Fast And Furious: A Legitimate Franchise?

Does anyone remember when The Fast And Furious franchise was just starting out? I can honestly say I don't, I remember them being on ITV when I was younger on a dull day so we'd sit and watch. I'm not going to slate the first films because I did enjoy watching them for the couple of hours it was on but afterwards I wouldn't really give much thought to them. It probably didn't help that they were on all the time so they got less and less entertaining while time wore on. The first 3 films seemed to be a flashy spectacle of nice cars and women, nothing to really get invested into. I would never have paid to see them. I wouldn't have watched them for free if there were other options.



But now whenever a new one comes out I'm eager to book tickets online and go and see the latest release, so what changed? They actually have a storyline now. Its not just about fast cars and getting laid anymore, there are heists (which I love), and they've managed to get together an ensemble of characters that are likeable and I can get emotionally invested in. I thank the less satisfying earlier outings of the franchise as the studio has taken the good out of it and put them all together to have a well balanced film. It's not just the characters that I have grown to love over the years that make the film, its that they actually have direction this time! It's not just being suckered in by the police to race for them to get the villain of the film and you'll probably end up with a new lady, or drifting (don't get me started on that film), there's storylines that span multiple films that leave you wanting more! First the focus was on Letti and the anti-heroes freedom and now we have what happened to Han (known it was going to happen since Tokyo Drift, still heartbreaking), I have a reason to come back to the series, I have a reason to discuss it with my friends after watching it. In my opinion The Fast And Furious has gone from so-so franchise to a legitimate one. I await the next installment, and it can't come soon enough.

I know this is unrelated to the content of the post but I'd like to address the use of the number 4 bus in Fast And Furious 6. I'm on that bus almost every week and I can honestly say that the routes you see it take in the film (through Piccadilly Circus, in the tunnel ect.) are incorrect. So If your planning on visiting England don't use the film as the main basis of your knowledge on TFL. Also, I know that the films are now tying in Tokyo Drift to their timeline, but lets not have the useless characters from the film return. Han was the only one we needed.

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