F9: 10 Other Movies That Were Influenced By The Racing Franchise
Nine films in and The Fast And The Furious franchise has shown no signs of slamming on the brakes. While the series has received mixed reactions critically, in terms of its box office and its cultural impact, very few movie lines can compare to the car racing classic. Many try to emulate its success though.
While the latest installment might have played on the tropes of the genre, many of these expected moments have been defined by the franchise itself. Indeed, other film series and standalone pieces have copied aspects of The Fast And The Furious in order to try and replicate some of the same acclaim.
10 Honorable Mention: Hobbs And Shaw (2019)
It would be criminal to overlook the first-ever spin-off to the franchise, Hobbs And Shaw. Without the financial success of the previous films, this action blockbuster would have never seen the light of day. The influence of the main series is of course obvious.
Hobbs And Shaw does contain its own flavor though, even playing into the superhero genre with some of the genetic modifications involved in the villain's backstory. It still boasts the same incredible stunts of the mainline movies but combines with it a buddy comedy flair not often seen.
9 Cars (2006-2017)
Pixar has produced a wide array of notable movies but the Cars franchise is perhaps one of the most underrated. Created largely by one of the studio's founders, John Lasseter, his love for motor vehicles was so deep that he was even given an award for his work in the genre.
Pixar is always influenced by the genre they are working within and The Fast And The Furious certainly has its DNA in the motor franchise; especially Cars 2. The fast-paced, spy sequel clearly drew from the Fast series with its over-the-top stunts. The film was critically panned but Lasseter still defends the piece as a great work.
8 21 Jump Street (2012)
21 Jump Street was a surprise renaissance for the almost forgotten cop franchise. While the idea itself was hugely influenced by the original TV show, Jump Street didn't shy away from parodying the genre, in terms of both car movies and buddy police thrillers.
In one memorable car chase sequence, the leads are continually shocked that the vehicles in pursuit don't blow up as they've seen in movies such as The Fast And The Furious. Interestingly, 22 Jump Street makes a mockery of long-running franchises like Fast by parodying endless sequels in the credits. What's more, the sequel was produced by Neal Mortiz who also worked on Fast.
7 Need For Speed (2014)
When a studio sees the success of a certain genre, they'll often try to jump on the bandwagon and build up a franchise of their own to contend with this. The Fast And The Furious has largely had the racing market covered, but the established video game franchise Need For Speed attempted to become its contender.
With a recognizable name, stacked cast, and action-packed sequences, this should have been a success. Critical panning meant Need For Speed went no further though. The Fast And The Furious has even gone on to influence the video game line itself though, as it continues to set the bar for the genre.
6 Overdrive (2017)
There are very few movies that were clearly as influenced by The Fast And The Furious as Overdrive. Starring big names like Scott Eastwood and Ana De Armas, the over-the-top car set pieces were enough to convince any Fast fan that some action beats were being stolen from the franchise.
On top of this, the writer of the film was Michael Brandt. Brandt's credits include a range of projects, including 2 Fast 2 Furious, which he clearly drew from when creating the overall narrative of Overdrive. It even featured a heist and a crack team of experts; a similar premise to what fans had seen before.
5 Mission: Impossible (1996-Present)
There are a few franchises that are often compared to one another and Fast And The Furious and Mission: Impossible are two of them. Usually contrasted because of their dangerous action stunts and long-running series of sequels, there's a lot of similarities between them.
As one pulls off an incredible set-piece that looks beautiful on-screen, the other tries to top it with an even more outrageous sequence. The difference is, of course, that Tom Cruise appears to put himself in the line of danger far more and the in-camera results are, therefore, stunning.
4 Empire State (2013)
Empire State sees The Rock in full force after his appearance in Fast Five. Clearly replicating some of his performance from his Fast outing, Dwayne Johnson portrays a cop, facing off against Liam Hemsworth. The film plays on many of the same themes as the Fast series.
Another heist film, this felt like an extension of the racing series. Fast cars, underground criminal gangs, and a number of impressive, energetic sequences resulted in Empire State becoming easily comparable to the mainline films. Once again a franchise never spawned from this small hit though.
3 Faster (2010)
Another Dwayne Johnson production and one that came about just before his big debut in The Fast And The Furious films; this in many ways feels like his audition for the main franchise even down to the costume he's wearing. The influences are clear to see.
With the plot centered around Johnson trying to get revenge for a series of murders, there's a momentum in this piece that very much feels like the Fast films. Of course, vehicles are involved, but the constant tension of the chase and the themes surrounding found families are nods to the cinematic universe.
2 Bad Boys For Life (2020)
The Bad Boys series owes a lot to the success of the original production, but Bad Boys For Life drew its influence from a number of different projects in order to create a proper revival of the franchise. The impact of movies, like Mission: Impossible, is in the core of the piece.
As has been previously analyzed, Bad Boys For Life stole ideas from a variety of films, like The Fast And The Furious. The racing elements, buddy cop drama, and, once again, themes of found families are all tropes that can be found within this production.
1 Baby Driver (2017)
Edgar Wright has always been influenced by films around him. A student of the game, he has jumped from genre to genre and Baby Driver was an attempt to create a unique car film. Wright would have had to have looked at The Fast And The Furious for his work.
Of course, the influence is a little more complex though. When Baby Driver was released many called it the antidote to The Fast And The Furious. In many ways the franchise influenced Wright in a way that he moved away from the traditions of the genre that the series had set out, to carve his own unique path.