The departures of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker from The Fast and the Furious taught the franchise a lesson that has been forgotten since Furious 7

Despite its humble beginnings, Fast and Furious became one of the biggest action franchises in modern cinema, but since then Furious 7the saga apparently forgot its biggest lesson with the departures of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Dom Toretto (Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (Walker) have been the main protagonists of the franchise since the first film, but both characters have been absent from several projects. Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto was replaced by Roman Pearce in Fast and Furious‘second outing, while Paul Walker was written out of the recent films, having sadly passed away in 2013.

They also lost Fast and Furious: Tokyo Driftwhich seemed to be a huge wake-up call for Universal, but despite initially learning from its mistakes, the saga continued even after Walker’s death. While Fast and Furious 11 is set to wrap up the main story of the box office juggernaut, the IP has become so big that spin-off projects seem inevitable, suggesting the film series isn’t going anywhere. While the last few episodes provided a lot of entertainment and dramatic stunts, they weren’t able to match the quality of the film. Furious 7proving a harsh reality about the franchise.

2 Fast and Furious 2 and Tokyo Drift proved that Brian and Toretto needed Fast and Furious

Despite their charm, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift struggled without both protagonists

After a successful first film Fast and Furious struggled to find its identity, as the second and third films remain low points for the franchise. 2 Fast 2 Furious It still has a level of charm and personality that endears it to fans like me, but it’s one of the lowest-rated entries in the entire series, suggesting something has gone wrong. The chemistry between Brian and Roman was good, but it didn’t reach the same level as Brian and Dom’s complex friendship.hence the failure of the project. Instead of bringing the duo together, Tokyo Drift abandoned both, resulting in disappointing results.

Instead of building on the foundations of the first two films, Tokyo Drift followed a new character in a completely different setting, resulting in Fast and Furious‘lowest-grossing film. Vin Diesel appeared in a brief cameo and the story was relatively intriguing, but the film’s quick change of direction makes it unrecognizable from the other entries in the franchise. Both failed critically and while 2 Fast 2 Furious‘box office was decent compared to Tokyo Driftis a far cry from the impressive numbers Fast and Furious would end up getting it.

While each film has its individual problems, they prove that the saga is at its weakest without Dom and Brian together. Fast and Furious struggled without Vin Diesel, hence his official return in the fourth film, and while Walker’s absence hasn’t impacted recent projects financially, his presence is still sorely missed. The characters played off each other perfectly and balanced each other out, making it clear why they finally came together.

Fast & Furious 4 wasn’t great, but Dom and Brian’s return made it worth it

The return of Dom and Brian’s dynamic helped define the best Fast and Furious films

Having been separated in the previous two films, Dom and Brian finally reunited in Fast and Furious 4and their returns made the film worthwhile. The 2009 film is far from being the best work in the franchise, but it was the start of something much bigger and is undoubtedly the reason Fast and Furious became a highly successful series. While the story left a lot to be desired, seeing Brian and Dom share the screen again was eight years in the making and helped forge a much-needed new identity after back-to-back disappointments.

The fourth installment was the real beginning of Fast and Furious‘ ridiculous stunts, as over-the-top action sequences became a staple of the saga from then on. His ambitious nature may not have been able to achieve the objective, but 2009 Fast and Furious planted the seeds of a higher-stakes drama and more interesting character dynamics, with Brian and Dom’s friendship taking center stage. The dynamic of the former rivals who became friends was easily one of the best parts of the film and without that relationship Five quick it wouldn’t have become the best entry in the franchise.

Fast and Furious 6 continued to build on this, leading to the highly emotional Furious 7which confirmed that the pair’s bond was the series’ selling point. Unfortunately, this meant that Fast and Furious It was never the same after Paul Walker’s death, no matter how much the saga tried to move forward without him.

Fast & Furious Can’t Replace Brian and Dom’s Dynamic (And Should Have Ended After Furious 7)

Furious 7 offered the perfect send-off and the franchise never recaptured that magic

As the second and third films proved, Fast and Furious cannot replace Dom and Brian’s connection, suggesting Furious 7 it was the perfect time to end it. Although there have been several films since Walker’s death Fast and Furious was incredibly respectful of the actor and honored Brian’s legacy by giving him the perfect send-off. Walker passed away during the filming of Furious 7but with the help of his brothers, his character was able to complete a character arc that culminated in him going on his own adventure.

Although the action series is known for its slightly ridiculous nature, Brian’s final trip was a genuinely moving tribute and the visuals of him and Dom going down separate roads symbolized the perfect ending to their stories. However, there have been three main films since then, along with a spinoff, and none of them have been as good as Furious 7. The franchise still provides laughs and entertainment to this day, but without Brian at Dom’s side, the heart and soul of Fast and Furious is gone, confirming that the story should have ended almost a decade ago.