Ranking the Fast and the Furious Franchise Films
Thanks to Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, fans are getting Hobbs and Shaw, the first true spinoff from [...]
#8) 2 Fast 2 Furious
Kicking off at #8 is unanimously the worst of the bunch, and that's 2 Fast 2 Furious. Vin Diesel skipped out on the first sequel and only Paul Walker returned. The result meant losing the chemistry between the two that had made the first movie so appealing, and it's kind of surprising that the Fast and Furious movies weren't relegated to straight-to-DVD status after this misstep. Still, at least we got the debut of Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris. That's has count for something, right?
prevnext#7) Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Speaking of straight to DVD, it's surprising that that's not where the #8 pick ended up: Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The movie should be considered a spinoff as it focused on a good ol' boy named Sean Boswell in Japan and has practically nothing to do with the original family whatsoever, though Dominic pops up at the end, and Sean at least cameos in Furious 7 to kind of tie everything together.
prevnext#6) Fast and Furious
At #6 is Fast and Furious. While it was nice to see the original clan back together in the fourth film, it's also a relief to know that better movies were on the horizon. It does deserve some credit for giving the world Gal Gadot, though, so bonus points for that.
prevnext#5) The Fate of the Furious
Coming in at #5 is The Fate of the Furious, the first full installment after Paul Walker's death that doesn't feature his character, and his absence is felt. Dom doing a heel turn feels weird, and the movie doubles down on the series' violent silliness. A solid entry still, but not the best by a mile. The highlight of the movie is definitely any interaction between Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw, which is probably why the two are getting their own spinoff movie in the first place.
prevnext#4) Fast and Furious 6
#4 is Fast and Furious 6. Seeing The Rock join the team versus fighting against them was a boost that really continued moving the franchise in the right direction, and this movie also gave the women of the family a little more time to shine compared to previous entries.
prevnext#3) Furious 7
#3 is Furious 7. Aside from the usual cast, we also get Ronda Rousey and Kurt Russell, which is awesome. And the tribute to Paul Walker at the end is a bittersweet send-off that sees the character off on a happy ending. Considering the circumstances surrounding Walker's unfortunate real-life passing, it's pretty incredible that the movie even got finished at all, let alone coming out as good as it did.
prevnext#2) The Fast and the Furious
And the second best is the original: The Fast and the Furious. It still holds up well today, but it's interesting to go back and see the team's humble beginnings as street racers knowing that they slowly morph into a sort of special-ops team straight out of a Tom Clancy novel. Many have accused the movie of being a loose remake of Point Break, but there's no arguing that Walker and Diesel had instant chemistry, making the movie a staple of the breakneck action films that grew in popularity during the early '00s.
prevnext#1) Fast Five
But the best movie in the franchise belongs to Fast Five. Leave it to The Rock to breathe new life into a series on its last leg. We'd seen it before with the sequels to G.I. Joe and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and he wielded that magic again here. His debut as Hobbs is the first instance where we see someone who's physically a match to take on Dominic, and his inclusion was a wise decision that's kept the franchise cruising forward ever since.
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