Who in the world would’ve thought that the Fast & Furious series would have eleven installments up to this point? This is a franchise that has come a long way from it’s traditional street racing days and now acts as some of the biggest and dumbest actions films ever made. Everyone has their own opinion of which days of Vin Diesel and crew that they prefer. As I mentioned in my review for Fast X, if it wasn’t the original The Fast and the Furious that got you into the series, then it was likely Fast Five that did just that. Because of that, opinions on the series’ quality and decline certainly differs from one generational fan to another. That’s why there’s a good chance my ranking won’t match with yours. Regardless, let’s rank these crazy films from worst to best!
11.) F9
This is the installment that basically redefining jumping the shark by having a sequence where it had it’s characters literally jump out in OUTER SPACE WHILE IN A CAR! F9 is the movie that took every known component that F&F was known up to this point and cranked it up to 11! The result was a mindless and proudly stupid film that constantly reminds you how mindless and proudly stupid it is. You have action sequences that have no tender to reality, characters that are brought back but giving nothing to do, and the whole family dynamic that has been the driving force of the series is abandoned, with Dom having a brother this whole time that he literally threw out of his life and pretended never existed. There’s jumping the shark and there’s whatever the hell F9 is! If this wasn’t a sign that the franchise had lost it’s heart and soul, then I really don’t want to know what is.
10.) 2 Fast 2 Furious
The one entry that put the full spotlight on Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner and Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce is unfortunately one of the weakest in the franchise. Most of the fun and personality that carried the best F&F movies and even some of the worst ones is just not present here. The racing sequences fall flat and don’t hold a candle to the original, the villain is a complete joke, the plot is silly beyond words, and the film’s overreliance on weird Dutch angels gets distracting the longer it goes on. While it’s no longer the worst in the franchise since it at least doesn’t get so ridiculous that it’s insulting to the human brain, 2 Fast 2 Furious is best left ignored.
9.) The Fate of the Furious
The first post-Furious 7 flick that showcased the lack of creativity that this franchise has remaining and the amount of staying power it no longer contains. These movies were slowly starting to flirt with the amount of ridiculousness contained within itself that was clearly not going to carry over well with future entries. What makes it stick out more like a sore thumb here is the needlessly self-serious tone along with putting too much emphasis on constant timeline retcons, bizarre character reveals, and predictable outcomes. You also have Jason Statham feeling like a completely different character from the last movie, Charlize Theron (A.K.A Furious herself) cast in a F&F movie but doesn’t even get to drive a car, and the tone-deaf name reveal of Dom’s son named Brian. While not without some enjoyable moments, The Fate of the Furious was the sign of this series had been stuck in neutral.
8.) Fast X
Fast X is not the worst entry in this franchise but it definitely feels like the most tired one. It’s pretty much a statement that this series has lost the pride and heart that it once have and has literally become the parody that it was previously avoiding or poking fun at. Jason Momoa carries the whole thing with his charismatic performance as the new evil baddie in the series and there’s a few fine characters moments and action beats here and there but there is just no reason to care about anything that’s going on in this series anymore because whatever happens where, it will likely be retconned by the next film. For those who are still on board and don’t care about effective stakes and consequences in these movies, you will likely get your money’s worth and still be entertained. For everyone else, just get out of the car while you still can. It’s better than 8 and 9 but that’s not really much of a race to win.
7.) Fast & Furious
The bizarrely titled Fast & Furious (which I actually thought was suppose to be the first one based on the title when I first binged these movies) is the one that basically resembled the end of one road and the beginning of another. Acting as a bridge between the street racing flicks of the original three movies and setting the groundwork for Fast Five and onwards, this was one of the last movies in the series where we see the Fast Family acting more like mortal human beings who have to deal with the consequences of their past. Just a shame of outside of those elements along with the supposed death of Letty (which would get retcon two movies later), there’s nothing much that stands out as being particularly memorable about Fast & Furious. It’s harmless enough but not one you will find yourself going back to outside of potential future binging.
6.) Hobbs & Shaw
This is probably the only one chapter of the post-Paul Walker era that I found enjoyment in. Yes, it’s just as crazy and over-the-top as those recent films and I still don’t buy Jason Statham being portrayed as a suppose “good guy” now but that’s forgivable because of how well done the action scenes are and the Rock and Statham just have perfect chemistry whenever they are on screen together. Idris Elba makes for one entertaining bad guy as basically “Black Superman” and Vanessa Kirby blends in very well with the rest of the rose gallery of badass women in the series (even if Eiza Gonzalez could have been given more to do). It may not be necessary but Hobbs & Shaw is able to deliver what it says on the box quite well without trying to convince you it’s something else entirely.
5.) The Fast and the Furious
The one that started it all is the most unapologetic Point Break knock-off out there and somehow managed to be a better Point Break remake than the actual turd remake that somehow made it’s way to theaters in 2015. While this franchise has certainly come a long way in the best and worst ways, it’s odd to look back when these films were about street racers boosting DVD players as it made things more focused with clear cut goals to deliver straight forward racing flicks with a limited budget and runtime. Similar to the very first X-Men and Harry Potter, while it’s reputation is higher than it’s actual quality along with playing more like a “proof of concept” than an actual film, The Fast and the Furious works well as a one-and-done racing/crime melodrama that requires no homework whatsoever to understand and enjoy.
4.) Fast & Furious 6
Coming off the series’ high of Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6 was always gonna have tough shoes to fill. Even if it doesn’t quite measure up, it’s still a lot of fun to watch Justin Lin try to top himself with even more action-heavy stunts this time around and a stronger focus on being a heist thriller. Despite coming off an entry where it felt like everything paid off big time for the whole crew, this is still able to give each member of the Fast Family something to do and their own moment to shine. While this did introduces tropes that would later come back to prior future sequels with resurrecting dead characters and defying internal logic, it still holds together well because there’s still legit stakes throughout and the family dynamics still feel real. This is probably the one F&F movie I always put on whenever I need a good fun time without thinking too much about it.
3.) Furious 7
Acting as the beginning of the end of the F&F franchise as we know it, Furious 7 existing at all feels like a miracle. What makes it even more of a miracle is that it works all despite having everything going against them with the tragic passing of Paul Walker. This acts well as being the final chapter of the successful self-parody era of this franchise along with delivering an ending that’s such an all-timer and perfect send-off for Brian O’Connor that it should have been the end to this franchise. It’s a shame that The Rock gets pushed to the wayside this time around and this was when the series was starting to get so ridiculous that people were beginning to get very annoyed by it. Warts and all, James Wan is still able to deliver the great stunts and action where it counts the most while giving the Fast Family a nice send off that would have worked well as a satisfying conclusion to this franchise. It might be an easy movie to nitpick to death but considering all the circumstances surrounding the production, Furious 7 is a marvelous achievement that deserves all the credit in the world.
2.) The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
There are two kinds of people in the world: those that get Tokyo Drift and those that do not. Considering that this is #2 on the list, you probably know which group I fall in. Acting as a brief departure from the main series by not including 99% of the Fast crew, this was easily the best of the pre-Fast Five films because it’s makes the best use of street racing element that played the biggest key factor in the series. Setting a F&F film in Japan was such as genius choice that I’m surprised it wasn’t done from the get-go as it makes for the perfect location to provide some genuinely intense and fist-bumping racing sequences. Lucas Black may not be the best actor in the world but his character fits perfectly in the F&F universe as yet another anti-hero that’s trying to take the law into his own hands for his personal greed. Of course, this also introduced fan-favorite Hans who was so likeable they had to make the next few films actual prequels to this so they can keep him as part of the gang for a limit period of time. If there’s anyone that wants to know the appeal of this series during it’s early era, look no further than The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. When even Christopher Nolan himself is a big fan of the film, you know you’ve done something right.
1.) Fast Five
Of course, there has been no installment in this entire franchise that been able to top his one. Not only is Fast Five hands down the best F&F movie to date, it’s arguably one of the best action films of the 21st century. Every action scene, from the car chases to the hand-to-hand combat to the heist missions, is spectacularly done, the stunt work from every member of the team is so good that they all deserved an Oscar, the supporting cast is at their absolute best and most well utilized here, the family drama and tension has never been more personal, and introduces the most charismatic actor of the series that acted as the perfect “shot in the arm” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. This was the one where it felt like the whole thing came full circle, paying off four movies of ill-conceived plots and delivering a spectacular climax in the heist mission that is easily the most stand out sequence in the entire franchise. This has the right mix of everything and was able to avoid most of the series’ problems before hand and especially after. Because of all of this and more, Fast Five is the best that the Fast and Furious franchise has got and is just as good as blockbuster films can possibly get in general.
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