Movies

Fast & Furious 11: Will It Ever Surpass the Legacy of Furious 7?

BBG News

The Fast & Furious movie series has been running strong for two decades, but its exciting journey may soon come to an end permanently. In approximately a year, we can expect the release of The Fast & the Furious 11 in cinemas, marking what is likely to be the last major installment in the series. Regrettably, it might find it challenging to provide a fitting conclusion, given that the most satisfying finale for this automobile-centric heist franchise occurred several entries earlier.

Furious 7 was undoubtedly one of the finest installments in the Fast & Furious franchise, and it provided a fitting conclusion to the series. This was partly because of the real-life events that surrounded it, but every aspect of the movie brought the narrative to a logical end. Since then, the series hasn’t quite lived up to its former glory, and it’s challenging to imagine how the final film will match the sense of fulfillment found in cruising into the sunset.

Furious 7 Was the Best Way to End The Fast & the Furious

The 10-Year-Old Movie Was the Franchise’s Peak

2015 saw the arrival of Furious 7, marking its place as the seventh cinematic installment in the Fast & Furious series. Gaining from its growing pace, this movie served as the climactic finale for the brand’s transformation. Apart from high-speed car chases and races, it emphasized more on intense action sequences and visual effects, many of which revolved around cars. The franchise had undeniably shifted into an action movie powerhouse, with Furious 7 delivering awe-inspiring spectacle at its finest.

The scene that stood out most in the movie was a Lykan HyperSport driving through the Etihad Towers, which is still considered one of the best stunts ever performed in any Fast Saga film. The movie offered more than just impressive special effects; it also had a powerful emotional component that reached a climax as part of the storyline.

In essence, Furious 7’s narrative serves as a heartfelt farewell to Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Conner, marking his final appearance in the series. This was largely because Paul Walker passed away during filming, and his brothers Caleb and Cody were used as stand-ins to finish shooting some scenes.

In the film, Brian ponders if he’ll ever adapt to suburban living as his last grand adventure unfolds with Dom. This climaxes in a scene that has since become famous, where they take one last ride together before parting, a moment that significantly boosted their status as cultural icons in movie history. It’s worth noting that the story could have ended there, but it didn’t, leading to subsequent installments that dimmed some of the original series’ shine.

The Fast & Furious Series Has Stalled Creatively

Recent Sequels Have Run the Movies Into the Ground

While many believe that Furious 7 could have served as a fitting conclusion for the Fast Saga, it was merely the start of more adventures. Two years following this, The Fate of the Furious kept the franchise alive, though some critics argued that its quality took a significant dip. This trend continued with Fast 9, a film that left many audiences disappointed and potentially tarnishing the series’ reputation in certain markets like China. The spinoff movie, although successful at the box office and moderately well-received, didn’t fully reignite the series’ popularity. Even the upcoming Fast X failed to rekindle the initial excitement surrounding the franchise.

In essence, some viewers’ gripes about the Fast 9 film seemed to be reinforced, primarily due to an escalating focus on extravagant stunts that grew increasingly unrealistic. The most cringeworthy instance might be the notorious “car swing” scene or the part where a car traveled into space. These over-the-top scenes left many feeling that the franchise had passed its peak and was now carelessly leaping beyond acceptable boundaries (or rather, speeding over them). What made it even more disappointing for some was the lack of resolution in several storylines due to Brian’s absence from the series.

It would have been more convincing for “The Fate of the Furious” if Brian had addressed Dom’s apparent betrayal, but unfortunately, this wasn’t possible due to Paul Walker’s passing. This underscores how questionable it was for the series to continue, with “Furious 7” being a more fitting conclusion. Similarly, it seems out of place that they continued the series, given that Brian is directly referenced in the film.

It’s clear that Paul Walker won’t rejoin the series in person, unless his image is digitally manipulated to make it seem like one of his brothers. His absence, coupled with a perceived drop in film quality, suggests that Brian’s last race really was the end. If things had continued positively, there might have been an opportunity to wrap up the story on a strong note. Regrettably, it seems unlikely we’ll see such a resolution given the trend of the 11th and final movie.

Furious 11 Likely Won’t Top This Superior Ending to the Franchise

The Series Is Going “Back to Basics” Too Late

It appears that Fast & Furious 11, originally referred to as Fast X: Part 2, has shifted its direction from what was initially expected for a 2026 release. Instead of continuing directly from the events of Fast X (released in 2023), it seems the new film will take a different approach, possibly emphasizing car races over grand stunts and plotlines. However, how this change will smoothly transition from the explosive action and ongoing storylines of the previous movie remains to be seen.

It appears that instead, the upcoming spinoff Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Reyes is expected to serve as a sequel to Fast 10. This sudden shift could be quite surprising, particularly for those casual viewers unaware of the behind-the-scenes alterations in the series. The most disheartening aspect is that this move means bypassing some potential plot points earlier on (such as the apparent demise of ), all in an effort to address the grandiose excess that has marked the franchise’s recent direction. It would have been more appropriate for the sequel to take a more grounded approach in a previous Fast & Furious film, and this might have helped improve The Fate of the Furious and pave a new path for the series.

Currently, it’s impractical to make this change given the over-the-top and absurd direction the franchise has taken. When the story was building towards an epic conclusion, with Dom at his most vulnerable, a shift now would be challenging on a storytelling perspective. It might even tarnish the remaining positive feelings for the series and leave a disappointing ending, echoing the unfortunate fate of the 1990 film Rocky V.

This predicament arose because Rocky was artificially pushed back into a blue-collar lifestyle again, losing his title as boxing champion. It was an unpopular choice to conclude the series in such a manner, and the approach taken by the Fast & Furious franchise might fail even more spectacularly. With too many elements crucial for compelling drama and a well-structured narrative likely discarded, it may not measure up to the potential ending provided in Furious 7, where the brand (or at least the main story) could have been gracefully wrapped up. The return of Brian, despite his departure symbolizing the current state of affairs, won’t rectify this error, as his exit was significant in shaping things as they are now.

Fast 11 will drive in theaters on 2026.

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2025-04-18 05:06

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