Two decades after its inception,Fast & Furioushas become one of the most recognizable movie franchises in the industry, but two of its most underrated films surprisingly share a common factor regarding Vin Diesel. Having been involved in nearly every entry,Vin Diesel set aFast & Furiousrecordfor most consecutive appearances after featuring in the last nine movies, excluding theHobbs & Shawspinoff. As a result, his character has become an integral part of the overall story and Diesel has had a major influence on the franchise’s success, making his involvement critical for the blockbuster series.
Interestingly though, two of the most underratedFast & Furiousmovies share an interesting trait involving Diesel that no other mainline entry possesses.Fast & Furious (2009)was where the franchise started to shift into a more all-out-action spectacle, with the narrative focusing less on street racing and more on high-stakes crime, but it wasn’t always this way. BeforeFast & Furiousbecame synonymous with its over-the-top stunts, the earlier movies were more character-driven and had a relatively grounded storyline. Surprisingly, this produced two of the franchise’s most underrated films, and neither of them featured much of Dominic Toretto.
2 Fast 2 Furious And Tokyo Drift Are The Most Underrated Fast & Furious Movies
Both Are Among The Franchise’s Lowest Rated Movies Critically
While many fans often considerFast FiveandFurious 7as some ofFast & Furious' best movies,2 Fast 2 FuriousandTokyo Driftare often towards the bottom of the list, suggesting they rarely get much love. However, whileThe Fast and the Furiousmay be the best of the early entries, the second and third films have plenty of charm and personality that indicate they should be looked upon more fondly than they are.2 Fast 2 Furiousis often bashed for its cheesy dialog and ridiculous action, but that’s also part of its appeal.
Even if it hasn’t aged perfectly,2 Fast 2 Furiousis still an extremely fun movie that I always get a kick out of, and doesn’t deserve to be as panned as it is. Likewise,Tokyo Driftactually tries to play intoFast & Furious' earliest strength, street racing. Although the saga eventually evolved and focused on government agencies alongside life-or-death situations,Tokyo Driftfelt like it proudly held theFast & Furiousbanner by following a character’s journey from outlaw to drifting icon.
By no means are2 Fast 2 FuriousandTokyo Driftcinematic masterpieces, but they arguably have more character than some of the later entries.
There are still the criminal elements and high-risk scenarios involved that the series has always embraced, but introducing a new leading character in a completely new environment proved to be effective, even if the movie didn’t quite fulfill its full potential. By no means are2 Fast 2 FuriousandTokyo Driftcinematic masterpieces, but they arguably have more character than some of the later entries, and I still believe the underwhelming reception of these films is undeserved.
Neither 2 Fast 2 Furious Nor Tokyo Drift Are About Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto
Dom Only Appears Through A Brief Cameo In Tokyo Drift
Despite Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto being the franchise’s main protagonist, he doesn’t appear in2 Fast 2 Furious and only has a brief cameo inTokyo Drift, perhaps adding to why these projects are so underrated. Given Diesel is one of the first names people associate with the series, it’s no surprise the movies that barely feature him would quickly be overlooked. After his role in the first film, it seemed like Dominic would be a big part of the narrative going forward, but2 Fast 2 Furiousopted to continue Brian O’Conner’s story instead, teaming him with Roman Pearce.
Fast & Furious 11 Has A Dominic Toretto Problem To Fix Before It Can Bring The Franchise Back To Its Roots
Fast and Furious 11 will need to fix Dominic Toretto’s character problem if it has any hope of bringing back the franchise’s street-level stakes.
Brian and Roman’sFast & Furiousfriendshipwas certainly underutilized in later installments, as they had great chemistry and plenty of hilarious interactions. Ultimately, their story may have lacked the same compelling drama ofFast Fiveand beyond, but they still provided a really fun outing without Dom. In addition,Tokyo Driftfocused on a new character entirely, with Sean Boswell becoming the protagonist for this unique film. The Tokyo setting provided something completely different, and allowing a high school dropout to take center stage was a fun twist that freshened up the saga significantly.
Dom did appear towards the end of the movie and challenged Sean to a race, which set up Diesel’s full-time return to the franchise. While this was a fun scene that helped connect Sean and Han to the wider story, Dom’s appearance was ultimately nothing more than a cameo, and he served little importance to the plot. Still,bringing Dom back proved to be the right move in the end based on how successfulFast & Furiousbecame, but it’s no coincidence that the two films he had the smallest influence on went on to be severely underrated.
2 Fast 2 Furious And Tokyo Drift Ultimately Struggled Without Dominic Toretto
Dom Helps Give Fast & Furious A Clearer Direction Despite His Over-The-Top Story
Although2 Fast 2 FuriousandTokyo Drifthad plenty of strengths, the lack of Dominic Toretto definitely seemed to hurt them.Tokyo Driftis still the lowest-grossing entry in the entire franchise, perhaps because it felt more like a spinoff without its main stars, while2 Fast 2 Furiousreceived the saga’s worst ratings among many critics. Even though Dom’s presence often makes the story unnecessarily dramatic, he does at least give it a clearer and more ambitious direction, while Diesel’s star power helps financially since he has become a bigger and bigger name over the years.
The Fast and the Furious
$38 million
$207 million
$76 million
$236 million
The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift
$85 million
$159 million
$360 million
$125 million
$626 million
$160 million
$788 million
$190 million
$1.5 billion
$200 million
$760 million
$250 million
$1.2 billion
$726 million
$340 million
$714 million
The character’s international notoriety also makes him a target for various villains, each of them becoming more menacing than the last. Likewise, the franchise has made Dom superhuman at times, allowing him to be involved in ridiculous stunts that the audience has slowly embraced.2 Fast 2 FuriousandTokyo Driftundoubtedly had big personalities and interesting esthetics, but they feel less eventful compared toFast & Furious' bigger movies, which has ultimately created the dismissive attitude towards them. Therefore, regardless of whether you love or hate him, it’s clear Vin Diesel is a necessary draw for the blockbuster series.
