The two best Fast and Furious films are nothing alike and show how much the franchise has changed in just 5 years

Fast and Furious has been going strong for over 20 years, but two of its most iconic films couldn't be more different, showing how quickly the franchise has changed. Over the years, Fast and Furious the films fluctuated in quality, with some being slick and exciting action films, while others fell a bit in comparison. The more modern and highly successful nature of the series is why the IP became so successful, and although Vin Diesel teased street racing in Fast and Furious 11the franchise moved away from its more grounded approach, which happened quite suddenly.

Although some Fast and Furious'The best car stunts happened in the later episodes, the saga is much more about action and high-stakes sequences compared to the original films, which had a racing theme. The first few outings still featured criminal elements, but as the years went by, the cars became more of a fun prop to spice up the drama rather than an actual focus of the story. Ironically, two of the best Fast and Furious The films show the strength of each premise and, despite being almost polar opposites, they were released less than five years apart.

Tokyo Drift and Fast Five are the best Fast and Furious films for different reasons

Both films have completely different qualities that set them apart

While Five quick is often considered the greatest Fast and Furious film, Tokyo Drift is much more controversial, but is easily the best pure racing film in the franchise. It may not have the same lovable characters or charisma as the other entries, but Tokyo Drift is a genuinely unique project that captures what the saga used to be like before Five quick proved it was better to be a blockbuster series. Tokyo Drift follows a car enthusiast who is sent to live with his father in Tokyo to avoid arrest and eventually competes in illegal races with Han's guidance.

Despite its rather disappointing reviews, the film places great emphasis on cars and the lifestyle that comes with street racing. Additionally, it maintains its dramatic elements by having big action scenes and even Yakuza connections, but ultimately does a strong job of showcasing the franchise's initial core elements. Unfortunately, Tokyo Drift became Fast and Furious'lowest-grossing film, proving that a change was necessary. To type Five quick. The high-octane blockbuster was full of explosive moments, featuring hand-to-hand combat, guns, and a massive heist scene that confirmed Fast and Furious was well and truly heading in a new direction.

Although 2009 Fast and Furious initially began to change the franchise after Tokyo Driftfailure, Five quickThe enormous box office success was what solidified the most modern version of the saga. Everything that came after mimicked the style of the fifth film, and while none have been as good since then, it was clear what the film series' winning formula was. Five quick is easily the best project to come out of the Fast and Furious Universe and deserves praise for reviving the franchise after its troubles, but it couldn't be more different from Tokyo Drift.

Tokyo Drift was the last fast and furious car movie before everything changed

The Fast and the Furious turned into a more traditionally successful franchise after Tokyo Drift

In addition to being a great display of racing-based action in Fast and Furious, Tokyo Drift It was the last film in the franchise really about cars. Much of the conflict and resolution happened as part of a race or drifting competition, rather than through death-defying combat involving vehicles. Parts of Tokyo Drift focused on a beginner learning how to driftand although the story also involved Han's supposed death before Fast and Furious Reconfigured in future editions, all of the film's significant elements took place during the races, which changed soon after.

Given Tokyo Driftbox office difficulties, the franchise clearly had to rev things up, hence why Fast and Furious (2009) changed the narrative so drastically. The film focuses on Dom and Brian getting revenge on a heroin smuggler after he apparently killed Letty, which is a far cry from the original focus of the story. Although the fourth installment lacked quality, it doubled Tokyo Driftbox office and confirmed Fast and Furious' moved from street racing to blockbuster action, meaning the franchise's trip to Japan was the last one where it prioritized cars.

Fast Five was amazing, but Fast & Furious could have used more “Tokyo Drifts”

The best film in the franchise was also the point of no return

Very few fans would dispute that Five quick is the best entry in the series, but as good as it is, it would be nice if the franchise had more films like Tokyo Drift. Each new film has followed in the footsteps of Five quickas they continued to raise the stakes and introduce powerful enemies, with each one seemingly more powerful than the last. The box office performance suggests that audiences are more than happy with this formula, but getting something more racing themed would be a good alternative that would help the saga feel fresher.

Even if it was in the form of a spinoff, Fast and Furious returning to its roots and providing more car-based drama could help maintain the identity of previous episodes. Unfortunately, the first and only spinoff so far is Hobbs and Shawwhich was even more action-packed than the main films. Fast and Furious 11 Being the last main film means the franchise will likely have more spinoffs in the futureand while there's no guarantee this will trigger the return of street racing, it's not too late for more projects like Derives from Toyko.