One physicist breaks down the chances of some of the most ridiculous stunts in the Fast and Furious happening in real life. The long-running car-centric franchise has come up with several jaw-dropping action sequences throughout its history. While the films are supposedly rooted in reality, few of these set pieces are almost impossible to accomplish according to one expert.
Starting off as a franchise that primarily deals with street racing, Fast and Furious has evolved into a full-blown action film series. Starring an ensemble cast led by Dominic Torreto (Vin Diesel), the gang has gone through a lot of tragedies in the last decade, but aside from a couple of minor injuries and deaths, the core team has emerged mostly unscathed. This is despite them doing truly some of the most over-the-top car stunts which include driving through one building to another and parachuting inside their cars among others.
In a lengthy video with Insider, physicist Diandra Leslie-Pelecky tackles several of the shocking stunts in the Fast and Furious franchise. Using real science, she goes into what the chances of them happening in the real world — some of these are making fans wonder how Dom and his crew are still alive and well today. Interestingly, she also reveals how the films were able to shoot these scenes with a mix of GCI and practical effects. Watch the clip below:
Over the years, the Fast and Furious franchise has solidified its place as one of the most successful film series in Hollywood. It continues to be a cash cow for Universal Pictures with its last couple of installments becoming top earners for the studio. As the video reveals, many of the stunts in the Fast and Furious will be extremely difficult to accomplish in real life, but that's totally fine as it eventually learned to not only embrace these ridiculous action set pieces but even lean on it. Proof of that is the confirmation that in its final installments, Fast and Furious will see Dom go to space. They have become a trademark for the franchise and frankly, viewers are not exactly keen on whether or not they can be done in the real world.
In an effort to balance its storytelling out, the movies tend to highlight the team's inner relationship, hammering on their collective core value as a family. As integral as the stunts are in the Fast & Furious franchise, it's the personal stories that have fans coming back, this is why Fast 9 is further tackling Dom's complicated relationship with his estranged brother, Jakob (John Cena). It's also why the public freaked out upon finding out that after all these years, Han (Sung Kang) is actually alive and is ready to join his former team.
Source: Insider
