get through it. Because it just wasted my time and I ended up hating it even more.  I’m keeping this short with a few points…

THE GOOD #1 : HAN

Han is one of my favorite characters in the Fast and Furious franchise.  I didn’t feel relevant because in the next one, he shows up again, making it seem like they wanted to forget the existence of Tokyo Drift.  I wonder if Justin Lin intended for this the whole time.

THE BAD #1: SEAN

There is no part of me that likes this character. For one, that accent is atrocious and he kind of loses it in parts (at least it seems like it). And then he’s not even good looking enough for all these hot chicks to go for.  Is it because he totals car that makes him attractive?  Bad boys are great because they have charm or something, this guy has nothing.  Nothing at all. I hate his face, his character, his voice….and I had to watch him throughout this entire thing. His main fault: not learning from his mistakes. Stop falling for the wrong girls! Just STOP!

THE GOOD #2: THE CARS

Being set in Japan, the cars were all really great.  They just looked awesome.  I think my boyfriend said that some things didn’t make a lot of sense during the racing but the cars were quite good? I could be wrong but the racing sequences were alright.

THE BAD #2: D.K.

According to me, Tokyo Drift has no villains.  This DK character was a villain? Why? Because he was trying to keep a girl that his family took care of after her mom passed away? Or because his uncle was the mafia? He is a nobody.  Not intimidating.  His crew wasn’t either.  You know what he was? He was annoying…

THE GOOD #3: VIN DIESEL CAMEO

This was the highlight of this movie.  It was knowing that Vin Diesel was coming back to the franchise.  Vin Diesel is the Fast and the Furious franchise and he makes everything awesome even if he shows up for like 10 seconds. At least now we know why he showed his face, right? (or you do if you saw Furious 7)

THE BAD #3: NEELA

Neela & DK

Neela and DK are at similar levels of emptiness for me. I wonder what these two boys see in her. I mean, she’s the reason ALL OF THIS *waving the movie DVD case around* happened.  If she didn’t go and chat up Sean knowing her own boyfriend’s possessiveness, the rival wouldn’t have started. Plus, she was nothing special.  Because she can drift cars? Or she has amazing personality? Not really.  The story didn’t develop her character (or any other ones much). Look, I can be really forgiving of random people being attracted to each other and love stories.  I enjoy Nicholas Sparks movies, okay? I can believe almost anything, as cliche as they get.  This one…I just don’t think she’s all that great.

Why did I never pick this for Shitfest, right? The story was pretty much nothing.  The characters weren’t developed and I really dread watching this again.  I guess its because I didn’t want to put Sung Kang (aka Han) into the crap pile.  He deserves more than that.  Plus, Vin Diesel’s cameo makes up for a lot of unhappy feelings.

Anyways, point is: Tokyo Drift is my least favorite in the Fast and Furious franchise.  Even though, its made relevant now because of Furious 6 and 7, its still not exactly relevant.  I’d forego it if I were to watch this series. I’m done with this one. I have nothing else to say.

Have you seen Tokyo Drift? Did you like it? If you did, please tell me why.

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Welcome to the Fast and the Furious week!

Furious 7 opened this past weekend. I did end up going to see it on Sunday evening.

The Fast and the Furious series may have had its up and downs in the first few in the series but its turned into something that’s pure brainless entertainment full of over the top sequences, loud race cars and a signature crew that aren’t friends but have become a family. Together, they pull off the unimaginable.  Can you tell that I have a massive love for this series? The release of Furious 7 is something more. I’ll elaborate on that when I get to that review but I decided that before that review goes up, I’m going to review all the ones before 🙂

Its a last minute decision.  Sorry that it didn’t go up earlier….

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Director: Rob Cohen

Cast: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Matt Schulze, John Strong

FBI agent Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) is sent to be an undercover cop to find out who is behind a series of hijackings connected to the street car gangs.  He tries to get himself known to Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) who is the best of the best in the street racing world.  After saving Toretto after a race, he get introduced to his “family” and not only  understand and respect Toretto a little better but also fall in love with his sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster).  As he starts getting involved into the street racing world, he starts questioning where his loyalties lie.

The Fast and the Furious is kind of like Need For Speed in a movie.  Side note: its also why I didn’t think Need For Speed needed to be made into a movie.  Back on track, this series starts with tons of flashy fast cars and there’s heists and cops and undercover.  Its the first step into the world of street car racing world and getting to know that this crew is as respectable if not more than even the righteous cops.  Maybe that’s why, Brian O’Connor would make the choices he made when he was undercover.  Its a beginner’s guide to what being a street racer is and especially about respect and loyalty with a crew.

What makes The Fast and the Furious iconic for me is Vin Diesel and his role as Dominic Toretto.  His family: Mia (played by Jordana Brewster) and girlfriend Letty (played by Michelle Rodriguez) both have a significant way to show who his character is.  Dom is the brother and the leader.  He takes responsible and does what is the best for everyone.  He may be in the illegal racing world and does other stuff on the side that isn’t exactly legit but his character is really great and that makes The Fast and the Furious such a great watch.

Starting this series is kind of like my long goodbye to Paul Walker.  I have to admit that Paul Walker’s Brian O’Connor isn’t all that memorable when the series first starts.  Although he is the central character and brings the audience into this different world, he never shines. There’s something off about who he is but what makes his character a little funny is that he tries REALLY hard to fit in and somehow he just doesn’t get it, until he eventually does.

The Fast and the Furious may be a little cheesy at times but its a good way to start the series.  It introduces the street racing world with its flashy cars and the world of surrounding Dominic Toretto and his family.  At the same time, we get to know Brian O’Connor a little. The main players enter the Fast and the Furious world and although not quite solid in this one, they show potential for a further development.

Now, the question is how does it hold up in its sequels, right? 😉 I’m sure everyone’s who has seen the series will have a different opinion on it.  You’ll just have to wait for the next review coming up really soon to see what I thought 🙂

Did you like The Fast and The Furious? Was it a good way to start the series?