The Fast and the Furious films ranked (1-8)
The Fast and the Furious franchise released its 8th film last weekend. The franchise has certainly had its ups and downs over the years so here are my rankings of every Fast and Furious movie from Best to Worst.
Furious 7 (2015, dir. James Wan)- I’ll admit it, I cried in Furious 7. This movie was all about saying goodbye to Paul Walker, who tragically died before the movie was finished. Not only did they say goodbye perfectly at the end, but they kept the movie light, fun and action packed thought the entire film. When I think of this film not only do I think of Paul Walker but also the fun I had watching them drop cars out of planes. A great film and the most emotional of the franchise. A
The Fast and the Furious (2001, dir. Rob Cohen)- The film is started it all is still fantastic. Before all the big stunts, explosions and international heists, this film is purely about the characters, the cars and the races. My favorite thing about this movie is that there is so much involving actual street races where as the franchise now mostly focuses on the heists. It’s always refreshing to see where the characters we love got started and take the franchise back to its core. A
Fast Five (2011, dir. Justin Lin)- This film may be ridiculous but it is so much fun. Not only do ‘The Rock’ and Vin Diesel fight it out but the climax of the film, involving the gang dragging a giant safe through the streets of Rio is just plain awesome. There is also a great twist at the ending that I did not see coming. Great fun in a beautiful city with a twist. A-
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006, dir. Justin Lin) although this film doesn’t star Paul Walker or Vin Diesel it is a solid addition to the franchise. The film is set in Tokyo and focuses on the racing (and the drifting) there. Han (Sung Kang) is really what makes this film link to the others in the franchise. Just a blast watching sleek cars speed and drift their way through Tokyo. B+
The Fate of the Furious (2017, dir. F. Gary Grey) it’s tough to continue a franchise without one of the main stars, however the Fast franchise is no stranger to it. The eighth installment continues at full speed without Paul Walker (although his presence is certainly felt at times). Starts with a great car race that reminds of how the franchise started and ends with a submarine, and some massive explosions. It’s a lot of mindless fun and will certainly hold your interest thought the film. Everything we’ve come to expect from the franchise, but nothing more. B
Fast and Furious 6 (2013, dir. Justin Lin) this film really doesn’t stand out much from the rest of the franchise. Luke Evans makes a great villain for the gang but other than that, this film is nothing too special. The only notable thing is that it truly links Tokyo Drift to the rest of the franchise thanks to cameo by Jason Stathem to set up the next film. B-
Fast and the Furious (2009. dir. Justin Lin) This film once again doesn’t stand out much except for the fact that they kill Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). But she never truly ever seems gone, maybe because she comes back in another movie. This is the closest thing to a reboot the franchise ever had, and although it has some fun parts, is a little boring and is one of the weaker films of the franchise. C
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003, dir. John Singleton) Paul Walker attempts to continue the franchise on his own in the second installment as he teams up with Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Eva Mendes. Sound good? It’s not. This is definitely the weakest film of the franchise. The story is way too weak and cheesy to even be considered fun. It just drags. F
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Swayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewater, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, NathalieEmmanuel, Gal Gadot, Jason Stathem, Luke Evans, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron
