Your Guide To Watching The ‘Fast And Furious’ Movies In Chronological Order

Up first, the one that started it all – the genesis of the Fast & Furious saga! It all began in 2001 when undercover cop Brian O’ Conner (played by the late Paul Walker) decide to take down a crew of carjackers led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel).

The first movie in the franchise takes you through the world of underground street racing and souped-up Japanese sports cars. The movie also gave car lovers the iconic visuals of a spicy orange Toyota Supra and Dom’s black Dodge Charger racing through a train crossing and pulling off wheelies. Fans of the franchise consider this movie to be one of the best of the lot, owing to its grounded plot and emphasis on car racing.  

IMDb rating: 6.8/10 
Rotten Tomatoes score: 54%

(Image Credits: Courtesy Universal Pictures via IMDb)

Ever wondered how Brian O’ Conner made it from LA to Miami before 2 Fast 2 Furious? This 6-minute short film is your answer. With no dialogues, this collection of montages relies on rock music and lots of street racing. Paul Walker’s Brian O’ Conner drives across the US and gets all his financial support from street races. If you wondered how he got his hands on the iconic ‘silver and blue’ Nissan Skyline GT-R, the answer lies in this one. The short film is available to watch for free on YouTube. 

(Image Credits: Courtesy IMDb)

2 Fast 2 Furious carries on the same theme of ‘undercover-cop-does-street-racing-to-bust-drug-dealers’, but this time the action is taking place in Miami. We get to meet Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej Parker (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges), who along with Paul Walker’s Brian O’ Conner, make for some fun street racing action. Eva Longoria (long before her Desperate Housewives days) also appears in the movie as Brian’s love interest. One of the film’s most iconic scenes comes right before the climax (a delight for JDM fans, and no we aren’t spoiling it here).  

IMDb rating: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 36%

(Image Credits: Courtesy IMDb)

Another short film, Los Bandoleros sets up the plot and unveils the cast for Fast & Furious (2009). It takes us back to Dom’s life and how he’s been doing after the events of The Fast and the Furious.

In this short film, we get to see an oil war, corruption, a prison break, and of course, some car racing – all in the span of 20 minutes. The film ends with Dom planning the hijack of a gasoline tanker truck, which is actually the opening sequence of the fourth film.

Fun fact: Los Bandoleros is written and directed by Vin Diesel.

(Image Credits: Courtesy IMDb)

The first true sequel to the original movie, Fast & Furious carries on with Dom and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) doing small-time heists. Brian enters the scene just after Letty dies (spoiler alert…*allegedly*) and teams up with Dom to take down the drug lord who killed her. The film also marked the first step in the franchise’s transition from street racing to ‘larger-than-life’ stunts. While Dom is eventually arrested, the movie ends with Brian and Mia teaming up to rescue him from the prison bus. 

IMDb rating: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 29%

(Image Credits: Courtesy IMDb)

Fast Five marks the franchise’s first major jump into large set-pieces and jaw-dropping stunts. Set after the fourth movie, Fast Five shows Dom and his gang in Rio De Janeiro, stealing souped-up cars and enjoying ‘the good life’. However, once a heist goes foul, they find themselves going up against Hernan Reyes, a ruthless drug kingpin masquerading as a businessman. Further complicating matters is federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) who is also trying to capture Dom and his crew. The film was well-received by critics when it was released and went on to make a whopping USD 626 million at the global box office.

IMDb rating: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%

(Photo Credits: Courtesy: Jaimie Trueblood / 2011 Universal Studios via IMDb) 

Fast & Furious 6 can best be described in two words – action spectacle! This time, the circus has come to London with a new, more menacing villain at the centre of it all – Owen Shaw – who uses an arsenal of specially modified vehicles on his heists. The movie brings Letty back from the dead, while also offering a heavy dose of vehicular action. To top it all, the film also features a spectacular ending that involves….wait for it…. bringing down an aeroplane just using sports cars! The film also gives us the first glimpse of Jason Stratham as Deckard Shaw, Owen’s elder brother and the villain for the next movie. 

IMDb rating: 7/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

(Image Credits: Courtesy IMDb via Universal Pictures)

While this is the third film in the franchise, chronologically it’s set right after the events of Fast 6. While not the most successful movie in the franchise, Tokyo Drift took the action to Japan and like the earlier films, focused on the basics – racing. Drift racing to be specific. Having a plot that is largely disconnected from the main franchise, the cast featured Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) and Twinkie (Shad ‘Bow Wow’ Moss), with series staple Han Lue making his first appearance as Sean’s mentor. The movie offers some great drift racing action and results in the (alleged) death of Han Lue at the hands of Deckard Shaw (read: Fast 6).  

Fun fact: The official song ‘Tokyo Drift‘ by Teriyaki Boyz became a cult hit.

IMDb rating: 6/10 
Rotten Tomatoes score: 38%

(Image Credits: Courtesy IMDb)

This film marked a bitter-sweet turning point for the Fast and the Furious movies. While it’s the highest-grossing (a jaw-dropping USD 1.5 billion at the global box) and the most critically acclaimed film in the franchise, it’s also marked by the tragic loss of Paul Walker. In November 2013, Walker died in a car accident (ironic, we know) in the midst of Furious 7’s shooting. 

As Walker played Brian O’Conner, one of the most important characters in the franchise, Furious 7 pays an emotional tribute to both the actor and the character. Despite the bitter-sweet circumstances and the film’s emotional threads, Furious 7 doesn’t shy away from bringing a healthy dose of action and humour as well. Jason Stratham’s Deckard Shaw plays the main antagonist as he goes after Dom and his entire gang to avenge his younger brother.

IMDb rating: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%

(Image Credits: Courtesy IMDb via Universal Pictures) 

With Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood and Helen Mirren joining the franchise and both Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel reprising their roles, The Fate of the Furious has quite the star-studded cast. In this film, Deckard Shaw is actually working with the good guys to take down Cipher, the film’s new antagonist. The movie, which also touches upon the threats of cyberterrorism and nuclear war, received a mixed response from fans and critics.    

IMDb rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

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The first official spin-off movie, Hobbs and Shaw brings together the duo of Jason Stratham and Dwayne Johnson as their characters are summoned to work together and save the world from a deadly virus. The duo also has to fight Idris Elba’s Brixton Lore, a genetically enhanced super soldier tasked with spreading the virus. While the spin-off is not connected to the main timeline of the Fast & Furious franchise, it does expand upon the characters of Hobbs and Shaw. 

A sequel spin-off was also in early development, however the unfortunate fallout between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson nipped those plans in the bud. 

IMDb rating: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%

(Photo Credits: Courtesy: Daniel Smith/Universal Pictures)

F9 further expands the franchise while also setting up the foundation stones of its concluding arc. This film introduces a new character to the fold, Dom and Mia’s estranged brother Jakob Toretto, played by John Cena. Jakob, alongside Cipher from the previous films, is working to activate Project Aries – a new programme that can control all of the world’s weapon systems. So, once again, it’s up to Dom and his crew to save the world.

IMDb rating: 5.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 59%

(Image Credits: Courtesy IMDb)

The beginning of the end, Fast X is the 10th film in the franchise that, once again, brings Dom’s family together to take on a new villain. Sounds repetitive at this point but trust us, this new villain is worth investing in. After all, it’s Aquaman! In this film, Jason Momoa enters the scene as Dante Reyes, the new antagonist harbouring a vendetta ever since Dom and his crew toppled his father’s empire in Rio back in Fast Five.

Now we aren’t spoiling the movie, but there’s talk of previously dead characters returning to the scene. Not to mention, a jaw-dropping stunt in which Dom’s black Dodge Charger drops from…wait for it… an aeroplane!

IMDb rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes score: 54%

(Image Credits: Courtesy Fast X/ Photo by Peter Mountain/Universal Picture/ IMDb)