Summary
Fast and Furious’ lowest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes is also the one that saved the franchise after two box office failures that almost killed it forever. TheFast and Furiousmovieshave changed drastically since the first installment, with the saga trying different approaches until it finally achieved the blockbuster status it has today. From stealing DVDs to preventing a nuclear war,Dominic Toretto’s familyhas gone through a lot throughout 10 films and a spinoff.Fast Xmay have gotten mixed reviews, but it was not the worst-receivedFast and Furiousmovie.
DespiteFast X’s box office disappointment, theFast and Furiousfranchise has been regularly releasing financial hits for over a decade. Given how massive the IP has become, it can be easy to forget that the series struggled quite a lot during its first installments. Following a strong first film that introduced audiences to Brian O’Conner and Dominic Toretto,Fast and Furioustook a while to find its identity. After a couple of missteps,Tokyo Driftdirector Justin Lin returned for the fourth installment, whose biggest selling point was the return of the franchise’s original protagonists.
Fast & Furious (2009) Has A 28% Score On Rotten Tomatoes
Fast & Furious (2009) did not get good reviews.
Fast & Furious(2009), orFast & Furious 4, is the lowest-rated Fast Saga movie on Rotten Tomatoeswith a 28% critic score. The film, which marked the return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to the franchise after the former skipped2 Fast 2 Furiousand the latter skippedTokyo Drift, was supposed to bring the saga back to its roots and reignite the IP. Although bringing back Diesel and Walker did helpFast & Furiousfrom a financial standpoint, the story left a lot to be desired.Fast & Furious 4was deemed too repetitive and uninspired.
56
$714,567,285
59
$719,360,068
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbes and Shaw
67
$760,732,926
$1,235,534,014
81
$1,511,986,364
Fast and Furious 6
71
$789,300,444
78
$629,975,898
28
$359,347,833
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
37
$157,794,205
$236,410,607
The Fast and the Furious
54
$206,458,372
Critics pointed out howFast & Furious 4was almost a remake of the first movie, this time with both Brian and Toretto having to infiltrate an organization tied to street racing. It must be noted thatpreviousFast & Furiousfilmshad not been critically acclaimed either, particularly2 Fast 2 FuriousandTokyo Drift. Still,Fast & Furious(2009) did not bring much else to the table other than the returns of Brian and Toretto. Letty’s offscreen death did not land as well as it could have, and the investigation regarding Braga was not that interesting.
Why Fast & Furious (2009) Was So Important To The Franchise
Despite the reviews, Fast & Furious 4 helped the series.
Despite its flaws,Fast & Furious(2009) is arguably the most important entry in the saga since the first movie. Had it not been forFast & Furious 4, the Fast Saga as audiences know it today would not exist. Justin Lin had done something very different from the first two movies inTokyo Drift, and while the third film has its charm and aged quite well,Fast & Furiousneeded its original stars back.Both2 Fast 2 FuriousandTokyo Drifthad proven that creating new main characters wasn’t going to work in the long term.
Fast & Furious 4plays out like a direct sequel toThe Fast and the Furious, almost as if the other two movies had not happened. Audiences learned what Toretto had been doing since the end of the first film, including through a short film directed by Vin Diesel calledLos Bandoleros. That said, the film did not completely ignore its predecessors. Brian’s previous adventure is acknowledged, andSung Kang’s Hanmakes a cameo as part of Dominic Toretto’s crew. In addition to Brian and Toretto,Fast & Furious 4also brought back Letty and Mia.
Fast & Furious(2009) was set beforeTokyo Drift, allowing Han to appear in the former’s opening sequence despite his death in the latter.
The fact thatThe Fast and the Furious’ main cast returned for the fourth movie is not the only reason whyFast & Furious(2009) helped save the franchise. The film was the first entry in the Fast Saga to show that the series could be more than just heists and street racing. The cars and the races were still there, but the search for Braga is what set the tone for the story. From Toretto holding a man by his leg to an action-packed third act,Fast & Furious(2009) foreshadowed the saga’s future.
Fast Five Could Not Have Happened Without Fast & Furious 4
Fast & Furious 4 proved audiences wanted more Fast and Furious.
Fast Fiveis widely considered not only the bestFast and Furiousmovie but also the franchise’s most important installment – and for good reason.Fast Fivewas a critical and commercial success, grossing over $626 million on a $125 million budget. Set mostly in Rio de Janeiro,Fast Fivewas the first entry in the Fast Saga to have a nine-figure budget, and it did not disappoint. The movie greatly expanded the scope and the scale of the franchise by not only bringing Dom’s family to another country for a global adventure but also combining characters from previous films.
Fast & Furious 4’s box office sent a message that audiences were still open for moreFast and Furiousmovies.
RecentFast and Furiousmovies have relied a lot on the saga’s ensemble, withFast X’s castin particular featuring multiple stars.Fast Five’s budget was a clear indication that the studio was willing to bet on the franchise’s potential, which would not have happened hadFast & Furious(2009) not rescued the IP. Even though the fourth movie was not well received by critics, it still grossed $359 million on a $85 million budget.Fast & Furious 4’s box office sent a message that audiences were still open for moreFast and Furiousmovies.
Fast & Furious 4 Is When The Fast Saga Began To Change
Dominic Toretto was now a superhero.
Fast Fiveis often pointed out as the moviewhereFast and Furiouschangedforever. However, this change in tone and scale arguably started inFast & Furious 4. The 2009 film was one of transition, recapturing some of the tone of the first film while also incorporating a more action-packed approach. For example, Toretto starts to become a “superhero” inFast & Furious 4. Once a regular human who was also a great driver,Dom could now catch an engine with one hand and interrogate people as if he were Batman.
10 Things That Must Happen In Fast & Furious 11 Before The Fast Saga Ends
Before the Fast & Furious franchise reaches its grand finale, plenty of things need to happen to wrap things up for Dominic Toretto and his crew.
The Fast and the Furiouswas a crime drama as much as it was about street racing, butFast & Furious(2009) took things to the next level. Braga’s street racing circuit and the drivers he hires are just a small part of the story, which focuses more on Brian and Dom acting as secret agents as they try to take down a crime lord.Fast & Furious(2009) was the first indication thatFast and Furiouswould soon no longer be just about cars. As flawed as the movie was,Fast & Furious 4’s impact on the franchise cannot be overlooked.
Fast & Furious
Cast
Fast & Furious is the fourth installment in the franchise, reuniting original stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto and Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz. The film takes place five years after the events of the first film and follows Brian O’Conner, played by Paul Walker, who is now an FBI agent tasked with taking down a heroin importer.
