Fast 9 is finally here and it’s just as wild as you’d expect, bringing the whole gang back together.
Fast and Furious 9 opens on Thursday 24th June 2021, with Vin Diesel and co. welcoming cinema-goers back with open arms – and the film has just as many high-octane thrills, improbable car stunts and speeches about the importance of family as ever.
Whether you’re new to the Fast & Furious franchise or a huge fan, it might be wise to refresh your memory of the story so far, and given the somewhat complicated timeline and weird naming conventions we’ve broken it down for you in an easier way.
While the majority of the films do follow on in chronological order from one another, there is one major exception which rather muddies the waters: with the third entry in the franchise, Tokyo Drift, fitting chronologically between the sixth and seventh films.
The first episode in the saga, The Fast and the Furious (2001), follows undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), who integrates himself into a heist crew run by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel).
Later in the series, viewers are introduced to the likes of the effortlessly cool Han Lue (Sung Kang), bounty hunter Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), weapons expert Gisele Yashar (Gal Galdot) and ex-military mercenary Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham).
In summary; the easiest way to watch all the Fast & Furious movies in order is by release date, but the correct way for story is to opt for the chronological timeline, though that may be more of a rewatch option.
A little lost? No problem, consider the below a sat-nav to your Fast and Furious binge.
- Read More: Fast & Furious 9 review
How to watch the Fast and Furious movies: chronological timeline order
Although most of the Fast films follow on from each other, there is one standout exception: you guessed it, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Although it was the third Fast film to be released in cinemas, Tokyo Drift is actually set between Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7. Swerving away from the story of Brian and Dom, the film follows a completely new set of characters led by Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), a student forced to move to Japan to avoid jail time.
Here’s the movies in chronological order:
- The Fast and the Furious (2001)
- 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
- Fast & Furious (2009)
- Fast Five (2011)
- Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
- Furious 7 (2015)
- The Fate of the Furious (2017)
- Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
- F9 (2021)
Tokyo Drift also marks the first appearance of Han Lue, a fan favourite who (SPOILER ALERT) appeared to be killed in a chase near the end of the film. Fortunately, Universal decided Han was so popular he would be resurrected with a clever workaround: all subsequent Fast films would be set before Toyko Drift. This meant Han was able to return alive and well in Fast & Furious, the next film in the franchise.
Fast and Furious timeline
Just to make things even more complicated, the Fast and Furious franchise also features several high-speed prequels, sequels and midquels. Most of these shorts were created for DVD releases of the original movies, shining light on unknown areas of the high-speed saga’s timeline.
First released on the DVD of 2 Fast 2 Furious (the next film on this list), short film Turbo-Charged Prelude shows exactly how Brian (Paul Walker) went from being an LAPD cop to criminal. The reason is the one you’d expect: after assisting Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) evade law enforcement, Brian himself becomes a wanted man.
Los Bandoleros, the next short film, focuses on Dom, and was served up to fans via a DVD bonus feature. No, it doesn’t explain how Brian became a fully-fledged FBI agent by the next film, but does introduce audiences to Han (Sung Kang), Rico (Don Omar) and Tego (Tego Calderon). Including all of these mini-movies, the Fast and Furious timeline looks like this:
- The Fast and the Furious
- Turbo-Charged Prelude
- 2 Fast 2 Furious
- Los Bandoleros
- Fast & Furious
- Fast Five
- Fast & Furious 6
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
- Furious 7
- The Fate of the Furious
- Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
- F9
How to watch the Fast and Furious movies: release order
If you’re new to the Fast and Furious, sticking to the simplest route may be the best. After all, most of the movies follow a chronological order, with only really the third instalment in the franchise, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), causing some confusing pile-ups in the timeline as discussed.
Here’s how you watch Fast & Furious movies in order of release:
- The Fast and the Furious (2001)
- 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
- Fast & Furious (2009)
- Fast Five (2011)
- Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
- Furious 7 (2015)
- The Fate of the Furious (2017)
- Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
- F9 (2021)
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
The first episode in the saga, The Fast and the Furious (2001), follows undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), who integrates himself into a heist crew run by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel).
Where to watch: Amazon
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
2 Fast 2 Furious doesn’t feature Vin Diesel, but it does star Walker and follows on from the events of The Fast and the Furious. This one introduces Ludacris as Tej and Tyrese Gibson as Roman, who went on to become two main characters.
Where to watch: Amazon
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
This is where things take a turn. This one was seen as a ‘reboot’ of sorts for the whole franchise. There was no Paul Walker or Diesel… or Ludacris, or Michelle Rodriguez, or Gibson. Basically no core characters here. The movie was set in Japan and featured Han (Sung Kang). Luckily, fans took to Han, but the movie did confuse the timeline somewhat.
Where to watch: Amazon
Fast & Furious (2009)
Not to be confused with the first film in the franchise (these titles are confusing!) this one comes fourth. Set after 2 Fast 2 Furious, we ignore The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift for now.
Where to watch: Amazon
Fast Five (2011)
The Rock first appears in Fast Five as Luke Hobbs, and we finally see Ludacris and Tyrese return to the franchise. Sung Kang also appears as Han – and Gal Gadot pops up too. The movies start ramping up and steering in to the ridiculousness here.
Where to watch: Amazon
Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
We have a new villain introduced, or a whole villain family with Luke Evans starring as Owen Shaw. We also have a post-credits scene to introduce Jason Statham’s character Deckard Shaw, who appears to kill Han in a scene first glimpsed in Tokyo Drift. Now we’ve caught up – phew.
Where to watch: Amazon
Fast & Furious 7 (2015)
The team reunite for this one that sees us say goodbye to Paul Walker. Statham is back after that credits scene for his first proper starring role in the FF franchise which saw him clash with Diesel and The Rock.
Where to watch: Amazon
The Fate of the Furious (2017)
We carry on the franchise with this eighth movie. We say hello to Charlize Theron here as villain Cipher.
Where to watch: Amazon
Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019)
A little detour here, as it’s not really part of the core franchise, but a spin-off. The Rock and Statham return to team up against Idris Elba’s super soldier. Shaw transitions from villain to hero. Vanessa Kirby also stars as Statham’s sister.
Where to watch: Amazon
Where to watch the Fast and Furious movies
Until recently, most of the Fast and Furious franchise could be viewed on streaming service NOW with a cinema pass (£11.99 a month), however the majority of the films have now left the platform – with only Fast & Furious 7 (2015) and Fast & Furious: Hobbes and Shaw (2019) remaining.
As for the first 6 films and The Fate of the Furious, they are not currently streaming as part of any subscription service, but you can rent or purchase them of Amazon Prime Video, with prices ranging from £2.49 to £4.99.
Fast & Furious 9 is out in cinemas on 24th June, 2021.
If you’re looking for something to watch on TV tonight or what to watch now then check out our TV guide.
