While the Fast & Furious franchise may not be as large as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is undoubtedly diverse, which is impressive given that the entire series is about, well, fast vehicles. Despite this, the series is one of the most popular, with spin-offs and shorts.
It took a long time for us to get to the ninth Fast & Furious film, aptly dubbed Fast & Furious 9 (or F9: The Fast Saga if you’re in the US), but it finally launched to a stunning $163 million in the United States.
If you want to see the Fast & Furious movie properly, you’ll need to do your homework first, which is why we’re here to assist you. We’ve got everything you need to watch the series in chronological order, from timeline jumping to canon short films.
1. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
The Fast and the Furious (2001) is the first chapter in the series, and it follows undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) as he joins a theft group led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel).
2. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
The sequel to The Fast and the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, does not star Vin Diesel, but it does star Paul Walker and is set after the events of The Fast and the Furious. Ludacris as Tej and Tyrese Gibson as Roman is introduced in this episode, and they go on to become two key characters.
3. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
This is when things start to get interesting. This was viewed as a type of reboot for the entire franchise. There was no Paul Walker, Diesel, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, or Gibson (apart from a brief cameo). There aren’t any main characters in this story. The film was set in Japan and starred Han Solo (Sung Kang). Fortunately, fans flocked to Han, but the film did muddle the timeline a little.
4. Fast & Furious (2009)
This is not to be mistaken with the first film in the franchise (these titles are so bewildering!). We’ll disregard The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift for now because it comes after 2 Fast 2 Furious.
5. Fast Five (2011)
The Rock first appears as Luke Hobbs in Fast Five, and Ludacris and Tyrese finally return to the franchise. Sung Kang reprises his role as Han, as does Gal Gadot. Here’s where the flicks start to pick up speed and veer towards the ludicrous.
6. Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
With Luke Evans starring as Owen Shaw, we have a new villain or a whole family of villains. In a sequence first seen in Tokyo Drift, Jason Statham’s character Deckard Shaw seems to kill Han in a post-credits scene. Phew, we’ve finally caught up.
7. Furious 7 (2015)
The cast reunites for this one, in which we bid farewell to Paul Walker. After that credits scene, Statham returns for his first major starring role in the FF franchise, in which he clashed with Diesel and The Rock.
8. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
With this eighth film, we continue the franchise. We’d like to introduce Charlize Theron, who plays the villain Cipher. This is the first installment without Brian, played by Paul Walker, and it also introduces a new member of Dom’s family.
9. Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019)
This is a side trip, as it isn’t really part of the main franchise, but rather a spin-off. Idris Elba’s super-soldier pits The Rock and Statham against each other once more. Shaw makes the transformation from evil to hero. Vanessa Kirby plays Statham’s sister Hattie, and Helen Mirren returns as their mother after a cameo appearance in the eighth Fast and Furious film.
10. F9 (2021)
Dominic and Letty’s retirement is disrupted in the most recent installment of The Fast Saga when a deadly new enemy emerges: Dom’s younger brother, Jakob Toretto, played by John Cena.
Dwayne Johnson is not in this film, however, Charlize Theron reprises her role as Cipher, and Helen Mirren reprises her role as Queenie Shaw.
The Bottom Line
Until recently, the entirety of the Fast and Furious franchise could be watched on streaming service NOW with a cinema pass (£11.99 per month), but the majority of the films have since been removed from the platform, leaving just Furious 7 (2015).
Netflix does not have any of the parts of the series.
