Posterized: Fast & Furious
Friday, April 3, 2015 at 4:30PM 
Furious 7 went from 0 to 4004 (theaters) today and is certain to collect huge box office bounty this weekend. The other films have been hits and then there's the morbid curiousity factor of saying goodbye to Paul Walker which may lure back moviegoers who haven't really been paying attention. That would include me. I only realized today, looking over this list, that the first film is the only one I've seen in theaters... though it seems like I've seen them all (is it cable showings, or their interchangeability as suggested by their very similar posters, minor variations in titles, and cast lists?)
Cast List by numbers: Vin Diesel & Paul Walker (6 films); Jordana Brewster & Sung Kang (5 films); Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges & Gal Gadot (4 films); Dwayne Johnson & Elsa Pataky (3 films); Lucas Black, Luke Evans, Eva Mendes, Laz Alonso, Don Omar, John Ortiz, Matt Schulze, Shea Wigham (2 films)
The Fast and The Furious (2001, Rob Cohen)
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003, John Singleton) - aka the only one without Vin Diesel.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006, Justin Lin) - aka the only one without Paul Walker... but its the biggest detour as the cast list is mostly different. Only Vin Diesel shows up of the originals and one the fourth film hits, everyone seems to be back for good.
Fast & Furious (2009, Justin Lin) - the principle cast all returns
Fast Five (2011, Justin Lin) - aka the one where The Rock joins
Fast & Furious 6 (2013, Justin Lin)
Furious 7 (2015, James Wan) aka Paul Walker's swansong
So how many have you seen? And are you hitting the seventh entry this weekend?
Reader Comments (32)
I think I saw part of one on cable once. No plans to see the current release. Paul Walker was a beautiful man, but these films do nothing for me.
I've seen 4, 5 and 6 and will definitely be seeing 7 this weekend!
I've got major crushes on most of the cast!!
I've seen 4, 5 and 6 and will definitely be seeing 7 this weekend!
I've got major crushes on most of the cast!!
I have seen the first six. 5 is legitimately great and Tokyo Drift has the charm of incompetence going for it, but the rest are mostly grab bags of varyingly interesting car stunts with squarely average narrative connective tissue.
I saw the first - which I disliked enough that I avoided 2 thru 6 like the plague - and I'm about the watch the seventh in a half-hour. That's it, so far.
I've seen them all- "Tokyo Drift " is probably the weakest- the first one has the strongest bromance between Vin and Paul ( who will be sadly missed)
I don't understand these movies... doesn't the same thing happen in each one? Lol. I'm sure I saw the first one, maybe even the second one too, because I was just a kid when they came out and your taste is still forming...but I think even back that I wasn't very interested.
Seen them all, including 7.
I can't explain the attraction. None of them are "good" movies, but they're all not bad (except for one - I didn't like 5 because (a.) they tried too much to make people like Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez ACT (too many emoting scenes - hey, we're not here for the acting, get back to the cars. Fortunately they fixed this in 6), and (b.) that car chase scene dragging a concrete safe the size of a large room just pushed the laws of motion too far for me to be able to suspend disbelief.).
But, every second or third April, I postpone going to see the newly released Xavier Dolan movie (my mission for later today) or some similar arthouse piece, to go to the new F&F. It's just somehow my guilty pleasure.
The new one throws in an old B-movie legend (Kurt Russell) into the current B-movie franchise, has a welcome comeback from a once-promising martial arts star (Tony Jaa - wow, ONG BAK was that long ago?), and even includes, for the first time, an actor who can actually act (Djimon Hounsou, although not much is asked of his dramatic talents here).
I saw 1, 2, 4 and 5. 5 only because it was set in Brazil and I wanted to see what kind of mess they would do representing my country (don't even get me started). Don't think I'll see the new one, unless I catch it by chance on TV or something. The movies get more and more absurd, it's such a weird franchise that became so different from what it started as.
I have seen 0. The first was released when I lived in the South, and based on my observations, approximately 100% of my friends and neighbors saw and loved it. I would be interested to see a breakdown of the series' geographic popularity, just to see if the sequels have the same fervent fans in my old neighborhood.
Zero. I may be gay, but there are limits.
Paul - Lol!
I've enjoyed the odd-numbered entries. Fast five is the high water mark, and it's still a royale with cheese, just really quality cheese. Tokyo Drift is surprisingly engaging and fun as a stand alone teen-rebel movie. And the first of the series has a Point Break-lite fun B-movie quality.
I havent seen 2, which by all accounts, is almost unwatchable, and I found 4 to be pretty dull. 6 had a handful of exuberantly insane moments, but held together by the lamest of TV spy-team plots, and the whole thing just got tiresome. I'll watch 7 at home later in the year, and vaccuum during the dialogue filler scenes, and probably shed a quiet tear at the Walker send-off at the end, but seeing this kind of movie in theaters leaves me feeling pretty malnourished and hollow when I walk out.
I think I saw the first one.
I saw the first one. I remember the absolutely rapturous reception it got from all my male classmates (I was in the ninth grade at the time). It was yet another reminder that I wasn't quite like the other boys in my class, but...I didn't hate it. It's a silly franchise, of course,. Even though I have no plans to ever sit down and watch another one its entirety ever again, I do find it endearing how the cast seem to genuinely enjoy each other and enjoy making these movies. They all seem like they're having a ball, which is fun. More fun than watching The Expendables movies, for instance, where Bruce Willis looks like he's being forced at gunpoint through the entire ordeal.
I've seen all the ones that feature the ochre original cast, so 1,4,5,6, and 7. I saw 7 yesterday in a packed theater. The action scenes are outlandishly fantastic...is that a thing? The Paul Walker send off was more emotional than I expected.
I've seen six and will see the seventh one soon. I'm not even into cars, and I always find the movies increasingly preposterous, but they are a ton of fun. I may not remember the plot two days afterwards, but I do remember enjoying the hell out of them, especially the last few.
Seen all of the first six. 4,5,6 are an unrecognizably different franchise than 1,2,3, and much better (okay, 4 still kind of sucks). I am gleefully, unapologetically a fan of the last two, even as I find the second to be one of the least enjoyable action movies of the 21st Century.
So a mixed bag, basically, but the good stuff is SO worth it. Though it definitely isn't a series for people who need even a modicum of realism or plausibility in their action.
I saw the first one and enjoyed it but hated the second one and didn't bother watching the others. Just way too silly.
People keep trying to convince me that these movies are some sort of uber version of a regular franchise, but as much as I have enjoyed each of the ones I've seen (1, 2 and 5 as far as I remember, but who can tell if I've seen others in bits and pieces), I just can't get enthused over a new entry. They have lost the thrilling tangibility that the early films had where you could see stuns being done and they felt earthbound as opposed to Fast Five which, while immensely enjoyable, was more like watching cars fly. The intrigue of Walker's last film will probably get me to watch the latest on Blu-Ray at some point...
I've seen all except TOKYO DRIFT. Will be seeing 7 tomorrow. No shame.
Haven't seen any, but if Vin's prediction comes true all us Oscar purists will have to see it once it's nominated for best picture :)))
V.- Fast Five was filmed in Puerto Rico. Most of the action actually took place right in front of the building I used to work, so I saw some of the filming of that movie. To me, it looks like San Juan and not Rio.
zero - or as their marketeers would put it: zer0
I've seen 1,5, and 6 and will see 7.
Like Cher, my favorite part of my body is my brain. Therefore, the Fast franchise is a complete irrelevancy for me.
Watched all seven, though like many, it was Fast Five on that made me a fan. Saw 7 on Tuesday, and despite the plot being total shambles, it's quite good because the comedy is still there and the set-pieces are ridiculously fun.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I LOVE THIS FRANCHISE! My love of car chases in movies began when I sneak-watched The French Connection when I was 10. And as a big fan of ensemble films, there is something to like in every one of these films, despite preposterous plots and ridiculous dialogue. Used to be my guilty pleasure, but now that they're getting so much press, I don't need to feel shy about expressing my love!
Hope to see Furious 7 tonight or later this week.
(Matt Singer has a fun ranking of all 7 at Screen Crush)
I've definitely seen 1, and parts of 3,4,5,and 6, since at least one of them is playing on basic cable at any one minute of the day.
Google "Vin Diesel Shower" for something very very pretty, if you're into Muscle Bears.
I saw the 1sr, 2ns and 4th and 5th. No intention to watch before hits the small screen, a.k.a tv. Not even Popcorn Time interested.
I've loved the last three films, after being indifferent to the first four. Once everyone embraced the cartoonish heart and soul of the series, it freed them to just do whatever the hell they wanted. I know some people bemoan the lack of realism, but I kind of love it. I also love the corny earnestness, the macho posturing, the shameless fan service. They've cracked some kind of code, and I think the whole thing is fascinating!
I've seen 1-7
Goodbye Paul walker
You will be in my memory forever.
We just 1 / 4 miles apart.