Although it had a humble beginning as a middle-of-the-roadPoint Breakrip-off, theFast & Furiousfranchise has since evolved into a game-changing Hollywood giant. Universal doesn’t have a big superhero franchise, except it kind of does with the physics-defying antics of Dom Toretto and his partners-in-crime/family. With increasingly large-scale sequels and a recent foray into spin-offs, the freshly rebrandedThe Fast Sagais nowbigger than ever.
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These aren’t the kind of movies that critics tend to enjoy, but even the sternest, snootiest reviewer can’t deny the sheer fun of watching the most explosive entries in theF&Fseries.
9Fast & Furious (29%)
Vin Diesel’s return to theFast & Furiousfranchise marked a return to its former glory and a bright future as one of the biggest movie series in the world, but not right away.
After skipping the second and third movies, Diesel reprised his role as Dom Toretto in the fourth movie, simply titledFast & Furious, which saw the franchise rebooted as a straight action series. This one was a pretty generic action movie; the franchise wouldn’t go above and beyond untilFast Five.
82 Fast 2 Furious (36%)
Paul Walker returned for the first sequel toThe Fast and the Furious, but Vin Diesel didn’t. Instead, Walker shares the spotlight with Tyrese Gibson, whose Roman Pearce character develops a new buddy dynamic with Walker’s Brian O’Conner.
While2 Fast 2 Furiousis far from a perfect movie, it does have some thrilling action sequences and there’s merit in entertainment that doesn’t try to be anything more than entertainment.
7The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift (37%)
This movie’s street cred was raised significantly by Christopher Nolan’s recent admission that he has a “soft spot” for it. It’s a fun action movie, but it really messed up theFastfranchise’s continuity. Thanks toTokyo Drift, theF&Fmovie chronology looks like this: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8. It’s more confusing thanStar Wars, and that deals with stolen democracies and fallen empires.
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Without Vin Diesel (who only makes a cameo appearance for the rights to theRiddickfranchise) or Paul Walker (who doesn’t appear at all), this doesn’t really feel like aFast & Furiousmovie.
6The Fast And The Furious (53%)
The first movie in theFast & Furiousfranchise is often called a rip-off ofPoint Break, and rightly so. Instead of telling the story of an FBI agent infiltrating a gang of bank robbers and becoming endeared to their leader, it tells the story of an FBI agent infiltrating a gang of street racers and becoming endeared to their leader.
Still, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker’s chemistry was undeniable from the very start and their unique pairing elevates the movie above its familiar narrative to feel fresh.
5The Fate Of The Furious (67%)
Shockingly, Dom Toretto turned his back on his family inThe Fate of the Furiousand began actively working against them on the villain’s side. This twist seemed unworkable in the trailers, but the movie makes it work surprisingly well.
The eighthFastmovie set a very high bar forthe upcoming ninth oneto top. It’ll be hard to go even bigger than Dwayne Johnson redirecting a missile with his bare hands.
4Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (67%)
After much ofThe Fate of the Furious’ second act was dedicated to a backdoor pilot for Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham to get their own spin-off, David Leitch’s endearingly goofyHobbs & Shawdidn’t disappoint.
Johnson and Stathamshare terrific chemistry, while Idris Elba’s superpowered villain and an abundance of celebrity cameos ensure there isn’t a dull moment in the movie.
3Fast & Furious 6 (70%)
AfterFast Five’s explosive foray to Rio proved to be wildly successful,Fast & Furious 6built on that with a trip to London and even bigger action sequences, including a finale set on an airport runway that’s been estimated to be 26 miles long.
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While it doesn’t quite reach the groundbreaking heights of its predecessor,Fast & Furious 6has plenty of fun moments, like a tank tearing across a highway.
2Fast Five (77%)
Action movie franchises have usually worn out their welcome by the fifth installment, but the fifth installment in theFast & Furiousfranchise is what turned these movies from serviceable actioners into must-see blockbusters.
Ever since Dom Toretto dragged a vault through the streets of Rio de Janeiro, theFastmovies have been committed to topping their own insanity, and the fans are more than happy to go along for the ride.
1Furious 7 (82%)
Tragedy struck the production ofFurious 7when Paul Walker, one of the franchise’s leads, unexpectedly passed away. Against all odds, Vin Diesel, James Wan, and co. were able to turn the movie into a touching tribute to their fallen brother.
Arguably,Furious 7should’ve been the end of the franchise. It’ll beofficially concluding after movie 11, but however that one ends, it won’t be able to top the emotional catharsis of Dom and Brian’s final race set to “See You Again.”
