F9: The Fast Saga - 2/5

This movie is a tired retread of worn-out over-the-top melodrama. The action scenes are mindless fun, but the story is sub-par, even compared to other entries in the series. Surprisingly, driving a car to space is not the most unrealistic thing that happens in this movie, and the script goes out of its way to justify the logistics of it to the audience. What was more distracting to the story was the comic relief character’s meta commentary through-line about how none of the main characters in this franchise ever seem to get seriously injured.

Closest comparison: It’s the Fast and the Furious where they drive a car to space.

Setting: Action
Plot: Action
Tone: Action

Fast 5 - 3/5

This movie is in some ways more of the same from this franchise, but ramped up to the next level. It has a bigger heist, more questionable physics, and a bigger guy (Dwayne Johnson) chasing the protagonists. The emphasis on family and low-level street crime has been mostly done away with in favor of high-tech missions and international stakes.

Closest comparison: It’s like Mission: impossible 3 by way of The Rundown.

Setting: Espionage Action
Plot: Espionage Action
Tone: Espionage Action

Fast & Furious (2009) - 3/5

This fourth entry in the Fast and the Furious saga seems like one of the weakest links at first blush, but there’s more to it than that. The story structure is some of the best in the series, unfolding the narrative with solid plot points and earned reveals. However, this is also the first movie of the bunch to start getting crazy with the over-the-top stunts and Mission: Impossible-level tech. It maintains the fun and flaws of the rest of the series, so fans will already know what to expect and everyone else won’t have gotten this far.

Closest comparison: It’s like the plot of The Third Man by way of Vanishing Point (1971).

Setting: Suave Crime
Plot: Undercover Detective
Tone: Action Thriller

The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift - 3/5

This movie received very low expectations after the previous installment, but it handily surpasses them by flipping the tropes on their heads. The cocky protagonist could have been obnoxious, except that the main narrative is about him growing out of his character deficiencies. The races could have been simple retreads of old ground, but instead they use the titular drifting to make some of the most interesting courses in the entire franchise. It’s still got the contrived interactions and setpiece moments and schoolboy drama at its core, but run-of-the-mill sequel this is not.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Fast and the Furious by way of Black Rain.

Setting: Yakuza Crime
Plot: Coming of Age
Tone: Cool Action