Fast and Furious’ lowest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes is also the one that saved the franchise after two box office failures that almost killed it forever. The Fast and Furious movies have changed drastically since the first installment, with the saga trying different approaches until it finally achieved the blockbuster status it has today. From stealing DVDs to preventing a nuclear war, Dominic Toretto’s family has gone through a lot throughout 10 films and a spinoff. Fast X may have gotten mixed reviews, but it was not the worst-received Fast and Furious movie.

Despite Fast X’s box office disappointment, the Fast and Furious franchise has been regularly releasing financial hits for over a decade. Given how massive the IP has become, it can be easy to forget that the series struggled quite a lot during its first installments. Following a strong first film that introduced audiences to Brian O’Conner and Dominic Toretto, Fast and Furious took a while to find its identity. After a couple of missteps, Tokyo Drift director Justin Lin returned for the fourth installment, whose biggest selling point was the return of the franchise’s original protagonists.

Fast & Furious (2009) Has A 28% Score On Rotten Tomatoes

Fast & Furious (2009) did not get good reviews.

Fast & Furious (2009), or Fast & Furious 4, is the lowest-rated Fast Saga movie on Rotten Tomatoes with a 28% critic score. The film, which marked the return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to the franchise after the former skipped 2 Fast 2 Furious and the latter skipped Tokyo Drift, was supposed to bring the saga back to its roots and reignite the IP. Although bringing back Diesel and Walker did help Fast & Furious from a financial standpoint, the story left a lot to be desired. Fast & Furious 4 was deemed too repetitive and uninspired.

Critics pointed out how Fast & Furious 4 was almost a remake of the first movie, this time with both Brian and Toretto having to infiltrate an organization tied to street racing. It must be noted that previous Fast & Furious films had not been critically acclaimed either, particularly 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift. Still, Fast & Furious (2009) did not bring much else to the table other than the returns of Brian and Toretto. Letty’s offscreen death did not land as well as it could have, and the investigation regarding Braga was not that interesting.

Why Fast & Furious (2009) Was So Important To The Franchise

Despite the reviews, Fast & Furious 4 helped the series.

Despite its flaws, Fast & Furious (2009) is arguably the most important entry in the saga since the first movie. Had it not been for Fast & Furious 4, the Fast Saga as audiences know it today would not exist. Justin Lin had done something very different from the first two movies in Tokyo Drift, and while the third film has its charm and aged quite well, Fast & Furious needed its original stars back. Both 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift had proven that creating new main characters wasn’t going to work in the long term.

Fast & Furious 4 plays out like a direct sequel to The Fast and the Furious, almost as if the other two movies had not happened. Audiences learned what Toretto had been doing since the end of the first film, including through a short film directed by Vin Diesel called Los Bandoleros. That said, the film did not completely ignore its predecessors. Brian’s previous adventure is acknowledged, and Sung Kang’s Han makes a cameo as part of Dominic Toretto’s crew. In addition to Brian and Toretto, Fast & Furious 4 also brought back Letty and Mia.

The fact that The Fast and the Furious’ main cast returned for the fourth movie is not the only reason why Fast & Furious (2009) helped save the franchise. The film was the first entry in the Fast Saga to show that the series could be more than just heists and street racing. The cars and the races were still there, but the search for Braga is what set the tone for the story. From Toretto holding a man by his leg to an action-packed third act, Fast & Furious (2009) foreshadowed the saga’s future.

Fast Five Could Not Have Happened Without Fast & Furious 4

Fast & Furious 4 proved audiences wanted more Fast and Furious.

Fast Five is widely considered not only the best Fast and Furious movie but also the franchise’s most important installment – and for good reason. Fast Five was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $626 million on a $125 million budget. Set mostly in Rio de Janeiro, Fast Five was the first entry in the Fast Saga to have a nine-figure budget, and it did not disappoint. The movie greatly expanded the scope and the scale of the franchise by not only bringing Dom’s family to another country for a global adventure but also combining characters from previous films.

Recent Fast and Furious movies have relied a lot on the saga’s ensemble, with Fast X’s cast in particular featuring multiple stars. Fast Five’s budget was a clear indication that the studio was willing to bet on the franchise’s potential, which would not have happened had Fast & Furious (2009) not rescued the IP. Even though the fourth movie was not well received by critics, it still grossed $359 million on a $85 million budget. Fast & Furious 4’s box office sent a message that audiences were still open for more Fast and Furious movies.

Fast & Furious 4 Is When The Fast Saga Began To Change

Dominic Toretto was now a superhero.

Fast Five is often pointed out as the movie where Fast and Furious changed forever. However, this change in tone and scale arguably started in Fast & Furious 4. The 2009 film was one of transition, recapturing some of the tone of the first film while also incorporating a more action-packed approach. For example, Toretto starts to become a “superhero” in Fast & Furious 4. Once a regular human who was also a great driver, Dom could now catch an engine with one hand and interrogate people as if he were Batman.

The Fast and the Furious was a crime drama as much as it was about street racing, but Fast & Furious (2009) took things to the next level. Braga’s street racing circuit and the drivers he hires are just a small part of the story, which focuses more on Brian and Dom acting as secret agents as they try to take down a crime lord. Fast & Furious (2009) was the first indication that Fast and Furious would soon no longer be just about cars. As flawed as the movie was, Fast & Furious 4’s impact on the franchise cannot be overlooked.