There was a soft reboot of the Fast and Furious franchise starting from Fast Five, which changed the focus from racing to action-adventure. From the first to fourth entries, the series shifted from being about Dominic Toretto to Brian O’Conner, and then Sean Boswell. The presentation and overall style of the original movies also differ greatly from the later entries.
The reboot series has been firmly about Dom and his crew, with their adventures now going on a global scale that sees them fight international villains with bigger stakes involved. Both the original and reboot have their own strengths, and it’s interesting to see which area one trumps the other.
Original: Soundtrack That Fits The Movie's Events
The reboot series has boasted superb songs that bookend the movies and are used in promotional material. However, the original series did it better by having soundtracks relevant to particular scenes, with fast-paced tracks accompanying the racing sequences.
This helped in covering the aesthetics of these movies, as the soundtrack signaled the arrival of the core action. They also bolstered the car races on show, with music helping the competition feel like a sheer thrill ride. The Fast and the Furious movies were actually noted for their soundtracks appealing to the target demographic of youth at the time.
Reboot: Greater Stunts & Sense Of Scale
It was after Fast Five that the series started to be compared with other tentpole franchises like Mission: Impossible, as it took things to a massive sense of scale. The reboot movies have featured larger-than-life stunts and action-packed moments to validate its claim as a big-time franchise.
The original movies were too focused on the racing aspect of things to feel like a mainstream series, with this even turning it into a niche product where car enthusiasts were the main fans. On the other hand, the reboot installments have featured awe-inspiring sequences to leave viewers wowed more than several times.
Original: One-Liners & Edgy Characters
The franchise has been noted for doling out memorable quotes across every movie, although these were more in abundance in the original movies. This was during the time where characters had a certain edge, with both the protagonists and villains carrying themselves with a sense of style and attitude.
The reboot has relied on Dom’s intimidating presence rather than the use of one-liners, and noteworthy quotes have largely been Roman’s jokes that have the side effect of making him too goofy. The originals, on the other hand, made the characters’ quirks and mannerisms as part of their appeal.
Reboot: Action & Fight Sequences
This is an area where the reboot easily trumps the original, with the fight choreography being mastered as each movie has been released. It helps that villains have been introduced with technical backgrounds that make it part of their character to be deadly assassins.
While fans need to suspend their disbelief over how Dom and his crew can take on trained fighters, the visual appeal remains at its peak as combat is highly entertaining. The original movies had very little of this, and the few fight scenes that were present were too much on the brawling side.
Original: Greater Comedic Potential
It’s impressive how much the original movies embraced the cheesy aspect of things, as there were never any attempts to make anything seem realistic. This allowed the comedy to be freely expressed without feeling tacked-on or going against established characterizations.
The reboot movies have been funny in their own right, but the comedy has been restricted toward certain characters like Tej and Roman while others like Dom can seem out of place. With the reboot installments also being on the serious side of things, comedic sequences have also shrunk in quantity.
Reboot: Universe-Building Quality
It’s become all too common for fans to make their wish lists over which character deserves their own action movie spin-off. That’s because Hobbs & Shaw’s success has laid the foundation for many more entries to follow that don’t need to be connected with Dom and his crew.
The reboot movies have placed Dom front and center, but the globe-trotting nature of the storylines has allowed for a newer, more diverse set of characters to debut whose arcs can be expanded upon. The original series’ focus on racing meant that characters could feel interchangeable and spin-offs wouldn’t have as much appeal.
Original: Simpler Timeline To Understand
It appeared as if significant time had passed between Fast Five and The Fate of the Furious, only for Dom’s son to rule this out since his conception wouldn’t otherwise make sense. Similarly, Furious 7’s placement as being set around the same time as Tokyo Drift is equally confusing.
The original series was far better in this area as the timeline flowed straight without throwing in references to events that required fans to follow the chronology. Even though Tokyo Drift was a different scenario, that movie was also simple at the time since Dom’s appearance at the end could be attributed to him having escaped to Tokyo after The Fast and the Furious.
Reboot: Character Dynamics Are More Genuine
Many jokes have been made at the expense of the reboot series focusing too much on “family,” yet this has been a factor in bolstering character dynamics. After all, the close-knit nature of the group is why fans can consider them to be a true team rather than them being brought together due to happenstance.
The original movies were scattered in this aspect as protagonists would move from one place to another, thereby necessitating a whole new roster of supporting characters. This had the effect of turning the characters’ relationships weak since they didn’t stick together in the long run.
Original: The Cars Showcased
At the heart of it, The Fast and Furious series is about the cars to be found here. This was the basis for the franchise, with the original movies going out of their way to bring a magnificent set of cars to wow viewers, along with showcasing the drivers’ skills.
The reboot series has used cars as part of the action, only to avoid going too deep into their quality of use. While this has allowed for a wider appeal from viewers, the original movies’ mastery at providing pure entertainment through races and gorgeous cars on show is certainly missed.
Reboot: Better Storylines
For all the criticism that The Fast and Furious movies may receive, they have brought out some great storylines. Chief among them is the progression of Dom’s background, with the truth about his father’s demise, his relationship with his family, and his romance with Letty all developing in the reboot movies.
The original movies didn’t have as much to offer in this regard apart from Brian’s arc of leaving the police force, with the reboot installments doing him better by giving Brian a family life and worthy retirement. All in all, the newer movies have managed to hold fans’ interest through well-placed storylines that play out within each entry.