Summary
The upcoming eleventhFast & Furiousmovie could learn a lot from the greatest entry in the franchise,Fast Five. While the first four movies in the series were enjoyable action films,Fast Fiveacted as a turning point in the franchise, completely reinvented the series, and contributed to its incredible longevity. This was when this car racing series embraced its more ridiculous aspects, incorporated action-heist tropes, and introduced incredible new characters who have remained in the series and even branched out in spin-off movies.
Fast 11has been planned as the main franchise’s final entry; because of this, it must look back onFast & Furious’sgreatest filmand listen to the lessons it taught. Of course,Fast 11should have a unique identity that finishes the series on a high, but viewers have so much nostalgia for this franchise that paying homage to the past and all that came before is essential. There were plenty oflessonsFast 11should learn fromFast Five.
8Callbacks To Early Movies Need To Be Relevant
Fast Five flashbacks should be avoided
A big part ofwhat went wrong withFast Xwas that it felt like it was trying to cash in on the legacy ofFast Fivewithout really earning it. For the eleventh installment, it’s important to strike the right balance between reminding viewers why they loved this franchise and only including relevant things that contributed to the story. One example was the flashback inFast X, whereDante Reyes was shown to be in the epic climaticFast Fivecar chase, which just reminded viewers how far the franchise had sunk since those days.
Instead,Fast 11should try to capture the spirit ofFast Fivewithout manipulative techniques that retconned previously established storylines. This can be done through the character of Dante Reyes, who has a significant connection toFast Five, but those references should come from the present-day storyline and do not need to recontextualize the past. What worked so well inFast Fivewas that viewers were focused on the here and now, not thinking about the glory days of earlier movies.
7New Characters Need To Be Memorable (Like Luke Hobbs)
Fast Five introduced Luke Hobbs for the first time
One of the most significant things thatFast Fivegot right was the introduction of Dwyane Johnson as Luke Hobbs, a character who has remained in the series ever since.Fast Fivemarked a turning point for the franchise as it became less realistic and leaned more toward grand narratives, almost starting to feel like a superhero series. Rather than fighting against this shift,Fast Fiveintroduced Hobbs as an antagonistwho could rival the insane determination of Dominic Toretto.
Disappointingly,Hobbs only made a cameo appearance inFast X, so it would be great to see him show up in a more prominent role inFast 11. However, the real lessonFast 11can learn fromFast Fivewas that new characters needed to be memorable and connect with audiences in a big way. IfFast 11wants to succeed, it needs to ensure its new characters aren’t forgettable villains, lackluster allies, or secondary characters who were forgotten by viewers five minutes after the credits rolled.
6It’s All About Family
Fast Five captured the central theme of the franchise
At its core, theFast & Furiousfranchise was about friends becoming as important as family and carving out a space for people who felt like they didn’t belong anywhere else. This was seen through thebrother-like relationship between Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Connor, which continued to deepen inFast Five. Sadly, Paul Walker’s no longer around to be in the series, but these core family values should be carried forward into the final installment,Fast 11.
While Vin Diesel has teased a “grand finale” for the final installment of the franchise (viaDeadline),Fast 11must do this with the thematic heart and family values that have been slowly eroded sinceFast Five. Storylines like when Toretto went rogue inThe Fate of the Furiousshould be avoided, and the crew should work together as a team as they did inFast Five. This back-to-basics concept centered around familial love will help ground the series in emotion while the over-the-top action occurs.
5Characters Should Develop And Evolve
When a series has been running as long asFast & Furious, it’s easy to get franchise fatigue and feel like the movies just continually repeat themselves. But part ofwhat madeFast Fivefeel so fresh and appealing was that its characters were still developing, and audiences could still be surprised by how they would react.Fast 11should ensure it does not just play it safe with audiences' expectations and give its cast some opportunity to really grow, learn, and develop. For any movie to be successful, it needs to have character evolution, and theFast & Furiousfilms were no different.
ThroughoutFast Five, Toretto struggled to balance his loyalty to his family while he saved the day, O’Connor struggled to let go of his old life as a cop, and Mia was pregnant with Brian’s child. These storylines allowed the characters to change and grow outside of the over-the-top spectacle of the chase scenes. One lessonFast 11must learn fromFast Fivewas that viewers wanted to see epic action scenes, but they don’t feel compelling unless there’s real character development at its core.
4The Setting Should Not Be About Nostalgia Alone
Fast Five was set in Rio de Janeiro
One aspect ofFast FivethatFast Xtried to emulate was the setting of Rio de Janeiro, which unfortunately felt more like a parody than anything else. The main lesson that can be learned from this was that the setting should not be about nostalgia alone, and like inFast Five,a new location can add something unique and differentiate the movie from the rest of the franchise. WhileFast 11should copy the fact that a great setting that worked so well inFast Five, it does not need to go back to the same place literally.
One great example of a new setting injecting life into theFast & Furiousfranchise wasTokyo Drift. While someharsh realities aboutTokyo Driftmust be faced, the entirely new location meant it had a unique identity and stood out among all theFast & Furious movies to this day. LikeFast Five, the setting of the upcoming eleventh film should be an integral aspect of the story, but there’s no need to return to Rio, as nostalgia alone won’t be enough to keep audiences engaged.
3It’s Time To Dial Back The Running Time
Fast Five was just over two hours long
One thing that has plagued the most recentFast & Furiousentries has been bloated runtimes, and an important lesson that should be learned is that less can often be more.Fast Fivewas the first installment in the franchise to go over two hours, and by the time it got toFast X, things were clocking in at 141 minutes. If theFast 11decided to dial things back closer to the two-hour mark, it could make every second count and ensure that each chaotic car chase or spectacular set piece explosion was streamlined for maximum impact.
Longer running times have become more common in recent years, and it made sense to ensure audiences got their money’s worth during the cinema event that was a newFast & Furiousmovie. However, it’s hard to beat a shorter action film that kept viewers on the edge of their seats for the entire runtime and felt like it wasted no time. If the eleventhFast & Furiousmovie maintains its extended runtime, then it should make sure to get the most out of every minute.
2It Doesn’t Need To Copy Everything
Fast Five tried something new
Every time a newFast & Furiouswas released, audiences debated about how it could have been better if it copied certain aspects ofFast Fiveand gave the viewers what they wanted. However, this failed to consider just what was so special aboutFast Fivein the first place, as part of its charm was that it was not copying a previous entry in the franchise. One lesson thatFast 11could learn from the fifth film was that shaking up the formula can often do wonders for a long-running series.
The release ofFast Fivecompletely reinvented theFast & Furiousfranchise, changing it from a semi-grounded series about car racing into a high-stakes heist thriller that often ignored the laws of physics with its outrageous action. This massive risk paid off in spades and ensured the franchise’s longevity to this day. One major lessonFast 11could learn from this was that it does not need to copy everything fromFast Fiveand can take a similar risk to shake up the formula once again.
1Bigger Can Be Better
Fast Five upped the stakes to new levels
Fast Fiveupped the stakes to extraordinary levels, and by the movie’s climactic car chase, Toretto and his crew dragged a massive vault throughout Rio. This scene brought theFast & Furiousfranchise to another level of outrageousness and set a new standard for absurdity in action movies. While this may be an aspect of the franchise that detractors point to when claiming the ridiculousness of this series, it’s also the aspect that made theFast & Furiousmovies so fun and exciting to watch.
One lessonFast 11could learn from this was that bigger could sometimes be better and that audiences' suspension of disbelief has grown incredibly large regardingFast & Furious. For the final entry, the filmmakers can play with the series' legacy and raise the stakes even further to give viewers a climactic chase scene unlike anything previously seen. These are lofty expectations for the series to pull off, but after 11 movies, there’s nowhere else to go but bigger, faster, more extreme, and over-the-top.
Fast and Furious 11
Cast
Fast X: Part 2 is the final movie in the Fast Saga. It reunites Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto with the rest of the cast for one last ride. However, the franchise is open for spinoff films like Hobbs & Shaw afterward.
