By Robert Bouffard

Spoilers for Fast and Furious Franchise

July 26, 2019 – 5:21 PM

Since I binged all nine X-Menmovies in one weekend and had a great time (and by great time I mean that in the two months since, I haven’t watched another superhero movie other than new release Spider-Man: Far From Home), I thought it would be a good idea to do another weekend binge. This time, though, with the Fast and Furiousseries.

I’ve only ever seen the sixth movie in this franchise, and that was because a bunch of friends were going and I wanted to hang out – I don’t remember any of it. I never really watched them because the trailers were just full of cars and girls in bathing suits, which I thought was uninteresting and inappropriate, respectively. Some people say these movies are terrible, others say they’re fun, while others are just mixed. I’m prepared for anything. Since three out of the first four movies in this series have vague titles, I just looked up whether The Fast and the Furiousor Fast and Furiousis the first one in the series.

And we’re off.

7:07 PM

I’m off to a very solid start. That movie is pure adrenaline and fun. Seeing Brian and Dom come to respect one another by the end is what drives the movie, but the street racing and action is what keeps you invested. It’s pretty inconsistent in its style, but the overall experience of watching it makes up for the inconsistency. Also, I’ve heard lots of people say, “I wish this series would just get back to the street racing instead of action,” but this one was more than just a street racing movie. It’s a serviceable beginning to a franchise that sets up characters who I want to hang out with more – let’s just see if they’re good enough to hang out with for seven more movies.

The Fast and the Furious– 7/10

9:34 PM

I definitely hit a speed bump with 2 Fast 2 Furious. The last thing I said before starting it was about how great the cast of characters was. But they decided to take that – the best thing about the movie – out of the sequel. The only returning main cast member was Paul Walker’s Brian and he is not nearly good enough to carry the movie on his own, since the new supporting cast is dull and uninspiring. But the way they shoot the street races and car chases is still exciting in this movie. It makes me very disappointed to remember that my car is a little Suzuki Forenza whose doors won’t stay locked. If I was watching these movies just for fun, I’d take a little break before the next one. But I’m on a mission. I need to continue down this road until I reach the end!

2 Fast 2 Furious– 5/10

11:36 PM

This series hit the brakes real hard with Tokyo Drift. After 2 Fast 2 Furiousdidn’t utilize most of the characters I really grew to like after the first movie, Tokyo Driftdoesn’t use any of them until the very end. It’s difficult to get invested in a movie when none of the characters are compelling or interesting, and that’s what’s going on here. Also, this movie is the worst one yet in terms of gratuitously showing scantily-clad women, most of whom are given little to no agency, and some of whom are meant to be in high school. It does have some good themes, such as trusting in a person’s character, and learning from the choices you’ve made in the past, but none of them are explored. I’m just hoping the next one brings back some of the original characters.

The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift – 4/10

July 27, 2019 – 12:13 PM

After a good night’s sleep, I came back for Fast & Furious. Somehow, the first three were still profitable enough for them to go ahead and make a fourth. It’s a good thing they did, though, because this movie shows that the franchise still has something left in the tank. While it’s not quite as good as the original, it brings back the original core cast members, which gives me something to care about. The beginning made me wonder why this wasn’t just the third one with Tokyo Drift acting as a spinoff, but that doesn’t really affect the quality. This movie doesn’t have too great of a story, and all but one of the car sequences are dark, hard to follow, or both. But overall, this is still an enjoyable, character-driven movie. On to the next!

Fast & Furious– 6.5/10

3:21 PM

Fast Five comes back strong and revs its engine to show this series’ true potential. It has incredible action, a fantastic ensemble cast, and strong themes. My one problem with this movie is the way that it treats women as trophies (still) instead of people with agency. Letty’s absence really multiplies it in this film. But other than that, this movie is amazing. Its themes are solid for an action movie – it gives the characters a chance to start over and live without fear together, hammering home the idea of second chances. On top op that, it has amazing action sequences. I know it is completely ridiculous and impossible, and borderline terroristic to demolish cars and buildings with a giant safe in the streets of Rio, but that sequence is easily the most thrilling thing this franchise has put on screen yet. Every action sequence, whether it be hand to hand fights, rooftop chases, or classic street races, is an adrenaline rush, making this the best in the series so far.

Fast Five – 8/10

7:28 PM

Fast and Furious 6 keeps the series on the right road. It’s not quite as good as Fast Five, but it is still a worthy entry into the franchise. It bears the most thematic weight so far – it deals with the effect large amounts of money has on people, big life changes, wanting to feel at home, and being stronger together than alone. All the while, the action is still pretty fun. The series benefitted from moving away from just street racing and moving towards being a full on action franchise whose characters love cars. Its climactic set piece isn’t quite as enticing this time around, but the whole of the movie puts it in the top third of the series. I have to admit, though – even though I’m enjoying these, I’m trying not to let the series burn me out. I know the next one is Paul Walker’s last, and that will bear a heavy burden for sure.

Fast and Furious 6 – 7/10

11:41 PM

This whole time, I’ve been saying that what draws me to these movies is the group dynamic. I wished that the series would have ended after Furious 7, because it perfectly tied everything up. That is what I loved most about this movie. After spending so much time with these characters, the ending montage and voice over regarding Paul Walker’s death hit pretty hard. It was a perfect in memoriam for the man who was the heart of the series. Overall, this movie helps the series maintain a consistent speed – it is mostly very enjoyable with some very cool action scenes. It’s obvious that they are just trying to one up themselves with every movie, though the God’s Eye bringing in the theme of technology was just a bit too far-reaching. In the end, though, I think this is my second favorite of the series, due to the ending alone.

Furious 7 – 7/10

July 28, 2019 – 10:34 AM

I crossed the finish line this morning on a rather sour note with The Fate of the Furious. This movie had a completely different feel from the rest of the series without Paul Walker. The tone was farther off, and it felt less and less like a street racing movie. I finally understood why people say the series has changed since the beginning. The storyline didn’t make much sense and Dom’s motivations were paper thin the entire way through. Throughout the series, the saving grace of each movie has been the action sequences. There is nothing nearly as thrilling as a car flying across huge skyscrapers or dragging a safe through the streets – even a sequence of a group of cars outrunning a submarine is just too ludicrous. It probably should have ended with Furious 7.

Fate of the Furious – 6/10

After watching this entire movie franchise for the first time, I liked it more than I thought I would. If there were fewer deus ex machina moments, fewer intentionally titillating shots of women in skimpy clothes, and if the story was less testosterone-fueled, I would have liked it more overall. Because the action is super fun and I enjoy being part of this family.

Now bring on Hobbs and Shaw!