The Fast and the Furious Franchise Ranked

Fast X is here! It’s been 22 years since Dom and his crew burst onto the scene with Nos. Through the years the crew went through a few iterations, mainly they’d fight a bad guy and that bad guy becomes a part of the team.

It’s amazing that a Point Break rip-off became one of the biggest franchises outside of any superhero IP. Although by now Dom and co. are essentially superheroes, they don’t abide by the laws of physics just like a superhero.

I’m not here to analyze how these films became a global sensation. Instead, I am here to rank all 11 films. 22 years with 11 films, that’s a lot of Coronas and mentions of the word family.

11 - Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

This spin-off came into existence because Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel’s machismo and egos could no longer fit into the same room. So the producers decided to give Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw their own film.

Even with Idris Elba playing the “ultimate” baddie, this film is base, so base that maybe it’s falling through the basement. Every two seconds is a joke about balls.

The ending when Hobbs and Shaw figure out they work better together is unintentionally hilarious, and so dumb it belongs on a kid’s show like Dora the Explorer.

It’s a film written by and made for 12-year-olds. It does have a couple of fun moments, but overall, it’s a slog and doesn’t feel like it is a part of the Fast universe.

10 - Fast & Furious (2009)

The fourth installment in the franchise. It’s surprising this led to two more sequels directed by Justin Lin. He made one of the best films with Fast Five, but his first feature here was flat.

They have Han return for only the beginning of the film. It feels like he is only placed in this film because of the reference in Tokyo Drift when Dom says Han was family.

But Han is the best character in the franchise and he only gets four minutes of screen time at best. The rest of the film brings Brian (Paul Walker) back to work with Dom to catch the man who was responsible for Letty’s death.

it’s a flat and uninteresting sequel, there is really no reason for this entry to exist because all of the characters who are introduced here could’ve been introduced in a later entry.

The ending also makes no sense because Brian has quit the FBI and is going to help Dom break out of Prison, but we never see why he gives up being a lawman unless it’s because of his love for Mia and the gravitational pull of Dom.

9 - F9 (2021)

By this time these films began to feel like the gas tank was empty. retreads of storylines, like bringing back characters from the dead, or supposed death.

There is a dumb fun quality to these films that brings many people back to the theaters. The podcast How Did This Get Made? Covers every new entry into the franchise because they’re fun bad movies.

However, this was so self-serious, mostly thanks to Vin Diesel, that the fun is smothered under his black muscle T’s. We get to learn about a brother no one knew Dom had, and he has come with Cypher to destroy Dom.

John Cena plays his brother Jakob who has been estranged from Dom for over 20 years. All the serious family business weighs down the film making it a slog.

8 - The Fate of the Furious (2017)

At a certain point, these begin to meld together in memory. It’s easier if you pick one defining characteristic for 6-9 to differentiate between them. Nine has Dom’s brother.

In seven Letty has amnesia, and in the eighth entry, Dom is coerced to work for her and turn on his crew. Her motives are spoiler-filled and interwoven through other Fast films.

But, this is the entry when the franchise really began to dip, it went from dumb fun to intricate serious mumbo jumbo. You should be able to turn your brain off and enjoy these films, not have to do homework.

Speaking of dumb fun, there is a moment in this film when a missile is gliding on the ice and The Rock reroutes it with his hand into the vehicle of a bad guy, at least there is that.

7 - Fast X (2023)

Instead of a full-blown review, I thought a ranking of these films would be more fun to read. It is the culmination of over 20 years of work and cars. Everything has been leading to this moment, which is maybe being split into three parts according to Vin.

In Fast Five the crew robs millions from Hernan Reyes and then Hobbs executes him, he was a corrupt political leader but yes our crew has elevated to political assassins.

Reye’s son Dante (Jason Mamoa) has waited all of this time to kill everyone involved in that day. Here the crew has to band together again to stop a new kind of evil.

Momoa is why this film works, he should’ve been placed in this franchise long ago and he understands what these films should be. He is insane, but every moment is magnetic and hilarious. He’s terrifying but never takes himself too seriously. Exactly what this franchise needed.

6 - Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

The third film in the “Justin Lin” trilogy of films four through six. This time Letty is alive! But she has amnesia and is working for a bad guy named Owen Shaw and his gang of driving mercenaries.

Though Dom and his crew are living wealthy, they are still fugitives. Luke Hobbs enlists their help to stop Owen Shaw, help Letty, and earn their freedom.

While this is better than several later installments, the Dom self-seriousness is excruciating. This is the film where real-world physics goes out the window, in favor of insanity.

Mainly Dom’s highway jump and catch of Letty to safety who “had faith” that it would work. Oh to live in Dom’s world, where gravity is merely a suggestion rather than a scientific law.

5 - 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

It is baffling that this is the film with one of the lowest critical scores in the franchise. In fact, it is the only film in the franchise to score below 40 on the Metacritic scale (a scale out of 100).

The explanation probably is that because this was directed by Auteur filmmaker John Singleton maybe critics expected something more special. But what do you want? It’s Point Break with cars, were you expecting Lawrence of Arabia?

Brian has been kicked off of the force for aiding Dom’s escape. But he is given a chance at a clean record if he goes undercover to help catch a big-time crime lord in Miami. He accepts and enlists the help of Tej and Roman.

In retrospect, this is a good entry into the Fast franchise. Not only does it introduce Tej and Roman. But Singleton’s direction keeps this grounded but still fun, but never ridiculous.

4 - Furious 7 (2015)

Now that the crew has secured pardons for everyone they’re rebuilding their lives back home in Los Angeles. However, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) has come to get revenge on Dom and his entire crew for what happened to his brother Owen.

Here we also find out that the events of Tokyo Drift take place after this film. Now Han is supposedly dead, killed by Deckard. We also get the famous Hobbs quote: “Daddy’s got to go to work” and breaks out of a full arm cast for his assumed broken arm.

Largely this film is unmemorable/immediately forgettable, except for the ending. Paul Walker tragically died in a car accident in the middle of filming putting the entire production on hiatus. They hired Peter Jackson’s digital effects company to superimpose Paul’s face on his brother’s body to help finish the film.

The ending of this film sees Brian and Mia retire from the crew, as Dom drives off Paul catches up with him and they have one last drive together, interspersed with a montage from the previous films.

It was a touching tribute that I was surprised was handled so deftly since it was coming from a nonsensical franchise. But everyone from the actors to the film crew really cared about Paul Walker and it was a beautiful sendoff.

3 – The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

Instead of making a directed third sequel to 2 Fast 2 Furious, it was decided to make a spin-off. Taking place inside of the Fast universe but being its own standalone film. Of course, it has been retconned into the franchise, quite well to be honest.

Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is sent to live with his father in Tokyo after constantly getting expelled from schools in America. There he falls into the street racing scene as a debt to Han. But it is not just street racing, it’s drifting.

Even including the first film this might be the most realistic film in the franchise. Plus, if the world didn’t know beforehand they now know about drifting after the release of this film. This probably served as a headache to many parents whose teenage kids attempted to drift their parent’s Toyota Corolla.

I love the drift build Mustang at the end, but given that the Anime series Initial D was probably an inspiration for this film, I wish the Toyota ae86 had made an appearance in this film. Even if was a small cameo instead of D.K.’s car.

In any matter. In retrospect, this film has aged better than many others. With the realistic drift racing and the franchise’s best character Han playing a major part. It is easy to see why this film still holds up after 16 years.

2 – Fast Five (2011)

After breaking Dom out of federal custody, the crew flees to Brazil. There they run into Vince from the first film. Vince sets them up to steal some cars, but in that job, they get framed for killing DEA agents which send Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) after them.

This film is the equivalent of the first Avenger film. It brings every character in the crew together to pull off a major job and take down a big bad, all while outrunning another big, Luke Hobbs. Though he should be easy to handle because he’s drenched in baby oil and anyone Luke catches will slide right out.

This film is a turning point for the franchise, here we get what we now know as the crew. The production value skyrockets from the previous films. It works as a great heist film. Lastly, the limits of physics are tested.

It is a true blast from start to finish. Each person gets to shine with what they do best. It’s sadly missing Letty, which is a drawback. But you can see why these films became global sensations after this one. They’re theme park rides.

1 – The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Where it all started. The fast cars, the sleeveless shirts, the Coronas, Paul Walker being beautiful. Everything began here. Dom’s crews’ humble beginnings as stealing TVs and VCRs from semi-trucks and street racing in the streets of LA.

When this film came out no one thought what these movies would become. No one figured Dominic Toretto would become a superhero with the strength and invincibility of Superman. Armed with enough Corona to drown the competition.

Despite all the jokes, and the understanding that this is just Point Break in cars. Nostalgia keeps a firm grip on me. This will always be the best film in the franchise. It’s like looking back at high school and thinking it was such a simpler time.

If this wasn’t the first film in this franchise I watched I probably would feel differently, it might rank somewhere in the middle. However, I saw this in theaters with my Dad on a Father/Son day, and has stayed with me all these years later.

What do you think? What’s the best F&F film in your opinion?