2001’sThe Fast and the Furiousbirthed one of the most successful action movie franchises, which is going strong, and is set to end after an eleventh movie in 2026, although a twelfth film was also teased and might be in the works. Over the years, the films have become more focused on action, with unbelievable vehicular stunts and human feats of athleticism and strength.Fast & Furious 6has ridiculous scenesthat entirely changed the franchise’s outlook, bringing over-the-top action sequences and incoherent plotlines into the mix.
David Ayer, known for writingTraining Day, starringDenzel Washington in one of his best Oscar-nominated roles, which he even won the award for, is also thewriter ofThe Fast and the Furious. While some of the best characters in that film have become staple recurring members of every movie in the franchise, its contrast with the later installments is striking. TheFast & Furiousfranchise often gets written off for its ridiculous blockbuster fare that sacrifices character moments and logic for crazy action. Still, the first movie has aged well in comparison.
8A Coherent Storyline
The Plot Twists Make Sense
One of the major contentions that critics have with the more recentFast & Furiousmovies is that their stories don’t make much sense. There are often too many convenient revelations andcontrived plot details that leave glaring logical inconsistencies. Continuity errors are rampant, and the movies are solely focused on setting up elaborate action set pieces at the cost of characterization, confusing viewers with the chaos.
In contrast,The Fast and the Furioushas a strictly coherent story that is easy to follow. It features a reasonable number of characters who we follow throughout the movie. There is only one real twist, and even that is revealed to the viewers early on. The story is focused on the experiences of the characters and their reactions to the various circumstances they encounter during the course of the film. The straightforward plot doesn’t have any major plot holes and quickly engages audiences with memorable character moments.
7Grounded Stunts
The action is somewhat believable
There is aridiculous scene in everyFast & Furiousmovie, but it’s not hard to recognize that the stunts become further and further removed from reality as the franchise grows. From Dom flying across a bridge and driving a car between skyscrapers, to Roman and Tej going into space and Dom practically flinging a truck at a supersonic jet using magnets, logic is less essential to the franchise’s action sequences than dramatic flair.
None of it feels absolutely impossible, like Brian running across a falling bus inFurious 7.
The final stunt inThe Fast and the Furious, whereDom and Brian cross train tracks just in time to avoid a train, while ridiculous, could still be seen as a case of exaggerated stuntwork for the sake of thrills. It isn’t completely absurd, and the same applies to all the stunts in the film. There are moments of cinematic convenience that give audiences something to cheer about, but none of it feels absolutely impossible, like Brian running across a falling bus inFurious 7.
6Small-scale Stakes
There is no supervillain
Over the years, theFast & Furiousfranchise has evolved into a stunt-heavy, mission-focused series of movies. Since Brian O’Conner was a police officer, there has always been an element of law enforcement in the franchise, but the team of drivers wasn’ta for-hire crew working for world peace. Now, they regularly take on supervillains who bring the largest stakes to the game, prompting the team to prioritize global safety and take on threats that can only be faced by their growing, larger-than-life personas.
However,The Fast and the Furiousis a refreshing rewatch because it’s a very small-scale story in comparison. It focuses on Brian’s mission to take down an illegal operation and his experiences going undercover. There is no supervillain at large, and the criminals aren’t in possession of a weapon of mass destruction. The stakes are defined by the tensions between the characters and the local level on which the criminals operate.
5Characters Worth Caring About
There are a few characters and they’re worth investing in
There are literally too many characters in theFast & Furiousfranchise, who seemingly make significant contributions to the films they are in and the lives of the characters they encounter. Yet, theFast & Furiousfranchise has completely forgotten aboutsome of these characters, simply because there’s not enough space to give everyone. Some seemingly important characters even get small cameo appearances, like Dom’s supposed long-lost brother Jakob, who gets limited screen time across two movies in total.
So, going back and rewatching the earlier movies reminds one of the interesting characters the franchise left behind. While most of the major characters fromThe Fast and the Furiousbecame recurring characters, the focus on them didn’t remain equally distributed. At some point, their characterization was abandoned for moments of snappy dialogue or memorable sequences. Once you feel like you no longer know them,it’s hard to stay invested in their stories. In contrast,The Fast and the Furiousgives us characters we get to know quickly and care about a lot.
4Deaths Are Serious
Deaths in theFast & Furiousfranchise have become jokes. It’s a popular running gag among fans that no one stays dead. This is why, despite many characters dying over the years, the impact of death scenes has severely declined. While there areFast & Furiouscharacters who have stayed dead, it’s anyone’s bet who among them might return for the next film.
However, back whenThe Fast and the Furiouscame out, this large-scale transformation hadn’t happened, and the few character deaths all hit hard. Even when rewatching, with all the context ofFast & Furioushaving become a mainstream blockbuster franchise, the character deaths are sobering because we know these characters won’t return. Moreover, thedeaths aren’t epic moments of sensationalized action.
3A Heartwarming Tale of Friendship
Family and friendship are actually relevant
Despite there being memes and a running gag about it,Vin Diesel says Family in theFast & Furiousmovies a reasonably less number of times. The joke stays relevant because the stories become more complex and intertwined with the growing family dynamics in the franchise. There are always major revenge plots in all the films, some involving long-lost or unheard-of family members who show up from nowhere.
[Loyalty]’s been reduced to a punchline or a plot device, whichever suits the specific film better.
However, due to the narrative about togetherness becoming a gimmick for the franchise, there’s not much focus on the themes of friendship and family in the more recent installments. It’s been reduced to a punchline or a plot device, whichever suits the specific film better. Yet,The Fast and the Furiousis at times a character-driven story about loyalty and friendship. Dom and Brian’s bond is tested because they’re on opposite sides of the law, but they havea heartwarming level of mutual respect and understandingthat’s missing in the later movies, which have few moments of sincerity, if any.
2Focuses on Car Racing
People actually race each other
Vehicular action sequences are the biggest selling point of the averageFast and Furiousmovie. Each film depicts a more deranged and daring stunt with a car thatmakes no sense to anyone with a passable understanding of physics. However, the suspension of disbelief isn’t difficult to achieve, and if given the chance, ridiculousFast & Furiousaction set pieces can be quite entertaining.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Driftis perhaps the only movie that’s more focused on racing, and it’s often rightfully considered to be the best film in the franchise.
But what’s missing from many of the recent movies in the franchise is actual car racing. That was one of the best aspects of the franchise when it first began. The focus on racing and the use of driving and racing skills within the story was one of the biggest appealing factors that got us excited about the newFast & Furiousmovies. However, only a few movies have actually focused on racing, andThe Fast and the Furiousdoes it more than almost any other film in the franchise. The drag races, the stakes, and the heroic moments remain thrilling even today.
1Paul Walker’s Breakout Role
He became an international star
One of the highlights of theFast & Furiousfranchise, often considered the best scene in the whole franchise, is the heartfelt tribute to Paul Walker inFurious 7, set to Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa’sSee You Again. The world mourned the actor’s passing, and we still miss him. Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, was arguably the best in the franchise, and with the franchise ending soon, it’s particularly heartbreaking to think how much Walker would have loved to be there for that.
So, rewatchingThe Fast and the Furiousis particularly bittersweet – you get to revisit the role that put him on the map globally, but you’re reminded of how his legacy was cut short. However, that doesn’t detract from the performance he gave for seven movies in the franchise, wherehe was the heart and the glue that kept the crew together. Walker is charismatic, sincere, and expressive in his role inThe Fast and the Furious, which endears him to audiences almost immediately.
The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious, released in 2001, follows undercover cop Brian O’Conner as he infiltrates the world of Los Angeles street racers led by Dominic Toretto. While investigating a series of truck hijackings, he becomes entangled with Toretto’s crew and faces a dilemma between loyalty and duty.
