Two decades after its inception, Fast & Furious has become one of the most recognizable movie franchises in the industry, but two of its most underrated films surprisingly share a common factor regarding Vin Diesel. Having been involved in nearly every entry, Vin Diesel set a Fast & Furious record for most consecutive appearances after featuring in the last nine movies, excluding the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff. As a result, his character has become an integral part of the overall story and Diesel has had a major influence on the franchise’s success, making his involvement critical for the blockbuster series.

Interestingly though, two of the most underrated Fast & Furious movies share an interesting trait involving Diesel that no other mainline entry possesses. Fast & Furious (2009) was where the franchise started to shift into a more all-out-action spectacle, with the narrative focusing less on street racing and more on high-stakes crime, but it wasn’t always this way. Before Fast & Furious became synonymous with its over-the-top stunts, the earlier movies were more character-driven and had a relatively grounded storyline. Surprisingly, this produced two of the franchise’s most underrated films, and neither of them featured much of Dominic Toretto.

2 Fast 2 Furious And Tokyo Drift Are The Most Underrated Fast & Furious Movies

Both Are Among The Franchise’s Lowest Rated Movies Critically

While many fans often consider Fast Five and Furious 7 as some of Fast & Furious‘ best movies, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift are often towards the bottom of the list, suggesting they rarely get much love. However, while The Fast and the Furious may be the best of the early entries, the second and third films have plenty of charm and personality that indicate they should be looked upon more fondly than they are. 2 Fast 2 Furious is often bashed for its cheesy dialog and ridiculous action, but that’s also part of its appeal.

Even if it hasn’t aged perfectly, 2 Fast 2 Furious is still an extremely fun movie that I always get a kick out of, and doesn’t deserve to be as panned as it is. Likewise, Tokyo Drift actually tries to play into Fast & Furious‘ earliest strength, street racing. Although the saga eventually evolved and focused on government agencies alongside life-or-death situations, Tokyo Drift felt like it proudly held the Fast & Furious banner by following a character’s journey from outlaw to drifting icon.

There are still the criminal elements and high-risk scenarios involved that the series has always embraced, but introducing a new leading character in a completely new environment proved to be effective, even if the movie didn’t quite fulfill its full potential. By no means are 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift cinematic masterpieces, but they arguably have more character than some of the later entries, and I still believe the underwhelming reception of these films is undeserved.

Neither 2 Fast 2 Furious Nor Tokyo Drift Are About Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto

Dom Only Appears Through A Brief Cameo In Tokyo Drift

Despite Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto being the franchise’s main protagonist, he doesn’t appear in 2 Fast 2 Furious and only has a brief cameo in Tokyo Drift, perhaps adding to why these projects are so underrated. Given Diesel is one of the first names people ᴀssociate with the series, it’s no surprise the movies that barely feature him would quickly be overlooked. After his role in the first film, it seemed like Dominic would be a big part of the narrative going forward, but 2 Fast 2 Furious opted to continue Brian O’Conner’s story instead, teaming him with Roman Pearce.

Brian and Roman’s Fast & Furious friendship was certainly underutilized in later installments, as they had great chemistry and plenty of hilarious interactions. Ultimately, their story may have lacked the same compelling drama of Fast Five and beyond, but they still provided a really fun outing without Dom. In addition, Tokyo Drift focused on a new character entirely, with Sean Boswell becoming the protagonist for this unique film. The Tokyo setting provided something completely different, and allowing a high school dropout to take center stage was a fun twist that freshened up the saga significantly.

Dom did appear towards the end of the movie and challenged Sean to a race, which set up Diesel’s full-time return to the franchise. While this was a fun scene that helped connect Sean and Han to the wider story, Dom’s appearance was ultimately nothing more than a cameo, and he served little importance to the plot. Still, bringing Dom back proved to be the right move in the end based on how successful Fast & Furious became, but it’s no coincidence that the two films he had the smallest influence on went on to be severely underrated.

2 Fast 2 Furious And Tokyo Drift Ultimately Struggled Without Dominic Toretto

Dom Helps Give Fast & Furious A Clearer Direction Despite His Over-The-Top Story

Although 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift had plenty of strengths, the lack of Dominic Toretto definitely seemed to hurt them. Tokyo Drift is still the lowest-grossing entry in the entire franchise, perhaps because it felt more like a spinoff without its main stars, while 2 Fast 2 Furious received the saga’s worst ratings among many critics. Even though Dom’s presence often makes the story unnecessarily dramatic, he does at least give it a clearer and more ambitious direction, while Diesel’s star power helps financially since he has become a bigger and bigger name over the years.

The character’s international notoriety also makes him a target for various villains, each of them becoming more menacing than the last. Likewise, the franchise has made Dom superhuman at times, allowing him to be involved in ridiculous stunts that the audience has slowly embraced. 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift undoubtedly had big personalities and interesting esthetics, but they feel less eventful compared to Fast & Furious‘ bigger movies, which has ultimately created the dismissive atтιтude towards them. Therefore, regardless of whether you love or hate him, it’s clear Vin Diesel is a necessary draw for the blockbuster series.

Fast & Furious

Movie(s)

The Fast And The Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, Hobbs and Shaw, F9: The Fast Saga, Fast X, Hobbs and Shaw 2, Fast X: Part 2

First Film

The Fast And The Furious

Cast

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Eva Mendes, Lucas Black, Sung Kang, Bow Wow, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, John Cena

Character(s)

Dominic Toretto, Brian O’Conner, Letty Ortiz, Roman Pearce, Monica Fuentes, Sean Boswell, Han Lue, Twinkie, Mia Toretto, Luke Hobbs, Deckard Shaw, Cipher, Brixton Lore, Jakob Toretto

Video Game(s)

The Fast and the Furious (2004), The Fast and the Furious (2006), Fast & Furious: SuperCars, Fast & Furious: Showdown, Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious, Fast & Furious Crossroads

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