League of Movies (Fourth Edition | Week 03): THE FAST AN THE FURIOUS

When people ask me about my opinion on the most unnecessary movie sequel of all time, I tend to answer them, fastly and furiously, that I do not consider that sequels, in general, are deleterious to the movie industry. Although, I do think that the continuation of certain franchises is absolutely dull and reiterative, up to the point where good ideas are gone forever. And, that is the case of the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Do not misunderstand me. I am not criticizing the concept of the film, but rather the elasticity of its concept. Why? Because it has been evolving throughout the years in a way that it does not depict its initial purpose. Allow me to explain in the following paragraphs. The first three films were groundbreaking, in the sense that they caught the attention of their viewers using only two themes: illegal car races and the importance of family. Car races were a perfect depiction of what a person could do, in order to protect his or her family, while living a life full of adrenaline, even if that meant that they were acting somewhat as a criminal. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, as Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner, had a perfect symbiotic relationship. It is fair to say that it was more than a friendship; it was a brotherhood that progressively increased in the following movies. Evidently, the first three movies had their flaws. “Tokyo Drift” is probably one the worst film of the series, considering that none of the original cast had a participation on it, except for a brief cameo by Vin Diesel, and a secondary performance by Sung Kang, who played Han, a character that would have a major role on the following movies. But, at least, it was loyal to the grounds where “Fast and Furious” was built on. The consistency of the theme of family was notable and palpable, which, on a personal level, is admirable.

Now, the problem starts with the fourth film, up to the eighth rendition of this franchise. The movies are not bad, but they are completely and undeniably unnecessary. Why? Because they got caught on the Hollywood formula for success in a popular action movie, which is: being commercial. Car races where not enough. They had to have subsequent plots, including explosions, guns, weapons, helicopters, scenes defying the laws of physics, and, of course, The Rock. An action movie without Dwayne Johnson is incomplete; and, if that wasn`t enough, John Cena will appear in the ninth film. The movies became an illustration of a typical action-packed Hollywood product. The chore and heart of the original trilogy was destroyed within seconds. Although, it is fair to say that “family” was still their biggest concern.

Now, am I criticizing their choices? Absolutely not. They are fun movies. But, when you loose control over your original intentions, the final product tends to diverge into other spectrums of reality that do not convey into a more compact and structured vision of your primary idea. Now it was not about cars. As a matter of fact, cars are not even the priority now. They just appear as props. Now, the themes are action and “James Bond”/” Mission Impossible”/” Jason Bourne”-esque sequences. I do miss the good old days where “Fast and Furious” was about a young Paul Walker racing against a young Vin Diesel just for the sake of it; not about Vin Diesel trying to save the world by exploding a submarine, while he is driving his favorite car.

“It’s been a long day without you, my friend”, indeed. Hopefully, the final chapters will be a homage to what it was, and not to what it could turn out to be. That is why, whenever people ask me about my opinion on the most unnecessary movie sequel of all time, I tend to answer them, fastly and furiously, that I do not consider that sequels, in general, are deleterious to the movie industry; but, if thye do not keep their roots on what they portray, then the franchise will decease into a sea of cinematography tragedy.