The most rewatchable movie in theFast and Furiousfranchise is actually so good you’ll forget that it doesn’t always make sense.The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Driftis the third installment in theFast Sagaand follows 17-year-old racing enthusiast and outcast Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) as he settles into his new life in Tokyo, where he discovers the drifting scene.Tokyo Driftsets itself apart from the otherFast and Furiousmoviesdue to the absence of Paul Walker or Vin Diesel in a leading role, although Dom Toretto does appear at the end.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drifthas a bad reputation due to its inconsistencies and numerous retcons. TheFast and Furiousfranchise later altered its timeline to resurrectTokyo Drift’sHan (Sung Kang), makingTokyo Driftthe sixth movie chronologically. As a result,Tokyo Driftwasranked one of the worstFast and Furiousmovieswith a disappointing 38% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s the lowest-grossing film in the franchise. However,Tokyo Drifthas surprisinglyredeemed itself over the years and has become one of the most rewatchablemovies in the entireFast Saga.
Tokyo Drift Is The Most Rewatchable Fast & Furious Movie
The Only True Standalone Fast & Furious Movie
The main reason whyTokyo Driftis the most rewatchableFast and Furiousmovie is because it’s the only film in the saga that is self-contained.To watchTokyo Drift, you don’t need any real background knowledge about the rest of the franchisebecause all ofTokyo Drift’scharacters are original. Even with all of theFast Saga’s timeline retcons,Tokyo Driftstill works as a standalone film. Audiences can thrill toToyko Drift’s impressiveFast and Furious-style car stuntswithout needing to know the plot of the other movies.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Driftbroke Japanese laws by using guerrilla filming tactics for some of the street-racing scenes in Tokyo, as a permit was hard to acquire.
Furthermore, some of the reasons whyTokyo Driftwas the lowest-grossingFast and Furiousmovieare also what make the film good.Tokyo Drift’splot is grounded in street-racing as opposed to other films in theFastSaga,and its back-to-basic approach makes for easy watching. WhileTokyo Driftdoes not have the best screenplay or performances, and there are some things in the film that simply don’t make sense, there are a variety of funny and thrilling moments inTokyo Driftthat make it a worthwhile watch, and the driving scenes work perfectly for a Tokyo backdrop.
A Lot Of Things Don’t Make Sense About Tokyo Drift When You Think About It
Tokyo Drift Has Such An Odd Story And Timeline
While the movie’s plot does play out fairly well, there are a lot of things that don’t make sense aboutThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Driftwhen you think about it. For one,Tokyo Drift’sgeneral premise makes for an odd story;a high school kid gets sent to Tokyo to avoid jail time for street-racing in the US, wherein he gets involved with more street-racing and mob conflicts, which his military father somehow forgives. To add to the bizarre situation, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) also shows up at the end stating Han was family, which changedhow to watch theFast and Furiousmovies chronologically.
Fast and FuriousMovies In Release Order
After his shocking death in the film,Han Lue’s return complicatedFast and Furious’timelinewhen he reappeared inFast Five. As a result,Fast and Furiousretconned its entire timeline and made it so thatTokyo Driftis actually set betweenFast and Furious 6andFurious 7, explaining that Han actually faked his death with Mr Nobody’s (Kurt Russell) help. This huge retcon (which happened years later) also belatedly explained Toretto’s appearance at the end ofTokyo Drift, when he said that Han was family.
Tokyo Drift Has Aged Well (Thanks To The Fast & Furious Movies That Came After It)
Tokyo Drift Is Predominantly A Car Movie, Not A Superhero-esque Movie
Surprisingly, despite its low box office earnings and ratings,The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drifthas aged quite well, and this is due to theFast and Furiousmovies that came after it. In orderto keep up with the hype that each film brings,Fast and Furioushas become increasingly ridiculous,taking unbelievable turns.Characters in theFastsaga are practically invincible, and the movies have becomeAvengers-style superhero spectacles with cars. In contrast,Tokyo Driftis grounded in street-racing, which makes it highly rewatchable, and helped it age well.
Sorry Vin Diesel, But It’s Too Late For Fast & Furious 11 To Go Back To The Franchise’s Roots
Vin Diesel has teased that Fast & Furious 11 will go back to the franchise’s street-level roots, but it’s much, much too late for that.
Tokyo Drift’sgrounded approach is brilliant for car lovers and rewatchers, as it’s easy to follow and nowhere as dramatic as later installments. Rather ironically,Tokyo Drift’sbox office flop changed theFast and Furiousfranchisein the first place, changing the movies’ “new lead character per film” formula and instead sticking with Vin Diesel as its main character.The Fast and the Furious:Tokyo Drift’sdisappointing box office made theFast Sagafeel it had to be more exciting and stray further from its original street-racing premise, but hopefully this will change forFast 11,and it, too, will be just as rewatchable.
