We have to admit, the car in the photo above, which is featured in the latest Custom Car magazine, is kind of cool. Obviously, it’s a homage to the Supra from the original The Fast & the Furious, which leads us to this week’s question.
We’ve been doing the Japanese car thing for a long time, and one thing that has persistently baffled us is the continued popularity of the Fast & Furious franchise. And we’re not talking about the general public who can’t tell a manifold from a hubcap. Over the years we’ve met a lot of car guys, who can do miraculous things like weld together an entire subframe or set the engine timing by ear, guys who should know better, yet still adore these movies. Personally, it’s hard for me to sit through even 10 minutes of these cringe-fests. Is it a matter of so bad it’s good, just taking it as mindless entertainment, or do people really like the car content?
Why do you love (or hate) the Fast & Furious movies?
The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What would you like to know about the new Z?”
We’ll get to as many questions as we can about the Z later this week, but for now, we’ll pick a winner among the questions submitted. That might not be the question that shed the most light on the Z, but it’s the one we enjoyed reading them most, and that question came from Legacy-san:
I would like to know if Nissan realizes that the new Z won’t sell as fast and as popular as econoboxes or SUV’s, and that, like the GTR, it is for a segment of the market that wants a sports car. I think I read that Acura is going to cancel the NSX because of low demand for a very pricey sports car, which could be the reason the Integra is coming back. Toyota and Subaru are about ready to formally introduce the second generation GT86/BRZ while the Supra is slowly selling, like it should. Same goes for the venerable Corvette; they make a few but don’t expect to see one on every street corner. Hopefully, they’ll remember when the cancelled the Z, then Carlos brought it back because dealerships needed eye candy. Let the new Z continue that tradition and not get all fussy if people aren’t beating down the doors to get one.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
It’s a love-hate relationship. The first two iterations of the franchise, were enjoyable and realistic compared to what followed. I liked them because up to a certain extent they represented a somewhat realistic view of the underground car scene and the people involved in it.
After the first two, Fast and Furious became a science fiction franchise sprinkled with interesting cars. I had a hard time following it and would normally wouldn’t have cared if it wasn’t for the automotive angle.
Lately, I stopped worrying about what the franchise is and what it’s not and accepted it as what it is. Some interesting cars, over the top stunts and…that’s about it. Will I go see the next one? Of course I will!
I used to like the franchise. Then I watched Initial D and Wangan Midnight…..and the result was me losing all my respect for the Fast and Furious franchise. The Franchise just began to feel more like a cheap ripoff of something much more artful.
sorry about the length…its all a matter of perspective.
In the grand scheme of things, we must look at the impact its had on car culture in general, and love it or hate it, its brought more young people into the hobby. If that means we see many poorly modified 90’s Toyota Camry’s on cruise night, so be it. I remember being at the Chapters book store in the automotive section and there was a book “How To Modify Your Car Like Fast and Furious” – so in fact volumes have been written on how to emulate this style in your own garage. I’d rather see a kid learn how to use his hands and create his vision then hang out with the wrong kids and go the wrong way, and that is a real scenario.
The movie has also brought global attention to Japanese sports cars. The value of those cars today, in one way or another, can bee accredited to those movies. People started buying up the Turbo Supras, 240SX’s and RX7’s because of that franchise – at least here in North America. When the 1st movie was in its heyday, 99.9% of car guys in North America had never heard of Initial D. The JDM Auto scene gained serious traction because of these movies, and with it came the interest in the Culture that supported and in fact helped shape the cult status they enjoy today. The JDM Cult Car movies have now been enjoyed by an exponentially growing mainstream audience….they’re on Netflix now.
In short the movies were never meant to win an Oscar, but they have inspired millions to enjoy our hobby – and that’s not bad.
It’s just over the top fun. There’s a loose story to keep things together, and there’s the FAMILY (all caps needed, since that’s the underlying theme, and I’ve lost track of how often the word is said throughout the franchise). These movies aren’t meant to be high art, and they’re not meant to be thought provoking. They’re just supposed to be ridiculous and entertaining.
For me it is a love/hate for sure. Back when the first movie came out I only knew Option and Best Motoring and my 1/24 model kits. I would say what pissed me off was the drift/chase scene in Tokyo Drift and the high speed driving “FX” from the very first film. But seeing KT on the big screen was quite cool.
People in Australia seem to have given up on their national identity these days, they now embrace cars from a culture that is deeply traditional about their heritage, the Japnanese.
Perhaps now with the covid destroying globalisation we will be forced to reopen our own local car industry in the near future, see things from a different perspective.
I never thought of them as high art or even after watching Initial D, Wangan, or those Megalopolis Expressway movies did I lose respect for them. They are what the are.
Those movies showed me that Japanese econo boxes were more than what the general consensus thought them to be. When we were all kids back then, it would be the coolest thing to see an S2000 or an eclipse out and about. Even a very normal looking civic. Those were always cool. Even to this day I’ll see an ek hatch, and go “wow, cool! it’s still driving around after all these years”.
I remember the kids that sat at the lunch table would pull out a sketch book and draw cars and add their own art on the like in the movies. Those first two movies had a huge influence in all of us.
Everyone hated tokyo drift but I loved it. That was my introduction to actual Japanese car culture. I eventually got into anime, manga, and movies because of it.
After that, I don’t know. The fourth and fifth movie was the last I considered part of that saga, before Jason Statham and The Rock took over as the stars. They’re alright, just goofier and different.
Loves: Things blowing up, cars over revving and spewing flames, totally unrealistic stunts that don’t even require a don’t do this at home since they are impossible do in the real world, and plots you neither follow or care about.
Hates: Dialog that even my stoned friends would not utter, plots that if you try to apply logic too just make your head hurt, watching Vin Diesel get old, and what they have done to the pricing of Mk IV Supras and FD Rx-7s.
Love – while overexaggerated, I loved the original few films as it was a bit a bout the cars.
Love – Michelle Rodriguez and Devon Aoki.
Hate – it’s gotten too far fetched. But I get it, it’s an action film
I’m kinda indifferent to them. I’ll still watch them but I don’t hold them up as ground breaking cinema. They’re just fun turn-your-brain-off movies and there’s nothing wrong with that. Like a lot of younger people (~30 years old), the first movie and some older cousins into the local scene here in Long Beach got me into Japanese cars. It was exclusively lowriders for me until I saw my first Civic in a parking lot with an interior full of home-made fiberglass interior parts painted to match the bright yellow Macco spray job. I know better now but that was the coolest thing to me at 9 years old. Kinda wish some of the ideas came back with today’s level of execution if only to see what these things could have been.
I saw the first one in an early screening after having won tickets on the radio. I have never had a more raucous movie experience than that. The crowd was full of guys who REALLY liked it. It was a ton of fun as the crowd reacted in unison to everything that happened. People cheering for them when they beat the Ferrari was priceless. Had I seen it in any other scenario and I wouldn’t have liked it as much.
Since that one I’ve seen the second one (also in the theater) and Tokyo Drift the night I arrived at my friend’s house in Ushihama just outside Tokyo on my first trip to Japan. The second was not nearly as much fun and the crowd was silent. And of course I’ll always have a fondness for Drift because of where I was when I saw it.
Then there’s the diecast collectibles that have skyrocketed in value over the years which helps keep the series alive in my mind.
As probably one of the few car enthusiasts my age who hasn’t seen them, I can’t rightfully say. I love the fact that the guy from NCIS: New Orleans drifted a fastback Mustang with an RB down a touge. I hate the fact that John Cena apologized to Communist China for referring to Taiwan as Taiwan. The end. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.