Fast & FuriousĀ is a blockbuster franchise, yet its titles could’ve sent a better message about what the movies were about. The saga spreads over 11 movies, a spin-off, two short films, and a television series, with more to come in the future. Although it has a combined gross of over $7 billion globally,Ā theĀ Fast & FuriousĀ franchise doesnāt follow any consistent structure or format for its titles. The titling ofĀ everyĀ Fast & FuriousĀ movieĀ has become so nonsensical and confusing that the franchise has become the source of various jokes pertaining to franchise titling.
AfterĀ The Fast and the Furious, the franchise incorporated numbers for the sequelĀ 2 Fast 2 Furious, added a subtitle for the third installmentĀ The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and then went basic withĀ Fast & FuriousĀ for the fourth entry. Almost all subsequent installments have included numbers, but they’ve done so by spelling them out, including the numerical form, and even adding in Roman numerals, all while dropping “Fast” or “Furious” (or both) from the titles. Albeit confusing to follow at times, theĀ Fast & FuriousĀ movie titlesĀ could have followed a more traditional and cohesive approach as the franchise grew.
The Fast And The Furious’ Title Was A Good Decision
Released in 2001 as a standalone
The first film, based on the article “Racer X” by Ken Li, has a great title that sets up the franchise. It sets the scene, and the “fast” clearly states its focus on car races and car culture. It made literal sense even when taking a look at its main characters, Vin Dieselās Dominic Toretto and Paul Walkerās Brian OāConnor. It could be argued that Dom proved he was “fast,” which made Brian “furious.” However, the title wasnāt the first option, as the film had many possible titles.Ā The Fast and the FuriousĀ has a 69-year-old storyĀ tied to its name, which was the title of a 1954 movie.