The most rewatchable movie in the Fast and Furious franchise is actually so good you’ll forget that it doesn’t always make sense. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is the third installment in the Fast Saga and 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 Drift sets itself apart from the other Fast and Furious movies due 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 Drift has a bad reputation due to its inconsistencies and numerous retcons. The Fast and Furious franchise later altered its timeline to resurrect Tokyo Drift’s Han (Sung Kang), making Tokyo Drift the sixth movie chronologically. As a result, Tokyo Drift was ranked one of the worst Fast and Furious movies with a disappointing 38% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s the lowest-grossing film in the franchise. However, Tokyo Drift has surprisingly redeemed itself over the years and has become one of the most rewatchable movies in the entire Fast Saga.
Tokyo Drift Is The Most Rewatchable Fast & Furious Movie
The Only True Standalone Fast & Furious Movie
The main reason why Tokyo Drift is the most rewatchable Fast and Furious movie is because it’s the only film in the saga that is self-contained. To watch Tokyo Drift, you don’t need any real background knowledge about the rest of the franchise because all of Tokyo Drift’s characters are original. Even with all of the Fast Saga‘s timeline retcons, Tokyo Drift still works as a standalone film. Audiences can thrill to Toyko Drift’s impressive Fast and Furious-style car stunts without needing to know the plot of the other movies.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift broke 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 why Tokyo Drift was the lowest-grossing Fast and Furious movie are also what make the film good. Tokyo Drift’s plot is grounded in street-racing as opposed to other films in the Fast Saga, and its back-to-basic approach makes for easy watching. While Tokyo Drift does 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 in Tokyo Drift that 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 about The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift when you think about it. For one, Tokyo Drift’s general 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 changed how to watch the Fast and Furious movies chronologically.
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Fast and Furious Movies In Release Order |
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After his shocking death in the film, Han Lue’s return complicated Fast and Furious’ timeline when he reappeared in Fast Five. As a result, Fast and Furious retconned its entire timeline and made it so that Tokyo Drift is actually set between Fast and Furious 6 and Furious 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 of Tokyo 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 Drift has aged quite well, and this is due to the Fast and Furious movies that came after it. In order to keep up with the hype that each film brings, Fast and Furious has become increasingly ridiculous, taking unbelievable turns. Characters in the Fast saga are practically invincible, and the movies have become Avengers-style superhero spectacles with cars. In contrast, Tokyo Drift is grounded in street-racing, which makes it highly rewatchable, and helped it age well.
Tokyo Drift’s grounded 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’s box office flop changed the Fast and Furious franchise in 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’s disappointing box office made the Fast Saga feel it had to be more exciting and stray further from its original street-racing premise, but hopefully this will change for Fast 11, and it, too, will be just as rewatchable.
