Being a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise can have its drawbacks, as the franchise routinely sustains criticism on multiple levels. While the films have been enormously successful at the box office, they’ve also often been panned by movie reviewers as the stakes are raised with each new installment.
As a result, devoted Fast & Furious fans often find themselves having to defend their love of the franchise against a cadre of critics who’ve been turned off by the franchise’s increasingly absurd antics and tenuous grip on reality. But even die-hard fans have to admit certain aspects of the films either don’t add up or have fallen flat.
9 The Rock Didn’t Help The Franchise
As popular and successful as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has generally been in the film industry, many fans were disappointed with his role as Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs. With Johnson’s arrival, the franchise began to expand in different directions, alienating many fans of the original film who felt the franchise lost some of the purity and magic which made audiences connect with the first film.
In the wake of reports indicating friction between Johnson and other cast members — including Vin Diesel himself — many fans believe Johnson’s performances seemed forced, insincere, and often cheesy. In their eyes, Johnson’s presence did very little to enhance the franchise.
8 The Films Will Never Be Critically Acclaimed Or Oscar-Worthy
The Fast & Furious franchise established itself as an incredibly popular and prosperous box office draw. However, most fans came to terms long ago with the fact the professional critic class would never take the Fast and Furious films seriously or have much respect for them beyond the pure entertainment value they provide.
Much of this criticism is often centered around the implausible scenarios the Fast & Furious crew members find themselves in. The perception of less-than-stellar acting chops and poor, overly-simplistic writing have also been frequent targets of criticism by film reviewers.
7 Dom’s Mysterious Betrayal Was A Low Point For The Franchise
Many fans were initially perplexed by Dom’s rogue actions in The Fate Of The Furious which led to the apparent betrayal of his own crew. While the motivations behind his work for Cipher would later be revealed to involve an infant son Dom didn’t know he had, his lack of communication with his crew in the process was frustrating to watch.
While Cipher certainly made communication difficult, it’s hard to believe Dom wouldn’t have made any attempt to get a message to his crew and help them understand what was going on. One such missed opportunity involved Letty coming face-to-face with Dom while trying to steal the nuclear football.
6 Going Into Space In F9 Was Patently Ridiculous
A strong case can be made that the over-the-top space mission was where the franchise lost a lot of people, particularly the more casual fans. Even some die-hard fans found themselves scratching their heads over the ludicrous notion of traveling to space in a rocket car to destroy a satellite and stop the Aries upload.
Like other extreme scenarios the characters often find themselves in, this plot device can be difficult for fans to defend to the average non-fan. As such, the only response most fans can offer are statements like “You have to check your brain at the door,” or “It’s fiction, and it’s entertaining. Don’t overthink it!”
5 John Cena Was An Unconvincing And Awkward Addition
In probably one of the weakest additions to the cast over the entire series, John Cena’s performance as Jakob Toretto in F9 failed to connect with some fans on the same level many of the franchise’s beloved characters had. Perhaps acting just wasn’t Cena’s strong suit, but the emotional investment required for such a significant character in the storyline simply wasn’t there for many fans.
Cena came off as stiff, stoic, and unlikeable, and he was generally unconvincing as Dom’s long-lost brother. Cena’s performance seemed contrived and obligatory, devoid of any depth. Even as he reconciled with Dom at the end of F9, the shift seemed sudden, feigned, and disingenuous.
4 Han Was Only Able To Return By Rewriting History
Perhaps one of the most adored characters in the franchise was Han. His unexpected popularity with fans after first appearing (and dying) in The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift caused the franchise to further accommodate his character in subsequent sequels.
The problem was, in order to bring Han back to life for F9, fans were asked to embrace a convoluted scenario involving Deckard, Mr. Nobody, and a faked death that didn’t ring true for anyone who re-watches Han’s death scene in Tokyo Drift. It was quite a stretch to bring Han back into the fold, but fans loved it anyway.
3 The Franchise Peaked At Fast Five
Fast Five is generally regarded as the best entry in the series by many fans. While the sequels since have delivered plenty of thrills and action-packed sequences, none of them are able to check off all the fan boxes quite like Fast Five.
What made Fast Five such a success was that it retained the key elements fans had come to expect from the franchise — namely, fast cars and the return of all franchise characters to date. Additionally, it added new elements — like a massive safe heist — taking the action to unprecedented heights.
2 Action Sequences Become More Absurd With Each Entry
Most of the main characters in the Fast & Furious franchise would’ve died or been seriously injured many times over by now. Whether it’s jumping between Abu Dhabi skyscrapers in a Lyken Hypersport, converging on a Russian nuclear submarine in fast cars plowing through snow and ice, or dropping out of a C-130 cargo plane in cars with parachutes, this franchise did it all.
With each new installment, the Fast & Furious franchise seeks to top its previous endeavor and deliver the most preposterous, over-the-top stunts and action sequences imaginable. While highly entertaining to watch, the sequences often have little to no grounding in actual science.
1 Paul Walker Is Gone
Paul Walker’s passing during the making of Furious 7 was a huge blow, as many people considered Walker to be the heart and soul of Fast & Furious. There’s no denying the franchise hadn’t been the same since. Watching a Fast & Furious film without Walker felt a bit like watching a spin-off.
Paul Walker brought a certain level of integrity, charisma and legitimacy to the Fast & Furious franchise that’s been sorely missing since his death. However, fans may be able to pay tribute to Walker one last time if the discussions regarding a CGI recreation of Brian O’Conner for the franchise finale (with help from Walker’s brother) materialize into an on-screen return.