In hindsight, one particularly fascinating part about the
Fast & Furious series is how, unlike most mega-blockbuster franchises, its initial films weren't all that great.
The Fast and the Furious, the very first title in the saga, becoming a sleeper box office hit way above anyone's expectations showed that it clearly struck a chord with viewers. To boot, the importance of the original feature being one of the few American movies at the dawn of the 21st-century to star people of color cannot be underestimated, particularly when exploring how and why this series managed to resonate so storngly with audiences in the first place. But much like the DC Extended Universe or the Star Trek and Harry Potter movies,
Fast & Furious didn't really hit its stride until its sequels came along.
