What premiered as an ordinary action packed, car racing movie is now one of the most followed film franchises in the world. "Fast & Furious" is an American franchise including a series of action films, which center around illegal street racing and heists. The first film 'The Fast and The Furious' debuted in 2001 and was followed by six sequels that tie into the series.
On Wednesday, Universal set up a wave of excitement among fans when it revealed release dates for the next trilogy movies of the franchise. After a period of unsureness on whether the franchise was going to live on after its last instalment, it was a relief for many to hear that not only will there be an eighth film, but three more movies were scheduled for release. For a franchise to still be generating this kind of excitement and enthusiasm after 15 years of existence is quite amazing. It is not something easily attainable and it just doesn't happen everyday.
The death of Paul Walker, who played Brian O'Connor in the films, halfway through filming "Furious 7" was hard on everyone - fans, cast and crew alike. Writers had to work under pressure on reworking the plot in order to finish off the half done movie. Paul Walker was not written off the script but instead, his brother was brought in to fill in the scenes that he had not shot. In the end we see Brian O'Connor as he drives off into the sunset after one last ride with his friend, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel).
This brings me to my main concern. "Furious 7" is the greatest tribute ever witnessed. It is a tribute to Paul and a tribute to Brian. A tribute to the Fast and Furious family. A chance for everyone to say goodbye one last time. It was the perfect ending. Furious 7's $143.6 million debut weekend was the biggest in the history of the popular action-movie franchise, which has grossed more than $1 billion domestically. The production received nods from fans and critics, getting an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes. If "Furious 7" had been the last movie of the franchise, FF would have been guaranteed to go down in history as a legendary series that possessed so much zest and emotion. It would have gone out with a bang!
With three more movies scheduled for release, one cannot help but wonder if the franchise will manage to maintain the charm and charisma that Brian and Dom brought into the films. Fast & Furious is the ultimate ambassador for family and brotherhood. Dom and Brian's relationship is what best portrayed that concept in the films. It is what drew fans in with each instalment. Is Fast and Furious willing to risk that reputation? What if the next trilogy is not good enough and the franchise runs itself down into a demise that will lead us to even forget about the iconic production it once was. We have seen a lot of franchise series run dry and get forced out of the market before.
It would be a shame and a pity if FF suffered the same demise when it actually had the great chance to hit the brakes and turn the engine off at the perfect moment. Don't get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to see the franchise's dream of "20 years, 10 films, 1 saga" come true, but at what cost? I really hope that FF has more stories to tell and is not just going in for the money.
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