On May 19 we get the latest entry in the Fast Saga, Fast X, which will be the 11th film of the franchise. In celebration, over the next two weeks, I’ll be offering my ranking of the 10 films in the franchise we’ve already got. Today, I look at No. 10 through No. 6.
No. 10: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
About: This is technically a spin-off, pairing the characters played by Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. Some loved the film, thinking it might start a series of films. Perhaps it will eventually yield a sequel, but it hasn’t so far. It just didn’t work for me. The action was OK, but I didn’t love the story or what got set up. It’s my least favorite of the franchise.
No. 9: The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift
About: There’s been a lot of work in the last three films of the franchise to bring this film back in and make it relevant. At the time of its release, it felt a bit like a tack on, though that came before we even realized there would be much of a Fast Saga. Some like the driving, and it brought Director Justin Lin in, but I don’t like the content of the film much.
No. 8: 2 Fast 2 Furious
About: The sequel which essentially tries to recapture the story without Vin Diesel. Again, there are fans of the film. I still like Paul Walker, and this is our introduction for Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson, who have become and essential part of the franchise, but I still don’t think it’s a good film. The bottom three for the franchise are quite a bit separated from the rest for me.
No. 7: The Fate of The Furious
About: This was the first full film in the franchise to come after the death of Paul Walker. His presence is sorely missed here. Sure, Charlize Theron joins the franchise and is some fun, but the heel turn for Diesel never felt right. There are some ridiculous action sequences here, too. Not The most ridiculous, but, still, they fight a submarine. It’s OK.
No. 6: F9
About: This probably features the biggest jump the shark moment, which was cars in space. I also didn’t love John Cena, who can’t fill that Walker/Johnson hole. But this felt like something of an improvement on the eighth film. So, it lands atop the bottom half of the list.
Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.
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