I've never seen the Furious movies - where do I start?

[boxofgeese 18]

I always assumed these were just big, dumb, Michael-Bay-style explosion-porn movies (and I still assume that), but from what people say, it seems like the last few may have actually been good.

 

I'm not a snob. I'm not opposed to seeing big dumb action movies. But there is a line, however hard to define, between good-dumb and bad-dumb. All the new Marvel movies are handled with artistic care and end up being great popcorn movies that don't feel like a waste of time, as opposed to Michael Bay turds like Armageddon where it feels insulting to watch something that's obviously pandering to low-IQ viewers. I don't intend to start a discussion about this stuff - just trying to clarify my point of reference.

 

Some of these movies seem REALLY dumb, and I don't care enough about this franchise to watch them all to catch up on plot. But I do want to check out the ones people seem to agree are great.

 

Is there common knowledge about which ones are legit good and which ones are too dumb to bother with? Can I watch some of the later ones without knowing the plot going in?

 

And this might be contentious, but is there a consensus on all the movies in the series rated from best to worst?

[EllenM 943]

Basically this series are remakes of other movies but with cars. The Fast and the Furious was Point Break with cars. Fast Five was Ocean's Eleven with cars.

 

The Fast and the Furious (#1) is a good movie. You don't need to watch 2 Fast 2 Furious to keep up with the overarching plot. That's where we meet Tyrese (who is a childhood friend of Brian O'Conner) and Ludacris (a custom shop mechanic), that's it. Tokyo Drift is also good, there was the retcon of it though with 4 and 5.

 

I'd recommend watching The Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift, Fast and Furious, Fast Five, Fast and Furious 6, Furious 7. But if you want to do it in chronological order rather than release order then its:

 

The Fast and the Furious

Fast and Furious

Fast 5

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

The Fast and the Furious 6

Furious 7

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

Chronological Order:

 

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Los Bandoleros (anyone watch this?) https://vimeo.com/46696697

Fast & Furious (2009)

Fast Five (2011)

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

Fast & Furious 7 (2014)

 

 

when people ask me this i just say watch the first one to see how it started and then maybe watch fast & furious to see where the later films started. you can skip 2 fast and ive never watched Los Bandoleros (might watch it tonight) but if you just want balls to the wall action you need to watch 5,6,and 7 with tokyo drift thrown in for a little fun and ... i wont say anymore in case i spoil them ...

 

for me 5 was the high point but to each their own ...

 

enjoy

 

edit: just thinking about where tokyo drift should be ... maybe it should be slipped into fast 6??? im trying to get it right in my head. watch fast 6. then at a certain point stop and watch tokyo drift .. then go back to 6? ... its hard to say where to pause and why without spoiling it but ... have i over thought it now and got it all mixed up in my head?

 

i mean you dont even need to watch it really but there are a few cool scenes in and around tokyo.

[boxofgeese 18]

Thanks guys. This helps. I'll probably just go with the ones you both recommended. I'll skip the crap ones. Hopefully.

[RyanSz 3140]

2 Fast and Tokyo Drift are probably the ones that can be skipped the easiest since 2 Fast only is necessary to introduce Tyrese, Ludacris, and Eva Mende's characters. Tokyo Drift gives slight info on Han, but only because I don't think they were planning on bringing him back for two prequels and tying his death into a larger plot revolving a bigger threat and the Lucas Black and Bow Wow characters play nothing into the overall story except for their short cameo in Furious 7. Number 4 is probably the worst quality wise, though it brings back Vin Diesel and Paul Walker who between that movie and their previous Fast movies, sort of had ho-hum roles in movies.

 

Also if you want a more complete experience, watch Better Luck Tomorrow before the first Fast and Furious because it is the origin story of Han and explains some of his quirks like why he's always eating. It was directed by Justin Lin who has confirmed it's place in the Fast canon and is a pretty decent crime movie, though a bit darker than Fast movies.