The Fast and the Furious | |
---|---|
Created by | Gary Scott Thompson |
Original work | The Fast and the Furious(2001) |
Owner | Universal Pictures |
Films and television | |
Film(s) |
|
Short film(s) | List of short films |
Theatrical presentations | |
Play(s) | Fast & Furious Live |
Games | |
Video game(s) | List of video games |
Audio | |
Soundtrack(s) | List of soundtracks |
Miscellaneous | |
Toys | List of toys |
Theme park attractions | List of theme park attractions |
Official website | |
Official website |
The Fast and the Furious (colloquial: Fast & Furious) is an American media franchise centered on a series of action films that is largely concerned with illegal street racing, heists and espionage. The franchise also includes short films, a television series, live shows, and theme park attractions. It is distributed by Universal Pictures.
The first film was released in 2001, which began the original trilogy of films focused on racing, and culminated in the standalone film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). The series then went under a soft reboot with Fast & Furious (2009), which transitioned the series toward heists and espionage, and concluded with The Fate of the Furious (2017). Two final films are planned, and are set to be released in 2020, and 2021, respectively.
Universal expanded the series to include the spin-off film Hobbs & Shaw (2019), while its subsidiary DreamWorks Animation followed this with the animated web television series Fast & Furious: Spy Racers. Soundtrack albums have been released for all the films, as well compilation albums containing existing music heard in the films. Two short films that tie into the series have also been released, while a female centered spin-off is also in development.
The series has been commercially successful and generally positively received. The Fast and the Furious is Universal's biggest franchise of all time, and currently ranks as the ninth-highest-grossing film series of all time with a combined gross of over $5 billion.[1] The series has also been the focus of other media, including attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood, live shows, commercials, many video games, and toys. It is also considered the vehicle which propelled lead actors Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to stardom.[2]
In early 2000, actor Paul Walker had wrapped up filming on The Skulls with director Rob Cohen. Cohen secured a deal with producer Neal H. Moritz for an untitled action film for Universal Pictures,[3] and approached Walker for his idea of a dream action movie, with the actor suggesting a mash-up of the films Days of Thunder (1990) and Donnie Brasco (1997).[3] Soon thereafter, Cohen and Moritz brought him a Vibe magazine article published in May 1998, which detailed an undercover street racing circuit operating in New York City, and suggested a story that was to be a re-imagined version of the film Point Break (1991), but set to follow Walker as an undercover cop tasked with infiltrating the world of underground street racing in Los Angeles.[3] Upon hearing this, Walker signed on immediately; finding his co-star proved more difficult. The studio warmed toward the idea of Timothy Olyphant in the role of Dominic Toretto, due to the success of the blockbuster Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), but he declined. Moritz instead persisted on Vin Diesel following his performance in Pitch Black (2000), with Diesel accepting after proposing several script changes. Upon release in June 2001, the film shattered box office and critical expectations, and a 2002 sequel was green-lit by September.[4][5]
However, Diesel declined to return for the sequel, who cited the screenplay was inferior compared to that of its predecessor. Cohen also declined the sequel, opting to develop the film xXx (2002), which starred Diesel in the lead role. To account for these changes, Universal commissioned the writers to create a standalone sequel with Walker in the lead, and brought in John Singleton as the new director. As a result, filming was delayed by a year, and Tyrese Gibson, who worked with Singleton on the film Baby Boy (2001), was hired as Walker's new co-star. Furthermore, the production location shifted to Miami, and was also the first entry in the series to feature long-running cast-mate Ludacris. Upon release, 2 Fast 2 Furious was relatively commercially unsuccessful and suffered poor critical reception; Walker soon announced his departure from the franchise, citing politics, studio interference, and regime decisions.[3]
Universal attempted to bring back Diesel for the third installment, but he again declined due to other projects and a dislike for the script.[6] As a result of failing to secure the returns of any of the original cast, Universal ordered a reboot of the franchise. Screenwriter Chris Morgan subsequently attempted to revive the series primarily for car enthusiasts, with new characters, focusing on a car-related subculture, and moving the series to Tokyo; the city is considered the birthplace of Asiatic cars. It is also the first film in the series to start its tradition of filming in exotic locations.[7][8] Moritz returned and hired director Justin Lin, who was impressed with Lin's work for the film Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), with the film sharing similar elements to Tokyo Drift. Moreover, the series were able to bring Diesel in for a cameo appearance, in exchange for the actor's production company to acquire the rights to the Riddick character.[9][10] The third movie was the least financially successful of the franchise, received lukewarm reception, and left the future of the franchise in limbo.[11]
Away from the franchise, Diesel had made a string of box office or critical flops, including The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), The Pacifier (2005), and Find Me Guilty (2006). After discussions with Universal, the pair shared an interest in reviving the series.[11] After signing Diesel and confirming the return of Lin, Universal worked to track the first film's original co-stars, and re-signed Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster in mid-2008.[11] Walker was initially reluctant to rejoin the franchise after six years, but Diesel assured him that film would be considered the first 'true' sequel.[3] Morgan returned to write after the critical praise for the character Han Lue. Given the death of the character in the third movie, the entire timeline of the franchise was altered to account for his appearance.[6] Considered a soft reboot as emphasis on car culture was toned down, the fourth movie was a relative critical and unilateral commercial success. It reinvigorated the franchise, as well as the star power of Diesel and Walker.
In 2011, Fast Five was released. While developing the film, Universal wholeheartedly departed from the street racing theme prevalent in previous films, to transform the franchise into a heist action series involving cars. By doing so, they hoped to attract wider audiences that might otherwise be put off by a heavy emphasis on cars and car culture. Fast Five is considered the transitional film in the series, featuring only one car race and giving more attention to action set pieces such as gun fights, brawls, and the heist. Fast Five was initially conceived to wrap up the franchise, but following strong box office performance and high critical praise, Universal proceeded to develop a sixth installment.[12] Furthermore, the film is noted for the addition of Dwayne Johnson to the cast, whose performance was critically praised.[13][14][15]
In late 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported that Universal was approaching the sixth and seventh installment with a single storyline running through both films, with Morgan envisaging themes of freedom and family,[16] but later shifted to account for the studio's wishes to incorporate elements of espionage. However, Lin revealed that he had, after discussions with Diesel, storyboarded, previsualized, and began editing a twelve-minute finale for Fast Six, before filming was completed on Fast Five. Discussions were also made to shoot the films back-to-back, in order to break the traditional the two year gap between installments, but was avoided at Lin's request. Upon release, the sixth film became the highest-grossing film in the series.
Universal lacked a major event movie for 2014, and quickly rushed Furious 7 Play battle chess free. into production, due to its status as a bankable asset. As a result, Lin decided not to return to direct the seventh film, as he was still performing post-production on Fast & Furious 6. James Wan, predominately known for horror films, soon took over directorial duties.[17] Pre-production began in mid-2013, however, during filming, Walker died in a single-vehicle crash on November 30, 2013, with filming only half-completed. Following Walker's death, filming was delayed for script rewrites, and his brothers, Caleb and Cody, were used as stand-ins to complete his remaining scenes.[18] These script rewrites completed the story arcs for both Walker and Brewster's characters, which were subsequently retired. Additionally, visual effects company Weta Digital was hired to re-create Walker's likeness. Ultimately, the film was delayed, and released in April 2015.[19]
The toll of directing the movie with additional re-shoots forced Wan not to return to the franchise, with Universal hiring F. Gary Gray to helm the eighth movie. The film began a new trilogy of movies, which will end the entire franchise.[20][21] Universal later announced that final two films will be released on May 2020 and April 2021, with Lin returning to direct.[22] It was also announced that Brewster would reprise her role, and screenwriter Daniel Casey was hired for the ninth film, making it the first film since Tokyo Drift not to be written by Morgan.[23] Pre-production began in February 2019 in London,[24] and filming is expected to begin in May or early June.[25]
In 2015, Diesel announced in an interview with Variety that potential spin-offs were in the early stages of development.[26][27] In 2019, Diesel also announced a film that will focus on the female characters from the Fast & Furious, and mentioned that there are a total of three spin-off films currently in development. Nicole Perlman, Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet will serve as co-screenwriters on the project.[28]
The first spin-off was officially announced in 2018, and starred Johnson and Jason Statham.[29] In late 2017, Variety reported Morgan had wrote the script,[30] while David Leitch would direct. Originally, the ninth film in the main series was supposed to be released in April 2019, followed by the tenth in April 2021. However, Universal instead opted to proceed with the spin-off, and ordered it to occupy the 2019 release date. This caused tensions between Johnson, Diesel and Gibson,[31] with the latter responding through an Instagram post, criticizing Johnson for causing the ninth film to be delayed.[29] In October 2018, long-term producer Neal H. Moritz filed a lawsuit against Universal Pictures for breach of oral contract and committed promissory fraud after the distributor removed him as lead producer for Hobbs & Shaw. Furthermore, it was revealed in May 2019 that Universal dropped Moritz from all future Fast & Furious installments.[32]
In April 2016, DreamWorks Animation were acquired by NBCUniversal for $3.8 billion, with the acquisition including a first look deal with the company to produce animated film and series based on or with films under the Universal Pictures banner. In April 2018, streaming service Netflix green-lit the series Fast & Furious: Spy Racers, with Bret Haaland, Diesel, Tim Hedrick, Moritz, and Morgan set to be the executive producers, while Hedrick and Haaland are expected to act as showrunners.
Film | Release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Main series | |||||
The Fast and the Furious | June 22, 2001 | Rob Cohen | Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist and David Ayer | Neal H. Moritz | Released |
2 Fast 2 Furious | June 6, 2003 | John Singleton | Michael Brandt and Derek Haas | ||
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | June 16, 2006 | Justin Lin | Chris Morgan | ||
Fast & Furious | April 3, 2009 | Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel and Michael Fottrell | |||
Fast Five | April 29, 2011 | ||||
Fast & Furious 6 | May 24, 2013 | Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel and Clayton Townsend | |||
Furious 7 | April 3, 2015 | James Wan | Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel and Michael Fottrell | ||
The Fate of the Furious | April 14, 2017 | F. Gary Gray | Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell and Chris Morgan | ||
Untitled ninth film | May 22, 2020 | Justin Lin | Daniel Casey | Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell and Chris Morgan | Pre-production |
Untitled tenth film | April 2, 2021 | TBA | |||
Spin-off series | |||||
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw | August 2, 2019 | David Leitch | Chris Morgan | Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Jason Statham and Chris Morgan[33] | Post-production |
Untitled female-centered film | TBA | TBA | Nicole Perlman, Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet | Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell and Chris Morgan | In development |
Series | Season | Episodes | First released | Last released | Showrunner(s) | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fast & Furious: Spy Racers | 1 | TBA | TBA | TBA | Tim Hedrick and Bret Haaland | In development |
Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter | Producer | Home media release |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious | June 3, 2003 | Philip G. Atwell | Keith Dinielli | Chris Palladino | The Fast and the Furious 2 Fast 2 Furious |
Los Bandoleros | July 28, 2009 | Vin Diesel | Diesel and T.J. Mancini | Diesel, Jessy Terrero and Samantha Vincent | Fast & Furious |
The short films were either released direct-to-video or saw limited theatrical distribution by Universal. They were mostly included as special features for The Fast and the Furious (2001), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), and Fast & Furious (2009), as part of the DVD releases. The films, which range from 10 to 20 minutes, are designed to be self-contained stories that provide backstory for characters or events introduced in the films. It is also designed to bridge the chronological gap that was created as the initial leads departed the series.
The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) sees Paul Walker reprise his role as Brian O'Conner, and details his escape from Los Angeles and avoidance of law enforcement, which culminates in his eventual arrival to Miami. Los Bandoleros (2009) sees Vin Diesel reprise his role as Dominic Toretto, who is living as a wanted fugitive in the Dominican Republic. He eventually reunites with Letty and other associates to plan the hijacking of a gasoline shipment to help an impoverished neighborhood.
List indicator(s)
This section shows characters who will appear or have appeared in multiple The Fast and the Furious films, and related media.
Character | Feature films | Television series | Short films |
---|---|---|---|
Dominic Toretto | Vin Diesel | Vin Diesel | |
Brian O'Conner | Paul Walker | Paul Walker | |
Leticia Ortiz | Michelle Rodriguez | Michelle Rodriguez | |
Luke Hobbs | Dwayne Johnson | ||
Mia Toretto | Jordana Brewster | ||
Sean Boswell | Lucas Black | ||
Roman Pearce | Tyrese Gibson | ||
Tej Parker | Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges | ||
Han Lue | Sung Kang | Sung Kang | |
Gisele Yashar | Gal Gadot |
Film | The Fast and the Furious (2001) | 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) | The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) | Fast & Furious (2009) | Fast Five (2011) | Fast & Furious 6 (2013) | Furious 7 (2015) | The Fate of the Furious (2017) | Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Composer | BT | David Arnold | Brian Tyler | Lucas Vidal | Brian Tyler | Tyler Bates | |||
Cinematographer(s) | Ericson Core | Matthew F. Leonetti | Stephen F. Windon | Amir Mokri | Stephen F. Windon | Stephen F. Windon Marc Spicer | Stephen F. Windon | Jonathan Sela | |
Editor(s) | Peter Honess | Bruce Cannon Dallas Puett | Kelly Matsumoto Dallas Puett Fred Raskin | Christian Wagner Fred Raskin | Kelly Matsumoto Fred Raskin Christian Wagner | Christian Wagner Kelly Matsumoto Dylan Highsmith Greg D'Auria Leigh Folsom Boyd | Christian Wagner Leigh Folsom Boyd Dylan Highsmith Kirk M. Morri | Christian Wagner Paul Rubell | TBA |
Costume designer(s) | Sanja Milkovic Hays | Sanja Milcovic Hays Marlene Stewart | TBA | ||||||
Production designer | Waldemar Kalinowski | Keith Brian Burns | Ida Random | Peter Wenham | Jan Roelfs | Bill Brzeski | TBA |
Title | U.S. release date | Length | Composer(s) | Label |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Fast and the Furious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | June 5, 2001 | 72:13 | Murder Inc. Def Jam Recordings Universal | |
More Fast and Furious | December 18, 2001 | 47:32 | Island | |
2 Fast 2 Furious: Soundtrack | May 27, 2003 | 42:29 | Def Jam South Disturbing Tha Peace | |
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | June 27, 2006 | 38:29 | Brian Tyler, Pharrell Williams, and Dr. Dre | Varèse Sarabande |
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Original Motion Picture Score) | June 27, 2006 | 64:10 | Brian Tyler | Varèse Sarabande Universal |
Fast & Furious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | March 31, 2009 | 44:01 | Justin Lin, Neal H. Moritz, and Pharrell Williams | Star Trak Entertainment Interscope |
Fast & Furious (Original Motion Picture Score) | March 31, 2009 | 78:11 | Brian Tyler | Varèse Sarabande |
Fast Five (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | April 25, 2011 | 50:48 | ABKCO | |
Fast Five: Original Motion Picture Score | April 26, 2011 | 77:52 | Brian Tyler | Varèse Sarabande |
Fast & Furious 6 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | May 17, 2013 | 50:18 | Def Jam Recordings | |
Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | March 17, 2015 | 60:05 | Atlantic | |
Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Score | March 31, 2015 | 76:42 | Brian Tyler | Back Lot |
The Fate of the Furious: The Album | April 14, 2017 | 49:50 | APG Atlantic Universal | |
The Fate of the Furious: Original Motion Picture Score | April 28, 2017 | 77:16 | Brian Tyler | Back Lot |
Title | U.S. release date | Length | Artist(s) | Label |
---|---|---|---|---|
'Tokyo Drift' | June 7, 2006 | 4:51 | Teriyaki Boyz | Star Trak Entertainment |
'How We Roll (Fast Five Remix)' | January 4, 2010 | 3:56 | Don Omar, J-Doe, Reek da Villian, and Busta Rhymes | ABKCO |
'Danza Kuduro' | August 15, 2010 | 3:19 | Don Omar and Lucenzo | |
'We Own It' | June 12, 2013 | 3:47 | 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa | Def Jam |
'Bandoleros'[a] | June 12, 2013 | 3:15 | Don Omar | |
'Ride Out' | February 17, 2015 | 3:31 | Kid Ink, Tyga, Wale, YG, and Rich Homie Quan | Atlantic |
'How Bad Do You Want It (Oh Yeah)' | February 23, 2015 | 3:44 | Sevyn Streeter | |
'See You Again' | March 10, 2015 | 3:49 | Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth | |
'Hey Ma' | March 10, 2017 | 3:14 | J Balvin, Pitbull, and Camila Cabello | APG Atlantic Universal |
'Good Life' | March 17, 2017 | 3:45 | G-Eazy and Kehlani | |
'Gang Up' | March 24, 2017 | 3:51 | Young Thug, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, and PnB Rock |
After the release of Tokyo Drift in 2006, Universal began to market the franchise by introducing theme park attractions. From 2006 to 2013, an exhibit, entitled The Fast and the Furious: Extreme Close-Up, was shown at the Studio Tour, and featured a demonstration of some of the special effects used the films, and guided viewers to a show where they could sit in vehicles, which would then be elevated and spun a number of times.[34][35][36][37]
A new exhibit opened in 2015 at Universal Studios Hollywood titled Fast & Furious: Supercharged. After being guided past the black Dodge Charger used in the fifth film, users sit on a tram guided by Luke Hobbs, who informs them a high-valued witness sought after by Owen Shaw is on the tram. A subsequent chase sequence ensues, led by Roman Pearce, Letty Ortiz, and Dominic Toretto. The cast appear via a Pepper's ghost hologram.[38][39] Another exhibit, also of the same name, opened in Universal Orlando in 2018,[40] with the Floridian version being a stand-alone ride, although it incorporates memorabilia from the films for the queue. It also features the characters of Tej Parker and Mia Toretto.[41]
In 2018, Universal announced the Fast & Furious Live tour. It is a group of live shows which combines stunt driving, pyrotechnics, and projection mapping to recreate scenes from the films and perform other stunts. During production, thousands of stunt performers and drivers auditioned and were required to undergo a 4-month training camp if selected.[42] Additionally, parkour athletes, and stunts requiring both drivers and parkour practitioners, also featured.[43]
Fast & Furious Live had two preview shows between January 11–12, 2018 at Liverpool's Echo Arena, before officially beginning a European tour a week later.
The following list is sourced from the tour's website.
Date | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Europe | |||||
January 19, 2018 | London | England | O2 Arena | ||
January 20, 2018 | |||||
January 26, 2018 | Antwerp | Belgium | Sportpaleis | ||
January 27, 2018 | |||||
January 28, 2018 | |||||
February 2, 2018 | Turin | Italy | Pala Alpitour | ||
February 3, 2018 | |||||
February 4, 2018 | |||||
February 9, 2018 | Vienna | Austria | Wiener Stadthalle | ||
February 10, 2018 | |||||
February 11, 2018 | |||||
February 16, 2018 | Munich | Germany | Olympiahalle | ||
February 17, 2018 | |||||
February 18, 2018 | |||||
February 24, 2018 | Arnhem | The Netherlands | Gelredome | ||
February 25, 2018 | |||||
March 2, 2018 | Cologne | Germany | Lanxess Arena | ||
March 3, 2018 | |||||
March 4, 2018 | |||||
March 9, 2018 | Montpellier | France | Park&Suites Arena | ||
March 10, 2018 | |||||
March 11, 2018 | |||||
March 16, 2018 | Lisbon | Portugal | Altice Arena | ||
March 17, 2018 | |||||
April 6, 2018 | Newcastle | England | Metro Radio Arena | ||
April 7, 2018 | |||||
April 8, 2018 | |||||
April 13, 2018 | Manchester | Manchester Arena | |||
April 14, 2018 | |||||
April 15, 2018 | |||||
April 20, 2018 | Birmingham | Arena Birmingham | |||
April 21, 2018 | |||||
April 22, 2018 | |||||
April 27, 2018 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | SSE Arena | ||
April 28, 2018 | |||||
April 29, 2018 | |||||
May 4, 2018 | Sheffield | England | FlyDSA Arena | ||
May 5, 2018 | |||||
May 6, 2018 | |||||
May 11, 2018 | Glasgow | Scotland | SSE Hydro | ||
May 12, 2018 | |||||
May 13, 2018 | |||||
May 18, 2018 | Zürich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion | ||
May 19, 2018 | |||||
May 20, 2018 | |||||
May 25, 2018 | Stockholm | Sweden | Ericsson Globe | ||
May 26, 2018 | |||||
May 27, 2018 | |||||
June 1, 2018 | Oslo | Norway | Telenor Arena | ||
June 2, 2018 | |||||
June 3, 2018 | |||||
June 8, 2018 | Helsinki | Finland | Hartwall Arena | ||
June 9, 2018 | |||||
June 10, 2018 | |||||
June 15, 2018 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Royal Arena | ||
June 16, 2018 | |||||
June 17, 2018 | |||||
June 22, 2018 | Berlin | Germany | Mercedes-Benz Arena | ||
June 23, 2018 | |||||
June 24, 2018 | |||||
June 29, 2018 | Paris | France | AccorHotels Arena | ||
June 30, 2018 | |||||
July 1, 2018 |
After the primary leg of the tour concluded, Fast & Furious Live was extended in September 2018 for five additional shows, with two encore shows held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from September 7-8, a show at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on September 15, and two shows at the O2 Arena in Prague from September 21-22.
The Fast and the Furious has also spawned several racing video games tied into the series, or has served as inspiration for other games playable on various systems. The arcade game The Fast and the Furious (known as Wild Speed in Japan) was released by Raw Thrills in 2004,[44] and was based on the second installment. In 2006, the game The Fast and the Furious was released for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, and drew heavy inspiration from Tokyo Drift. The game sold moderately and opened to mixed reviews.
Notably, several games have been released for mobile gaming, with a number available for iOS and Android devices, with the unlicensed tie-ins The Fast and the Furious: Pink Slip, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious: Adrenaline. For the sixth installment, Universal helped develop an official tie-in titled Fast & Furious 6: The Game, and also aided development for Fast & Furious Legacy.
In 2013, Fast & Furious: Showdown was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. It marked the second game available for mainstream consoles, and the player controls multiple characters to help bridge the narrative gap between the fifth and sixth film. It opened to negative reviews and middling financial success.[45] Also, various cars, locations and characters from the series have also appeared in the Facebook-specific game Car Town.
In 2015, in a deal with Microsoft Studios, a standalone expansion of Forza Horizon 2 for Xbox One and Xbox 360 was released titled Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious. It was released to promote Furious 7, and received generally positive reception, although, some critics lamented the limited involvement from the titular characters.[46] In 2017, vehicular soccer game Rocket League released a downloadable content (DLC) pack in promotion for The Fate of the Furious, where gamers would be able to purchase the Dodge Charger from the film as well as its exclusive wheels, and six other new customizations.[47]
In 2002, RadioShack stocked and sold ZipZaps micro RC versions of the cars from the first film,[48] while diecast metal manufacturer Racing Champions released replicas of cars from the first two installments in different scales from 1/18 to 1/64, in 2004.[49]
AMT Ertl rivaled the cars released by Racing Champion by producing 1/24-scale plastic model kits of the hero cars in 2004, while Johnny Lightning, under the JL Full Throttle Brand, released 1/64 and 1/24 models of the cars from Tokyo Drift. These models were designed by renowned diecast designer Eric Tscherne. In 2011, Universal licensed the company Greenlight to sell model cars from all films in anticipation for Fast Five.[50] Since 2013, Hot Wheels has released 1/64 models of every car from and since the sixth installment.[51]
In 2001, it might have seemed impossible that the a $40 million racing movie starring the guy from The Skulls would go on to spawn a franchise featuring eight installments and multiple Academy Award winners. And yet, as surely as a NOS button will speed a car across a finish line, that is exactly what’s happened. This week’s Fate of the Furious is the biggest installment yet, but does that make it the best? In addition to the obviously astounding action sequences, there are a lot of emotional intangibles that make a Fast and Furious movie a Fast and Furious movie. So, after watching all eight speedy and enraged films and factoring in things like critical reception, box-office performance, heartstrings pulled, lessons imparted, and significance to the franchise, we’ve created this ranking of Fast and Furious movies.
8. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
Consider 2 Fast the weird adolescent period of the franchise. Vin Diesel skipped it, and with Brian (Paul Walker) suddenly living in Florida, that meant no Mia (Jordana Brewster) or Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) either. Tyrese and Ludacris would eventually join the franchise and become worthy additions to the Family, but in their first appearance they make the movie feel more like a spinoff than a linear progression. 2 Fast kind of works now as an origin story for those two jokers, but the setting and the pseudo-love story all feel like filler until the main thread of the universe picks back up again. Look, any Fast and Furious movie is going to be fun to watch, and listening to Tyrese and Luda deliver hammy one-liners is a great time, but the best part about 2 Fast is that it convinced Vin Diesel he needed to come back to the franchise.
7. Fast & Furious (2009)
Fast and Furious fares better with a rewatch than it did on initial viewing, but that’s probably because you already know the franchise revives itself in subsequent entries. At the time it mostly made you wonder, Is this all they’ve got left? Paul Walker looks flat-out tired for most of the fourth movie, and killing off Letty just makes Dom and Brian and Mia sad. Watching Brian still try to stay on the right side of the law gets a bit tedious when you know he’s an outlaw at heart. Fast & Furious does give us Gal Gadot, which is great, but the fourth movie is otherwise merely a bridge to what would come next. At least Mia finally got to be a getaway driver.
6. Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
The best-kept secret in the whole Fast universe is that Tokyo Drift is actually pretty great! The concept needed a reset after the band got broken up in 2 Fast, so the series went to study abroad in Japan for a semester. Lucas Black and Bow Wow star in what’s basically an action-powered light drama about high-school outsiders. Drift is mostly indispensable for introducing Sung Kang’s Han, and his death in the movie serves as a sort of prologue for Furious 7. Much like Fast & Furious, Drift is improved by the way the franchise grew up after it. So thanks for the memories, Tokyo.
5. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Vulture’s Emily Yoshida says Fate is “weighed down by its own muscle,” and it’s easy to see why: It’s the first installment made completely without Walker, and the movie struggles to find an emotional center without him. Instead, there’s a circle-the-wagons approach that brings back almost every living character who has passed through the Fast family, and it’s these guest stars — particularly Jason Statham, who has a wonderful sequence with a baby — who lift Fate of the Furious when it starts to drag. The dynamic between the primary players is so ingrained it works like clockwork by now, and if Dom and Letty and the rest of the Family become some kind of Impossible Mission Force overseen by Russell’s Mr. Nobody, well, that’s a Furious future worth exploring.
4. Furious 7 (2015)
This movie shouldn’t have even been possible. Vin Diesel and the Rock and Jason Statham and Kurt Russell and Ronda Rousey and the entire principal Fast cast all in the same movie? And it was awesome instead of a bloated catastrophe? Unreal. Furious 7 is a case study in a movie’s writers having an ethos of “and …” instead of “or …” No fantasy is left unfulfilled here. Dom and Brian drive a car from one skyscraper to another — through the air. Michelle Rodriguez even wages her fight scene in a ball gown, if that’s what you’d been waiting for. Did we mention Kurt Russell isthere? But for all their bombast, the sneakily most enduring thing about these movies is how much we’ve come to care for the cast over the years. The ending of Furious 7 — in which a digital Paul Walker gives one last sun-dappled smile before driving off to heaven in a white car — could have easily felt exploitative, but it’s so big and so heartfelt that it’s a perfect cinematic moment. Who doesn’t dream of getting the chance to good-bye to a lost friend one last time?
3. Fast Five (2011)
After Fast & Furious, things were looking a little bleak for the franchise. Fast Five was a go-for-broke attempt that would either rejuvenate the Fast films or be their death knell. Fortunately, it was very much the former. Five juiced up the franchise by abandoning car races in favor of a series of ever more elaborate heists, and became the first in the series to make more than $200 million at the domestic box office. (It also earned the strongest critical reviews for the series to that point.) And Fast Five is a great action movie: Dom gives one of his signature at-the-hood-of-a-car lectures to Hobbs. The Rock shows up and fights Vin Diesel. A pair of Dodge Chargers use a giant steel safe as a wrecking ball. This is the movie that birthed the franchise we know today.
2. Fast and Furious 6 (2013)
The second and third spots on this list are so close, we had to go to the photo finish for verification. But in the famous words of Dominic Toretto, “It don’t matter whether you win by an inch or a mile. Winning’s winning.” But Furious 6 has a few key factors that push it over the top. The essential Sung Kang is still around, as is his adorable burgeoning romance with Gal Gadot’s Gisele. Michelle Rodriguez returns after being absent from most of the two previous films, and gets one of the best fight sequences in the whole series opposite MMA champion Gina Carano. (Furious 7 had Ronda Rousey, but she can’t match Carano’s brooding charisma.) The Rock joins the team, which means he gets to fight alongside Diesel, not against him. There’s also Tyrese’s tank-evading leap, and the just-the-right-amount-of-crazy moment when Dom soars over a bridge to catch Letty in midair. These are all signature scenes in the series, and they’re tied together with the goal of making the Family whole again. It ends with everyone hanging out in the Toretto backyard in L.A. for what would turn out to be the final time. There’s still no better place to close out a Fast movie than that.
1. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
While the original may not have the best execution of all the Fast movies, it’s still the purest distillation of the franchise’s soul. Rewatching The Fast and the Furious now, the movie seems almost quaint: All those tanks and submarines and flying super-cars sometimes make it easy to forget that this all started with the notion of living your life a quarter-mile at a time. Not one movie in the franchise has trafficked in irony, but the earnestness of The Fast and the Furious is still downright moving by comparison. The betrayals and the deaths hit a little bit harder because the world is only as big as the east side of Los Angeles, and seeing the entirely practical stunt work of three little Honda Civics hijacking semitrucks is still just as jaw-dropping now as it was 16 years ago. No matter how big it gets, The Fast and the Furious is still about protecting the family you’ve chosen and sticking together until the end. That groundwork was laid in the original movie, and that’s what makes it the undisputed best entry in the franchise.