The Fast and Furious saga is a franchise that has exploded over the course of two decades. Outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's the one continuous saga that fans seek out for the ultimate escapism every couple years. And while the property has seen its ups and downs--RIP Paul Walker--the series continues to shift into overdrive with each successful sequel. This is impressive considering the franchise was considered a failing enterprise and made a billion-dollar comeback.
Even though F9 has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have decided to take a look back at the most absurd aspects of the franchise that fans forgive no matter what.
Glossy Muscles
Throughout the franchise, viewers might have noticed a shiny object on the screen and we don't mean Vin Diesel's shaved head. That object is Dwayne Johnson's glistening biceps in the frame of every screen of Fast Five.
When viewers are introduced to Hobbs, he looks like someone lathered his arms in crisp baby oil for every appearance and if this was a JJ Abrams movie, it would undoubtedly cause a lens flare. Even more amusing, each time he confronts Vin Diesel's Toretto, his face has the appearance of being sprayed by a mist gun. But hey, women love a shiny Rock.
Toretto Is A Physics Genius
One of the more absurd aspects of Fast & Furious is Dominic Toretto's ability to be a mad scientist when it comes to physics. He can see an object in front of him and "Rain Man" the weight, force, and acceleration quicker than Galileo or Einstein himself. And it's easy to assume, Toretto is not a rocket scientist.
Still, that does not stop Toretto from driving under a tumbling exploding semi or knowing how to drive out of a skyscraper window at the right speed to reach the inside of another skyscraper. But regardless, stretching the suspension of disbelief muscle is worth it for this franchise.
No One Stays Dead (Like Comics)
Readers who decided to engage in this article probably did so because they have seen the films. So with spoilers in mind, part of the corniness of Fast & Furious is that it plays like a big-budget soap opera. No one stays dead--like Letty and now with the upcoming release of F9, Han is back too.
A big part of the appeal of the saga is that it feels like a comic book property with characters being somehow superhuman and no one staying dead. And many are anticipating the long-awaited #JusticeForHan event.
Toretto Has No Weakness
Besides the first film, Dominic Toretto almost never shows any signs of having a form of Kryptonite. Yes, his "family" could be considered a weakness with Owen Shaw attempting to use it against him in Fast & Furious 6. Outside of this, Toretto is virtually indestructible and unphased by anything.
It'll be a glorious day for the franchise when Toretto meets his match and faces someone on the same playing field like when Batman encounters The Joker. And even Superman had a weakness. It's time Dom found his. Maybe it's running out of tank tops?
Brian O'Conner's Arc
When it comes to realism, Fast & Furious has never tried to make an argument for believability. That said, Paul Walker's journey as Brian O'Conner through the first three films with his appearance requires some mental gymnastics in logic.
For instance, Brian O'Conner lets a fugitive get away in the first movie, so in the second film, he is no longer a cop. Then by the fourth film, he is not only rehired as an officer but he has been recruited as a federal agent? Did most viewers care? Absolutely not. But the leap in logic trying to see how that event happened does not pass the reality test.
For Some Reason--The Avengers
The most interesting aspect of Fast & Furious was its ability to take advantage of the crossover strategy a year before The Avengers broke box-office records. Fast Five was the culmination of four films with different characters taking various paths, such as 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift and colliding them in an event film bringing them all together.
And this all comes to fruition with one line from Brian O'Conner saying, "We're going to need a team," in the fifth installment. It's extremely cheesy but somehow the franchise earns the moment in spectacular fashion.
Everyone Has Espionage Skills
Once Fast Five reinvented the franchise and made all the characters encounter muscle-bound fugitive hunter Hobbs, the series took Toretto's team of street racing misfits and made them government employees. Because federal agencies need the skillset of street racers?
Even funnier, somehow all the characters seamlessly understand all the technology and have the ability to use government equipment and strategies to take down baddies in films like Fast & Furious 6 and The Fate of the Furious. Who needs Ethan Hunt when the CIA can just bring in Ludacris to save the day? Still, that's part of the franchise's charm.
Dom Has Sexual Tension With Everyone--Including Hobbs
Not trying to question Vin Diesel's sex appeal. The man definitely has his fans that love a man in a v-neck but his character Dominic Toretto hilariously has to fight women off with a stick throughout the series. This mostly occurs in the films Fast & Furious (the fourth entry), Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6 with Letty seemingly being dead.
In those entries, Gal Gadot's Gisele aggressively pursues Toretto, Elsa Pataky's character Elena sleeps with Toretto despite him being her suspect, and wait for it-- even Dwayne Johnson's Hobbs has an intense relationship with Toretto. Just watch as Hobbs sweats as he gets in Dom's face. Get a room, boys!
Vehicular Manslaughter Galore
Years back the internet had an outrage over the mass body count inflicted by 2013's Man of Steel with online users protesting that Superman would never allow such carnage--even if he was taking down General Zod. And while the villains in the Fast & Furious franchise may cause collateral damage themselves, Toretto's team is just as guilty of escaping vehicular manslaughter throughout the saga. But unlike Man of Steel, the internet is easy to forgive these characters because "cars go zoom zoom and boom boom."
One such example is the big finale of Fast Five where Toretto's team executes their heist by dragging a massive vault through the streets of Brazil using two imported cars. And while doing so, anyone in their path gets devastated including civilian and cop cars (albeit corrupt cops). But at least the team became rich, right?
Cars Don't Do That
Much like Toretto being an idiot savant in the area of physics, the cars of Fast & Furious have amazing abilities that have no sense of realism. Whether it's parachuting out of a plane, having the capacity to fly into the air and landing on yachts and helicopters--the cheesiness of the stunts is all part of the fun.
And while most of the fans might roll their eyes when some of these moments happen, the insanity of the stunts keeps the audience coming back. Plus, it always helps that the franchise itself is entirely self-aware of its own absurdity. As Paul Walker screams at Toretto in Furious 7, "Dom, cars don't fly, cars don't fly" before driving out of a skyscraper, we can't help but smile.